He wrapped an arm around my waist, and his fingers pressed into my side. “Relax, Hattie. I’ve got you.”
He rocked me back and forth for a frozen second, and I wanted to tell him I missed him, I loved him, I couldn’t live without him, and so much more. But the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I pressed my lips to his neck, drawing his essence into my lungs. He smelled like sea air, gunpowder and man, but somehow it was better than anything in the world.
“Can you walk?” he whispered, next to my ear.
Jumbled thoughts whirled through my mind. Incoherent words mixed with whimpers streamed from my mouth. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t talk. Walking was out of the question.
“Listen, baby. We need to get out of here right now. The helicopter can only stay so long before it draws too much attention.”
I lifted my head from his chest and nodded. “I can walk.”
“Hold on to the back of my belt and don’t let go no matter what happens.”
I clamped my hands around his belt, fusing my body to his. My swollen hand protested the movement, but I ignored the pain. “Got it,” I whispered, my throat raw from dehydration and crying for days.
“Noah,” Ryker said. “Follow us out of here.”
A tall, dark-haired man stepped out of the shadows. A flash of light from the bottom of the stairs lit up one side of his face. He had sharp cheekbones, a long angular nose and almond shaped eyes. He flashed a thumbs-up signal. “I’m on it.”
With his gun in front of him, we jogged down the stairs. Dead bodies and bloodied groaning men littered the floor. I floated through the room as if I were submerged in water, suffering from a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. My vision tunneled. My entire body trembled so I hard I thought I’d collapse.
“Don’t look. Just keep your gaze glued to the ground in front of you and keep putting one foot in front of the other,” Ryker said without glancing at me.
I squeezed my eyes shut and plastered my body against his back. My fingers curled around the waistband of his pants. My lungs rattled with suppressed cries. I would’ve crawled inside him if it were possible. A warm breeze caressed my skin. We were outside. Relief poured through my body. I opened my eyes and lifted my head to the sky, drinking in the faint glimmer of the stars. Palm trees danced in the wind. Sea salt wafted through the air. On any other night, it would’ve been peaceful, but not today. With the roar of the helicopter blades slicing through the air, it felt sinister. Ominous.
Three guys barreled around the corner of the house, their guns pointed at us. “Ya están aquí.”
Ryker shoved me away from him, and I stumbled backward. “Noah, get her the fuck out of here. Now!”
“No,” I repeatedly screamed, reaching for Ryker. Horror clawed at my chest, dragging me into a full-blown panic attack within a matter of seconds. I didn’t want to be separated from Ryker ever again.
Noah wrapped his arms around my waist and heaved me over his shoulder. “No. I’m not leaving him. Leave me here.” I slapped the corded muscles of his back until my hands stung.
“You don’t have a choice,” Noah growled.
“Please,” I begged, as my heart crumbled. “I can’t leave him. Not again.”
“It’s better this way.”
Noah ran to the helicopter, his boots kicking up a fine powdery dust that coated my lips. My head bounced against his back and blood rushed through my ears. Sobs clogged my throat. Acid gnawed at my gut. When we reached the door, he climbed inside and slammed it behind us. “We’re ready to go.”
“No. We can’t leave him.” I darted for the door, but Noah’s arms closed around my waist and he pulled me into his lap.
Sickness twisted my insides. My heart beat like a pogo stick against the inside of my chest. I kicked, bit and slapped him, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Shh,” Noah whispered next to my ear. “Stop fighting. This is what Ryker wanted. You’d only be in his way.”
“No.” I lurched forward and elbowed him in the ribs.
He grunted, but his arms didn’t relent. “For fuck’s sake, you need to relax and let us do our job. We know what we’re doing. Don’t make this even more of a mess than it already is.”
The energy drained from my body, and I slumped into his chest, my hands coiled into his black shirt. I didn’t want to leave without Ryker, but Noah was right. There’s nothing I could do to help him except do what he asked and get out of his way.
Chapter Ten
Ryker
With my gun pointed in the center of Enrique’s Alvarez’s chest, I pulled the trigger.
Click.
And…nothing.
I was out of ammunition.
Fucking hell.
Enrique tipped his head to the sky and howled like a coyote. “I’ve got this,” he said to the men next to him. Go take care of my dad.” He waved his high-powered rifle over my head. “The helicopter is leaving without you. Should I shoot it down?”
I eyed his rifle. It wouldn’t come close. “That’s not happening.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll settle for killing you instead.”
“You can try,” I answered. I kept my voice steady even as nerves zigzagged through my body like a plasma ball.
“It’s only fair. You tried to kill me last week. Now I’ll return the favor, but unlike you, I’ll actually succeed.” He angled his chin to the side. “I already had some fun with your woman over the past few days, but I’m happy to show you some love too.” He pointed his gun at my foot. “I think I’ll start with your feet so you can’t go anywhere. Then, I’ll take my time. You know, make a real production of the whole thing. Maybe I’ll burn a letter A into your arm so you match her.”
Pain wailed through my chest. My blood ran cold. I glowered. “What the fuck did you say?”
“I guess you didn’t look at her too closely.” He shook his head, his dark eyebrows raised. “I branded your whore. You won’t live long enough to appreciate it, but you’ll die knowing I’ve marked her as property of the Alvarez Cartel. You may have rescued her, but she’ll remember me for the rest of her life. This question is…will she remember you in a couple of years?”
My heart detonated like a grenade inside my chest. I didn’t think. I couldn’t think. Everything turned red. Rage fueled my body. I charged forward. My fist collided with his chin, and my knuckles scraped across his teeth.
Crack.
He stumbled backward, cupping the side of his face. I didn’t give him the chance to retaliate. I circled my arms around his body and tackled him. Air exploded out of my lungs as we hit the ground.
I crawled up his body, pounding his face over and over until ribbons of blood gushed from his mouth and nose. With every hit, I relished his grunts of pain and the way his eyes went from alert to glazed.