Joseph.
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind he was here. He said he would give me two weeks, but he had obviously changed his mind. He probably assumed I was crazy for wanting to protect Crewe. His anger had blinded his judgment, and now he was the one who was crazy.
Crewe immediately sprang into action. He opened one of his drawers and pulled out a pistol. He checked the barrel to make sure it was loaded before he shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans. “Come on.”
“What are we doing?” I jumped out of bed, my heart racing a million miles a minute. I was more scared than the day I was originally captured. Joseph was here to take me, and he didn’t give a damn about sparing Crewe’s life.
Shit.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to his side. He didn’t bother putting his shoes back on. “I’m gonna get us out of here.”
“Maybe it’s safer if we stay in here?”
“Doubt it. Whoever is here is looking for me.” He opened the door and stepped into the hallway, the sound of gunshots even louder. It sounded like a gang war was waging outside. “And they won’t hesitate to kill you too.”
I knew I was safe, but that didn’t stop me from being terrified. Now that Crewe’s life was on the line, I could hardly breathe. I gripped his hand tighter, unable to handle the possibility of something happening to him. I didn’t care about any of his men, but I didn’t want anything to happen to them either—not even Ariel. “Where are we going?”
“There’s an escape route on the other side of the castle.”
“What about everyone else?”
He pulled me into another hallway and approached a second staircase. “They know what they’re supposed to do.”
“Ariel?”
“She knows where the secret room is. She’ll be fine.”
I hoped so.
He pulled me down the staircase just as the large glass window that led to the courtyard was shattered by bullets. It burst into shards and blanketed the maroon rug that led down the stone hallway.
Crewe yanked me to the floor and protected my body with his.
This couldn’t be happening. This was a nightmare. The worst nightmare I’d ever had.
Crewe was on his feet an instant later, firing his weapon at any enemies I couldn’t see. He took one down and another fired, but he dodged out of the way behind the staircase, taking me with him.
“It’s him.” Joseph’s voice rang in the air. “He’s got her with him.”
Crewe’s held his gun at the ready and didn’t react, but he must have figured out who it was.
“Let her go, asshole.” Joseph cocked his gun. I could hear the sound echo against the stone.
Crewe was outnumbered three to one. It didn’t matter how smart or fast he was. He couldn’t get out of this. Gunshots still fired from outside the walls, Crewe’s men engaged in the battle to keep the rest of Joseph’s men out. It was merely a distraction so Joseph could enter through the back.
Crewe kept his hand firmly on mine, looking eerily calm for the dire situation he was in.
“I’m coming out,” I announced. “Don’t shoot.”
Crewe gripped me tighter and looked down at me.
I avoided his look and slipped out of his grasp, knowing there was no time to explain anything. Now his life was on the line, and I had to do whatever I could to spare it. I stepped out with my arms by my sides, relieved when I wasn’t shot even though I was never a target. “Joseph, tell your men to stand down.”
Joseph looked maniacal, his eyes wide. His eyes were just as dark as the bulletproof vest he wore. “Come here.”
I held my ground. “Drop your weapons.”
“We aren’t gonna shoot you,” he hissed. “Now get your ass over here.”
“Don’t shoot Crewe. I told you I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Tell your men to stop. You won. Now let’s go.” Crewe didn’t need to hear the backstory to understand what my words meant. I’d plotted this entire thing with Joseph during those phone calls, and now he knew what I was really up to.
Joseph lowered his weapon, as did the others. “Let’s go, then.”
I breathed a sigh of relief now that I had accomplished the most important thing—protecting Crewe.
“Are you gonna show your face, you coward?” Joseph asked. “Say goodbye to the slave you’ve kept for seven months?” Spit flew from his mouth, and the vein in his forehead throbbed. His anger was hotter than a raging wildfire. I could feel the ferocity from my fingertips to my toes.
Crewe stepped out from behind the staircase, his gun hanging by his side. But he didn’t look at Joseph once. All he did was look at me.
With fury.
With pain.
With betrayal.
His jaw was tighter than I’d ever seen it, and the devastation in his eyes made me feel worse than he had ever made me feel. There wasn’t a fight inside him. He didn’t even care that Joseph was standing there with two armed men. He showed more vulnerability in that moment than I’d ever seen him show during our relationship. “You got me.”
“You actually thought she loved you?” Joseph asked incredulously. “You took this woman as a prisoner. How stupid are you? If you didn’t think my sister would fight every single day to get out, you really are an idiot.”
Crewe didn’t take his eyes off me. “You’re right. I am an idiot.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I whispered. “I was going to talk to you—”
Joseph raised his gun and fired, shooting Crewe right in the chest. “Die, asshole.”
“No!” My hands moved to my face when I saw Crewe jerk before he crashed to the floor. His body hit the stone with a loud thump, and he lay still, his eyes still open and blood spraying into the air in front of him. His t-shirt started to become soaked, and his arms lay by his sides.
Joseph stood over him and pointed the gun right at Crewe’s face.
“Stop!” I covered Crewe’s body with my own, protecting as much of him as I could. “Joseph, stop! You told me you wouldn’t kill him.”
Joseph lowered the gun and shrugged. “Well, I changed my mind. Now, move.”
“No.” Tears immediately poured from my eyes, and I sobbed as I felt Crewe’s blood absorb into my own clothes. “Get away from him.” I kicked Joseph in the shin so he would stumble backward.
One of his men got a message through the speaker in his ear. “Crewe’s reinforcements are on the way. There’s a lot of them. We’re outnumbered ten to one. We’ve got to go.”
Thank god.
Joseph rubbed his chin but didn’t give any indication he was in pain. “London, we’ve got to go.”
“I’m not leaving. I’m getting him to a hospital.”
“Are you crazy?” He grabbed me by the arm.
I smacked him away then bit him on the forearm when he grabbed me again. “Leave!”
“I risk my life for you, and this is how you repay me?” my brother asked.