Chapter Six
London
“We need to get you to a hospital.” I glance out the window and into the darkness, and my stomach lurches again. “We can’t stay here.”
“No one will find us here,” Katia hisses. “Outside, we’re exposed.”
I glance around the abandoned shack with its stacks of firewood on one side and a large sheet covering a dusty worktable. Then I swing back to Katia, who is holding out her hand and examining it.
Even in her weakened state, she could still kill me.
I wouldn’t blame her if she tried after the mess I got us in.
How are we supposed to get back to safety?
“You need to push the arm back,” she says. “You’ll rotate and shove.”
Bile rises in my throat. “I can’t do that. I’m not a doctor. I’ll only make it worse.”
“I am not going to ask you again, Blondie,” Katia snaps. “You’re the reason we’re in this mess. The least you can do is help me with the pain.”
I kneel in front of her and frown. “Are you really going to guilt me into this?”
“Just do it.” Katia whips a rag out of her pocket and bites down on it. Then, she holds out her arm and looks at me. My throat is dry as I gingerly take her arm and count to three. Then, I raise her arm and suck in a deep breath, abruptly shoving the arm back with a wince.
Katia spits the rag out and heaves a breath. Wordlessly, she rips off a piece of fabric and uses it to bind her arm to her side. Her eyes are a little tight and unfocused as she looks at me. “How are you going to get us out of here?”
I rake my fingers through my hair. “Me? I don’t know how to do these things.”
Katia rolls her eyes. “I have a burner phone in my boot. Miss Deveroux’s number is programmed into it. Don’t give me that look. You wanted her to help and prove she’s trustworthy. Now’s your chance.”
I reach for the boot. “Won’t that make things worse?”
Katia blinks. “Too late to worry about that now, Princess. We’ll just have to grin and bear whatever Mason dishes out. Think you can handle that?”
I square my shoulders and dial Miss Deveroux’s number.
She answers on the fourth ring.
It takes a few tries for me to force the words out of my mouth, and when I do, Miss Deveroux is quiet for so long that I think she hasn’t heard me. Then, the line goes dead. The bitter taste of disappointment and frustration is in my mouth.
“She’ll be here,” Katia says. “It just might take her a while to sneak out unnoticed.”
“You should save your strength,” I say.
“I don’t need you to tell me what to do,” Katia growls. “I can end you where you stand.”
I snort and bend over to shove the phone back into her boot. “I know you can.”
Katia’s eyes fly open, and for a moment, they’re surprisingly clear. “You could’ve left me back there. You could leave me here right now.”
I shrug and lower myself onto the hard floor next to her, considering my next words carefully. “I still could. You never know.”
Katia smiles. “You’re a terrible liar.”
“It’s good to know that you’re grateful to me for saving your life,” I grumble without looking at her. “Next time, I’ll just leave you by the side of the road.”
“There will be no next time.”
A cold wind rattles against the window, and I glance up sharply. I rub my hands up and down my arms and try to ignore the lurch in my chest. “It must be nice to always be so sure of things.”
Katia makes another, weaker sound. “You have to be… keeps from… getting killed.”
I turn to look at her. “If you have a concussion, you shouldn’t sleep.”
Katia raises her middle finger at me. “I’ll be fine.”
“Mason will find us,” I say. “He has to.”
Even if I have to deal with his anger, it’s better than the alternative.
I don’t want to have to explain why I snuck out and allowed his favorite assassin to get concussed.
My mind spins with possibilities as I sit, listening to the wind whistle.
Now and again, I think I hear footsteps outside the shed, and I freeze.
A short while later, I move to the back of the room and use the pale moonlight to rummage through a box.
When I find an old wool blanket that smells like wood shavings and dried water, I wrinkle my nose and carry it to Katia.
She stirs when I cover her, but says nothing.
Unable to sit any longer, I begin to pace the shack and wring my hands.
I have no idea how long we’re there, but when I hear an engine outside and bright headlights cast shadows along the walls, I panic. My hands tremble as I reach for one of Katia’s daggers and place myself between her and the door. The doorknob rattles, and a heartbeat later, the door flies open.
The dagger in my hand sails through the air and lodges itself in the wall next to the hooded figure.
As she pulls her hood down, I breathe a sigh of relief, and my knees nearly give out. “Thank God it’s you.”
Miss Deveroux glances from the dagger to my face. “It’s a good thing you have terrible aim.”
“She’ll need to work on that.”
