Chapter Ten #3
The fight wasn’t over, but all I heard was a roaring in my ears as my breath came too fast. I knew I was in shock and needed to pull myself together, but it seemed an impossible task.
Antonio checked the corridor, then holstered his weapon and took my face in his hands.
“Listen to me. You did what you had to do. You did nothing wrong, Tessa. I promise we’ll talk about it later.
Right now, I need you present. With me. Can you do that for me, honey?
” I nodded. My throat was tight. “Good.” He kissed my forehead, hard, then released me.
“We need to move. Denton’s pulling back. Rainman with him.”
I handed Tonio back his gun, then thought better of it. I did thumb on the safety. He met my gaze with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m good. Really. Just shaken up.”
“You sure? I don’t want to take the gun since you obviously decided to keep it, but I’d like to not get shot either.”
I shut my eyes and took a steadying breath. When I opened them, I focused on Antonio and him alone. “I can do this. I’m good.”
He leaned in and gave me one more brief, hard kiss. “That’s my girl.”
I’d killed a man to save the man I loved, and I knew I’d do it again if I had to. What did that make me?
We moved deeper. The corridors narrowed, the amber lighting gave way to harsh fluorescents in the service areas at the back end of the operation. Left at the junction, right at the dead-end that wasn’t really a dead-end, a disguised door led to a short stairwell down.
“Well, Billie be frigged,” Kass muttered. “Don’t see that every day.”
The vault door sat at the bottom of the stairs on the far wall. The biometric panel beside it glowed amber. Denton’s thumbprint or his iris was the only thing that would open the thing.
“He’s gone,” Antonio said as he pressed his palm flat against the steel.
“Rainman with him. And the buyer.” I wondered why Antonio hadn’t said anything about Denton before.
Probably because there wasn’t anything we could do about Denton and because there was still hope of some kind that Knight could help us.
“Knight,” Tonio said into his radio. “Is there any other way into this vault?”
“Sorry, boss.” Knight’s voice was tight. “That’s a hard biometric. If you don’t have Denton, the thing stays shut.”
Antonio turned away from the vault. His jaw was set. “Fuck!” Finally, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
We retraced our path. The corridors were quieter now, the bodies lay where they’d fallen. I didn’t look at any of them. I couldn’t.
Hawk was bleeding. A graze along his left arm, dark and wet against his sleeve. He’d tied a bandana around it himself and hadn’t mentioned it.
“You’re hit,” I said.
He shrugged. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.” I reached for his arm. He let me check it. The bullet had torn a furrow through the meat of his bicep but didn’t seem to have done much else. “I should clean that for you.”
“It’s fine, little sister.” He gently pulled his arm free. “I promise I’ll get Pain to look at it when we get back.” He smiled down at me before patting my shoulder and moving on.
When we reached the loading bay, the roll-up door was still open, night air pouring in.
Kass waited by a black SUV, Casey still unconscious as he settled her inside in the back seat and fastened her seat belt.
Finch stood guard, scanning the alleyway.
Sully had the nameless woman and Grace in the second vehicle.
Grace sat upright now, mostly alert, her gaze taking in everything.
We loaded into the vehicles. I climbed in beside Antonio and Hawk took the front passenger seat, already on the phone with someone, Carrie, most likely. His voice was low, reassuring. Telling her he got “kissed by a bullet” but was fine.
The SUV pulled away from the loading bay.
I watched éclipse recede in the side mirror, the building dark except for the amber glow from the windows.
Denton was in the wind and so was Rainman and their mysterious buyer.
Worse, Mercy Raines was still being held captive.
Tonio still deserved my anger over breaking his word, no matter how noble the cause, but I still felt bad about going back on mine.
Especially since my reason for lying to him no longer applied. I still hadn’t saved Mercy.
We’d saved three women, and I’d made my first kill. I shivered at the thought, my mind not wanting to go there. Antonio’s hand found mine in the dark. His fingers were warm as they laced with mine.
Though we’d gotten the most important objective -- rescuing any women we found -- we hadn’t accomplished shutting down this fucking place.
Hopefully, we’d scared them enough they’d be afraid to do anything for a few days until they figured out who’d hit them.
By then, I knew Antonio’s men would be better prepared.
This whole thing had happened faster than I knew Tonio had been comfortable with.
The SUV wound through backstreets, avoiding main roads, back to the private airport.
We reached the safe house an hour later.
Kass carried a still unconscious Casey inside while Grace followed.
No help for her but to watch her and make sure she kept breathing.
Finch helped Hawk while Sully stayed with the vehicles, running cleanup.
Antonio and I stood on the paved drive. He looked down at me, studying whatever he found in my expression.
“How are you holding up?” I could see the concern in his gaze. I also knew he was still pissed at me for being there in the first place.
I shrugged. “I’m fine.” I looked away. “Need a shower.”
“You know, all this will hit you later.” He pulled me into his arms then, holding me close.
“Figured.” I tried not to melt into his warmth because I knew the numbness I’d tried to surround myself in would soon burn off. I really wanted to not be where anyone could see me when it did.
He continued to hold me against his chest, locking his arms tightly around me. I buried my face in the hollow of his throat and breathed him in, his masculine scent, despite sweat and grime the earlier battle, steadying me and keeping the memories at bay, if only for a short time.
The job we’d set out to do was half done, but I knew we’d be back.
One thing I’d learned about Antonio Miles was that he wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.
His hand had been forced by the unexpected timeline, but he’d made his point.
Antonio Miles was not a man to be fucked with.
Now that Denton had Antonio’s full attention, I had no doubt the bastard’s days were numbered.