We’re halfway to the elevator when Elias is cut off as the building begins to shake. Small tremors rattle the windows like a seismic wave has hit us. “Is this an earthquake?” I ask, searching for a nearby room and hoping it has a table. Seconds later, the building shakes again, harder this time, and I swear I hear a boom. Then, suddenly, they surround me. “What’s going on?”
They guide me down a hall to what looks like an emergency exit. “Our team outside has been compromised,” Fernando explains while punching in the code.
“They’re on this floor,” a man shouts from somewhere down the hall. “Spread out and find her. It’s kill on sight, boys. But, instead, let’s capture her alive and have a little fun first.”
“He’s mine,” I whisper. I was going to bleed him out slowly.
There is a soft chime as the doors to an elevator slide open. “Nope, that’s the exact opposite of your doctor’s orders,” Elias mutters. “Thomas is already ten minutes out. For this reason, we always have three teams on standby close by.”
I wanted to pout. It’s been so long since I could draw someone’s blood that I could cry. “Only you would get teary-eyed about being unable to stay and fight,” Reign taunts, and I roll my eyes.
“It’s not funny,” I retort, punching him in the shoulder.
Conner clears his throat. “What’s the plan once we get her into the room?”
“Stay on guard until we get the signal,” Fernando answers as the elevator opens to what appears to be the basement. They quickly usher me out, moving us down a corridor before banking a left.
“Is this building structurally sound enough for us to be down here?” I ask as Reign opens another door with his thumbprint. “So you’ve had a contingency plan in place for this?”
We’re through another door that leads to a set of stairs that only goes down. “Come on, Ry. I’m almost hurt that you’d think we didn’t cover all our bases.”
No one says anything until we’re down the three flights of stairs, through another secured door, and enter a room.
“Thomas and his team are four minutes out. We need to hang tight for now,” Reign states.
Sighing, I walk around, taking in the space. Gray, plastered walls line a windowless room that is filled with all the necessary amenities. There’s a fully stocked kitchen and some form of a living room. I leave the main area to see what else is in this bunker under my doctor’s office. Conner follows behind me. “You know you don’t have to keep an eye on me. We’re in a secured space,” I inform him.
“If it’s all the same to you, Miss Bradford, I’d rather be safe than caught flatfooted,” Conner replies in a clipped tone.
I continue my perusal, not wanting to come off like a spoiled princess who doesn’t let people do their job. There are about six doors in this hallway, four of them bedrooms. Each consists of a full-size bed, a bathroom, a desk with a chair, and some books.
Having seen enough, I say, “I’m ready to go back.” Conner nods, then steps out of the way for me to go ahead of him. Shrugging, I move past him. We’re almost back into the main space when the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.
I hear the distinct sound of a bullet being chambered. “Samantha sends her re-” Before he can finish his statement, I whirl around, drawing one of my blades from my arm holster, sailing it through the air down and to my right. “Fuckkk,” Conner shouts, reaching for his groin. I use his momentary shock to disarm him. I opt for a hand chop when what I really want to do is sidekick him into the afterlife. Conner drops the gun, and I kick it away from him.
Footsteps sound. “What the hell is going on?” Reign asks. Fernando and Elias must follow quickly behind him, but I’m too focused on my target.
Conner moves to yank the knife from where I hope the blade lodged his dick to one or both of his balls. Before he can fully wrap his hand around the knife, I kick him in the nutsack, and he drops to one knee.
Taking advantage of his position, I pull the metal hair sticks from my messy bun and jam them both in the sides of his throat. I relish the feel of the fuckhead’s blood coating my hands and the shock in Conner’s eyes as his brain tries to catch up with the fact that he’s about to die.
Conner reaches for the metal protruding from his neck, but it’s too late. I step back, raising two fingers to the middle of his forehead. “You should’ve been paying attention in the elevator. Don’t worry, Samantha Davenport will join you in hell,” I spit, then shove his head, causing him to fall back.
“Seriously, Ry?” Elias groans as I stand over Conner and peer down into his vacant, pale blue eyes.
“He started it,” I retort.
Fernando snorts before he comes to stand beside me, checking for any injuries. “I guess you got your blood, Hellcat.”
Inhaling, I smile at the realization, then bite the inside of my cheek. “Fuck, can one of you get my knife and my hair sticks for me?” I beg, realizing if I squat down to get them, it’s going to be a bit of a struggle to get back up.
When I’m met with silence, I turn and gaze at each of them. The assholes are working hard to hold back their laughter. I flip them off and walk into the main room as Thomas opens the door covered in blood. “Tough day at the office?” I jest.
Thomas scans me from head to toe, taking note of my bloody hands. Satisfied I’m not hurt, he quips, “Seems as though you’ve lightened my workload.”
Elias, Reign, and Fernando enter the living room. “A team’s been dispatched for clean up. Do we have any idea how Conner made it through the background checks?” Fernando asks, cursing under his breath in Spanish. Something about fucking turncoat weasels and how they deserve to be hung and left for vultures.
I smirk, but then I remember the men upstairs and why I was there. “Dr. Jaffri?”
Thomas’s face softens. “Safe.”
I sigh in relief. My shoulders slump as the adrenaline dissipates from my system. Elias scoops me into his arms and whispers, “Let’s get you home.”
Humming, I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. “I’m going to gut that bitch,” I mumble before sleep finally takes me.
“Miss Bradford, we’ve heard your grievances,” Tamara states from across the table.
“I don’t think you have. Things aren’t getting better. They’re getting worse, and if you want me to fulfill my end of things, you’ll provide the information and support I’m seeking. I refuse to have my family looking over their shoulders for the rest of our lives,” I pause, needing to rein in my rage. “Generations of Bradfords have already done that. We won’t anymore,” I reply.
Silence hums through the room, and I begin to wonder if we are at an impasse. I won’t budge on my demands.
She smiles. “You’ll be an excellent addition to the Novus Ordo Seclorum. The Princeps chose wisely.” She stands, and I spend time admiring her. High, sharp cheekbones are highlighted in a bronzer that accentuates the reddish-gold undertones in her umber skin. Tamara’s burnt orange suit is paired with a cream silk blouse.
This woman emanates power.
“You’ll have your information and support when the time has come, Miss Bradford. Complete your task before the Tribunal, and we’ll handle the rest.” And without a backward glance, she exits the room.
Huffing, I sit back in my chair and rest my hand on my stomach. “Mommy is going to open the gates of hell to protect you.” I feel flutters against my palm, and tears build in my eyes. The guys will either get on board or get run over. Their fianc?e, however, is a bitch on borrowed time.
LIAM
Music blares through the speakers. The bass vibrates off the walls. “Are you sure this was the only place she could meet us?” Sebastian asks as he has to stave off the attention of another sorority girl.
“They’re like an invasive species,” Karl grumbles as we move through the room.
I wait until we reach an alcove, awarding us some amount of privacy, before I answer Sebastian. “We are running out of time with the engagement party being next week. This is our best shot.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.