We glance at Katia, who is trying to push herself up. I race to help her, and she pushes me away. Frowning, I try again and throw her arm over my shoulders. Miss Deveroux takes the other arm, and we carry Katia outside, where a drizzle has started.
I blink and see a black Cadillac parked haphazardly on the side of the road.
Huffing, I hoist Katia higher and place one foot in front of the other.
Miss Deveroux yanks on the back door, and together, we push Katia inside.
She pitches forward and lets out a sigh as I hurry to the passenger side and climb in.
A blast of hot air hits me in the face.
Miss Deveroux gets in a moment later and clicks her seatbelt into place. She turns up the heat and places both hands on the wheel. “Sorry, I couldn’t get here sooner. It was hard to sneak out.”
I hold my hands up to the heating vents. “Thanks for coming.”
“I couldn’t say much because I wasn’t sure who was listening,” Miss Deveroux continues without looking at me. “Too many people to keep an eye on.”
I nod. “I’m sure.”
A moment later, she dims the headlights and starts the engine.
For a long while, all I can hear is the windshield wipers swishing. I focus on the rhythmic motion while warmth returns to my body. Eventually, we merge onto a main road, and a few other cars are honking. Miss Deveroux says nothing. I realize we’re approaching the club.
Everything is a blur as Miss Deveroux leaves the Cadillac in an empty parking spot and gets out of the car.
She ushers us in through the back door of the club after handing us two hoodies.
Then, we’re in her office, where she examines Katia closely.
Then, we sneak out the back door and she marches us to the estate, where the guards see Katia and let us through. Katia and Miss Deveroux share a look before she ducks in through a back door. I wait until I’m sure she’s gone before I turn to the older woman, words failing me.
“Seems like a lot has happened since we last saw each other.”
I chuckle. “You have no idea.”
Miss Deveroux’s eyes are wide and concerned as she studies me. “Just be careful. In this world, not everything is what it seems.”
“I knew you’d come.”
Miss Deveroux gives me a small smile. “I’d better get back before someone notices I’ve been gone too long. Wouldn’t want word about this getting out any more than it already has.”
My chest tightens, and my stomach dips. “You’ll be careful, right?”
“I always am. I’ll see you soon.”
She disappears into the shadows, and I stand in the doorway, not knowing what to do next.
When Katia returns, having changed her clothes, she pulls me inside.
We’re halfway up the stairs when there’s a buzz through the house.
I draw my arm back and make a beeline for the front door.
Katia is hot on my heels as I stumble out and sink onto the stairs.
Everything feels right when I find Mason in the darkness, and he races toward me.
My heart jolts as I sit up in bed, covered in sweat. I run a hand over my face before placing it over my chest. I take several deep breaths and wait for my eyes to adjust.
I’m not in the abandoned shack.
Katia isn’t going to bleed out on my watch.
Mason has no idea that Miss Deveroux rescued us, and I want to keep it that way.
I know I can trust Mason with my life, but I’m not sure of the lengths he’ll go to in order to protect his image, including silencing a valued employee.
I won’t let Miss Deveroux be punished on my account when her only crime is coming to our rescue.
Still, guilt courses through me as I turn to look at Mason.
I try to forget the dream as I fall back onto the mattress and pull the covers up to my chest. Then I stare at the ceiling and count backward from fifty.
Halfway there, I feel Mason stir, and I flip onto my side to look at him.
His eyes dart open. He looks at me for a minute before unfurling an arm and pulling me closer to him.
I let his familiar smell wash over me.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I was,” I whisper. “Why aren’t you?”
“I felt you tossing and turning. What can I do to help?”
I reach out a hand and trace his features, stopping at the scar over his eye. “I’m fine; don’t worry.”
Mason kisses the inside of my palm and exhales. “I will always worry about you. Sometimes, I wonder if…”
“If I’m going to run off?”
Mason searches my face. “It wouldn’t be hard. I won’t try to stop you.”
“I am not going anywhere.” I let my fingers move from his eye down the slope of his nose and pause at his lips. “It’s not what I thought it would be, but I don’t scare easily.”
“I know you don’t.”
“About earlier…”
Mason takes my hand in his and kisses each finger. “I forgive you for sneaking off.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I wasn’t going to apologize. Well, not for that part. I’m sorry I dragged Katia into it.”
“She’s survived worse.”
“She was just trying to help,” I add. “She shouldn’t be punished on my account.”
Mason’s expression turns serious as he moves back to look at me. “I’m grateful she was there to help you, but she should’ve never let you go in the first place. Katia knows that better than anyone.”