She dropped her head once more, but Isaac saw fury burning in her ice-blue eyes. It was a stunning contradiction. Fire and ice.
“I didn’t exactly prove a challenge to them. He laughed at me and said I’d made it far too easy and that he was disappointed. Then he told me that I may have been able to waltz right out of protective custody but that where he was taking me I’d never see outside the walls of my prison. He seemed to think he was very amusing. He told me that he might consider torturing those who defied him, just so he could send them to me so I’d have company every once in a while.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper and became tearful.
“But he also said he’d never allow me to heal them. He planned only to taunt them with my presence and the knowledge of what I could do so they’d know healing and life was so very close, just a touch away, and he wanted me to watch them die because he knew exactly what that would do to a person like me.”
She shuddered, and Isaac put his arm around her to squeeze comfortingly.
Knight eased his head forward to get a sight line down the hallway in both directions, to and from the kitchen, their objective. He gave a simple nod and Isaac urged Jenna forward, wanting her out of this place as quickly as possible.
Just as he and Jenna were about to step into the hall, where they’d be visible to anyone present there, apprehension rolled down his spine. Without confirming his gut feeling, he slammed Jenna back, inserting his body in front of her. She stumbled, but Shadow caught her against his body and quickly covered her mouth with his huge hand to silence her.
The remaining group of men slid down the wall from the doorway so they wouldn’t be readily visible. Only if the person walking rapidly down the hall chose to enter the laundry room.
Shit. Isaac hoped the others had already left the kitchen and were outside waiting because if not, they were all fucked. Isaac watched the outline of a large man pass by the laundry room and pause at the kitchen door. He peered in and then let out a grumble. Then he checked his watch and swore before lifting a radio to the side of his head.
“When the fuck is Chopper going to cook some goddamn food?”
“He’s not, fool,” the reply crackled over the two-way radio.
“Why the fuck not? I’m starving, and I’m sure everyone else is too.”
“Perhaps you should worry more about doing as you were told and carrying out those orders instead of planning the next time to stuff more food into your lard ass,” a silky, taunting voice sounded low over the radio.
Jenna went rigid, her hand flying to her mouth as if she were going to be sick. Her eyes were sorrowful and she bit down on her knotted fist just as an involuntary dry heave wracked her body.
Shadow’s arm went around her for support and then he gently extricated her curled fingers from her mouth, rubbing the teeth marks left by her agitation.
“I think those hands have suffered enough abuse already,” he whispered next to her ear. “He can’t hurt you, Jenna. We’d never let that happen.”
Her eyes flew to his, her misery so pronounced that it made Isaac’s own gut clench.
“What is it, little angel?” Shadow asked, frowning at her extreme reaction.
“He’ll kill him,” she said, barely managing to form the words.
Her stomach heaved again, but this time she swallowed it back and balled her fists at her sides.
“We have to hurry. He’s one of those people I told you about. One of the ones he’ll torture for pissing him off. Then he’ll bring him to me, just like he promised, and he’ll let him die while I have to watch.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks as everyone else exchanged looks of shock. She spoke with too much conviction for someone who hadn’t seen it happen.
A noise in the hallway distracted Isaac from Jenna, and he focused on the man who’d been standing there a moment ago. Now two men flanked him, and the man who’d complained about being hungry had gone white as a sheet and was begging. Oh Jesus. What the fuck? He glanced sharply back at Jenna, knowing a hell of a lot more had happened than what Ramie had seen and what they’d assumed when Jenna had said no one had been back.
“We have to go now!” Jenna hissed with urgency. “We only have a few minutes before they’ll know I’m gone.”
Bile rose in Isaac’s throat and Shadow didn’t look any better as realization sank in. As soon as the hallway was clear, Isaac yanked Jenna to him and grabbed her hand. Shadow hovered on her other side while the rest took positions in front of and behind Isaac, Jenna and Shadow.
They rushed into the kitchen and out the back door, knowing they would have been alerted by Dane if the exit had been compromised. Dane looked up in relief from his lookout position when they barged into the night. The others were in similar guarded positions, but now they all turned in the direction of the section of fence that had been cut through.
“Situation upgraded to ‘get the fuck out as fast as possible,’ ” Isaac barked to Dane.
Choosing speed over stealth, the men took off at a dead run while Isaac simply plucked Jenna from her feet and tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and then he too ran, keeping pace with them while bearing Jenna’s slight weight.
“What the fuck did that sick bastard do to her?” Shadow whispered as he ran next to Isaac.
Isaac closed his eyes. He responded in a whispered voice to make sure Jenna didn’t hear their exchange. “I think it’s pretty obvious and I don’t want to make her relive that now. I wanted to fucking throw up myself when I realized and Jesus, Shadow, did you see her eyes?”
Shadow’s features became glacial, his expression icy. “I’m going to find that bastard if it’s the last thing I do.”
Alarm registered at Shadow’s quiet vow.
“Need you to stick with me, man. You aren’t going to have to find Jaysus. He’ll be coming for us, and I’m going to need all the protection for Jenna that I can get.”
Shadow briefly glanced over at Jenna. She was slung over Isaac’s opposite shoulder, but held with extreme care so she was jostled as little as possible as they closed the distance between where she’d been kept prisoner and where Brent waited to drive them to safety.
“You got it, brother,” Shadow said, his words a quiet vow.
SEVENTEEN