Chapter 10
Rory
Leaving everything behind, we cautiously made our way towards the dock, weaving through the unsuspecting crowd of beachgoers. As we drew nearer, the sound of scuffling and shouting grew louder, mingling with the crashing of waves against the shore.
As we made our way up a flight of stairs, I was getting a very nice view of her ass. It never dawned on me that she was still half naked until I glanced up and got an instant woody.
“Where the hell are your clothes?” I hissed.
“You told me to hurry up!”
“You put on your shoes, but you didn’t think to grab your clothes?”
Kat shrugged, her bare shoulders moving in a tantalizing manner. “I thought we were in a rush,” she whispered, the look in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
Trying to tear my gaze away from her sexy as fuck figure, I refocused.
The old warehouse loomed ahead of us. I noticed a few windows were boarded up as we stopped along the wall. Listening, we stood there staring at each other for a minute to see if the fight had continued inside. Silence met us. We exchanged a nod then slipped through a side door that had been left slightly ajar.
Inside, the musty air welcomed us, the only light filtering in was through cracks in the walls and a few unbroken windows that were covered in years of grime. As our eyes adjusted to the dimness, we spotted six men clad in dark clothing. Their hushed voices echoing off the walls as they rifled through crates and boxes, while two other men lay dead in a pool of their own blood.
Kat’s hand found mine in the darkness, her touch electrifying as she squeezed it. I could feel the tension mounting between her and I, amplified by the danger surrounding us. We crouched behind a stack of dusty crates and climbed inside one of them.
This was not the time to be tantalized by her scent, but I was, and for some inane reason, I had the urge to nip her bare shoulder. Just as I was about to graze my chin against her silky skin, one of the men grumbled, “They said there’d be more loot here.”
“Keep searching,” another ordered, his tone cold and authoritative, and I knew he was the one in charge.
As they moved closer to our hiding spot, Kat’s breath quickened against my ear. I could sense her body pressed close to mine, her warmth seeping into my skin. I felt a stirring in my gut, like butterflies that I quickly squashed. I knew it was only because of the thrill of the moment and her nearness that made me feel that way… or was I actually attracted to her?
What the fuck is wrong with me ? I moved back as far as the crate allowed; she was my enemy just as much as those men out there were. A sexy as fuck enemy, but one all the same.
I shifted uncomfortably in the cramped space, the tension between us thickening with each passing moment as the men continued their search. The scrape of their footsteps on the concrete floor grew closer and her hand gripped mine again. Her nails dug into my skin as we held our breath, but all I could do was picture her raking them along my back as I fucked her.
A sudden crash echoed through the warehouse, snapping me back to the present as one of the men knocked over a stack of boxes. But that only made things worse.
Before I realized it, my hand was going to the small of her back, pressing her against me. The kiss was soft yet demanding, a mixture of passion and urgency that ignited a fire within me. As we kissed, time seemed to stand still, the chaos around us fading into the background.
But just as quickly as it had begun, she pulled away, her eyes locking with mine for a second before she looked away. The next thing I knew, she was gone from the crate, and I had to go after her.
As much as I wanted to say to hell with it. That I didn’t want or need the distraction that she created within me, and let those men have her. I knew if anything happened to his sister, Declan would kill me.
I scrambled out of the crate, my heart pounding as I searched the warehouse for any sign of her. The men were now aware that she, at least, was inside, their voices raised in alarm as they realized they were not alone. I could see her auburn hair disappearing behind a stack of barrels, and I followed without hesitation.
As I caught up to her, she spun around to face me, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and determination. “We need to get out of here,” she whispered urgently. Without waiting for my response, she took off again, darting between the shadows like a ghost.
I followed her and took the corner she had just disappeared around, and a man stood there waiting for me. My heart pounded in my chest as I faced him. Not for me, but for Kat. That meant there were five men that grabbed her.
His eyes glinted with malice, his weapon gleaming in the dim light of the warehouse. Without a moment’s hesitation, I sprang into action.
He lunged at me with a knife, his movements swift and deadly, but I sidestepped the attack with nimble grace, once again, thanks to my mother’s dog! It allowed me the time to pull my own blade out. Fingering the mechanism, the switchblade flashed out in a lethal arc. It met its mark with a sickening thud, sinking deep into the man’s chest. Blood sprayed across the concrete floor as I withdrew my knife, and his lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
I turned around intending on finding Kat, but the dude from the beach wearing the speedo popped out from behind a crate.
“You gotta be kidding me,” I muttered.
He roared with rage at me. He was a good foot taller, and I found it funny how on the beach he seemed shorter and stacked with more muscles than I first thought. But not the kind from working out. This guy was full of roids. Charging towards me, I danced away from the onslaught. With each swing of his arm, I ducked away until finally with a deft twist of his wrist, I disarmed him, sending his weapon clattering to the ground. I kicked it out of the way and gave him the signal to come get me.
In a final act of desperation, he lunged at me with bare hands, but it was too late. A quick jab to the throat with my knife sent him sprawling to the ground, gasping for breath beside his friend.
The metallic scent of their blood dripping from my hands hung heavy in the air. The only sound was from my heavy breathing as I caught my breath. But then, another sound pierced through the stillness as I wiped their blood from my hands on their clothes.
Kat’s piercing scream echoed through the warehouse, carrying a note of agony that chilled me to the core. Without hesitation, I take off in that direction and a thousand thoughts race through my mind. Is she being tortured, raped or are they killing her?
It takes me a few minutes to find them through the maze of shipping crates, but when I do, I’m stunned at what I see.
She’s standing there favoring her right leg. Her hair is a mess, and I notice one of the straps on her sports bra is torn, laying against her chest, and I slowly walk towards her as I stare at the ground.
“Kat?” I say, making my presence known to her, because I’m not quite sure she’s in a good mind set and won’t turn on me.
“Yeah?” came her soft reply.
As I pass man after man, laying dead on the floor I stop to stand in front of her. I raise her chin and look in her eyes. Eyes devoid of any emotion. “You didn’t have a weapon. How the fuck did you kill all of them?”
She sighed. “I told you I was a champion kickboxer…”
“I… I didn’t believe you.”
I felt like a fucking asshole.
She took a deep breath. “I know.”
I still was in disbelief that this slip of a woman could take down five guys and still be standing. “I… how did you do this?” I waved a hand at the men on the floor.
She leaned heavily against a crate, still favoring her right leg. “I would rather not talk about it. Can we leave now?”
“Yeah. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Believe it or not, I’m in severe pain. I can’t walk, that’s why I just stood here, gritting my teeth against the agony waiting for you to find me.”