Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 118042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 590(@200wpm)___ 472(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 590(@200wpm)___ 472(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
My tired heart kicked with power; I looked at his guards instead. “If it’s true that his cameras are still working, take a look for yourself. See what’s truly happened out there.”
The two guards holding the guns to my temples gave each other a look.
“I was down there. I’ve seen firsthand who’s fighting on our side.” I swallowed and spoke louder, full of truth. “The guards fought on Victor’s side to begin with. They obeyed like you have. They’ve obeyed for years, just like you—”
“Enough,” Victor snarled. “Gag him.”
“But that obedience ended tonight. The remaining guards spied an opportunity. They saw a way out. And they—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Victor punched me in the jaw.
My head swung with his strike, but the pain only added to all the rest.
That welling of strength returned.
That manic ability to ignore the fact that I was dying all in order to protect.
Ily…you better still be alive, mon cœur.
Tonguing the fresh blood from a split lip, I grinned at the guards. “They’re fighting with us.”
The muzzle of the guns inched away from my temples.
“They’ve swapped sides. They’re not his anymore.”
Indecision filled the four men. Two brown-haired, one dark-skinned, one bald, and for a second, I no longer existed for them.
Victor no longer existed.
They looked at each other with sudden hope in their eyes.
“They’re going home,” I hissed, tasting their hesitation. “The question is—”
Victor kicked me right in the gut.
I doubled over, landing on my side. I twitched involuntarily as my organs tried to decide if they’d had enough of this abuse and if this one little kick would finally kill me. “The question is—” I coughed up a mouthful of blood “—are you going home…with them?”
Snatching a gun out of the guard’s hand, Victor aimed at me. “Fuck it. I’ve had enough of you.”
His finger squeezed the trigger.
The ear-shredding crack as he fired—
The guard he’d stolen the weapon off barrelled into Victor and shoved his arm wide.
The bullet slammed into the wall.
For a moment, no one moved.
The guards all froze, shocked that one of them had laid a hand on their employer.
And then…
They moved as one unit.
Well-trained.
Well-disciplined.
They pounced on Victor and pinned him to the ground.
He cried out in agony.
He cursed and spat, turning unhinged with rage.
One of the guards stepped toward me.
I braced myself—
He reached down and helped me stand.
My knees threatened to collapse. The wall offered a much-needed resting stop. I tried to look more composed than I was, but I had nothing left. I was grateful I wasn’t passed out on the goddamn floor.
Blinking back grey spots, I wiped the blood off my lips with the back of my hand and nodded. “Good choice.”
“If you’re lying to us, we’ll kill you ourselves,” the bald guard muttered.
“You fucking ingrates!” Victor bellowed. “How dare you do this! How fucking dare you—”
The dark-skinned guard clamped a hand over Victor’s mouth, silencing his foul language.
“I’m not lying.” I hid my flush. I hope.
Just like I didn’t believe Victor that he’d seen Ily die, I didn’t know for sure if the guards had revolted and joined our side. Enough had. Enough had armed us and helped. But they still outnumbered us. Still could’ve wrangled back control.
All I had was hope.
And it was such a flimsy, fragile weapon.
“Come on.” The guard who’d helped me stand took my elbow and nudged me toward the door. “We’ll go assess the mess out there. Then we’ll know who’s made the right choice or not.”
Staggering where he pushed me, I tried to fight his hold. “Wait. What about him?” I looked at Victor squirming like a demon on the carpet, pinned down by three guards.
“We’ll keep him here until—”
“No.” I shook my head. “He comes with us. I don’t want him out of my sight.”
“He’s not going anywhere. We’ll make sure of it.”
“I’m not willing to risk it.” I balled my hands and shoved the guard off me. “I’ve underestimated him too much. I’m not doing it again.”
“You don’t have a choice. We’re in charge now. You’ll do as we say.”
“No. You’ll do as he says if he dangles enough temptation in front of you.” Crossing my arms, holding onto the bleeding hole in my side, I sniffed. “Before he tries to bribe you back onto his side, I’ll give you each five hundred thousand euros if you give me a knife and some rope.”
“A knife?” The brown-haired older one scowled. “What for?”
“To make sure he won’t run again.”
“If you tie him up, he won’t.”
I gathered every shred of energy I had left. “One million euros for a knife and some rope. Do we have a deal or not?”
The men looked at one another.
Victor thrashed and mumbled beneath his imprisonment.
Finally, the bald one nodded.
Without a word, he reached behind his back and yanked free a wickedly sharp blade from its leather sheath. Passing it to me, he marched toward the bullet-shredded curtains and tore off the tiebacks. Bringing them to me, he smirked. “Imagine this is rope.”