Chapter 54
Chapter fifty-four
Sage
“You told me you’d let her go if I came.
” I came to a few minutes ago, lying on my bed with my sister’s voice whispering at me to wake up.
As soon as the fog cleared and I opened my eyes, Dorian walked through my bedroom door.
I had to take in my surroundings fast while vaulting from the bed to stand in front of Nova who is hunched in the corner.
Everything is still blurry, but the images are getting clearer the longer I stand.
“You were late.”
“I told you I was too far away.”
“Not my problem, sweetheart. If you’d listened when Liam told you to drop your clients for me, your sister would be safe at home right now, not here to watch all the fun things I have planned for you.
” He cocks his head to the side to look at Nova, his condescending tone making me want to pierce his temple with a knife.
“I won’t fight you if you let her go.” I’ll make whatever promise I need to in order to free Nova, but I have no way of knowing if I’ll keep my word.
He grins. “No, you won’t fight me because if you do, I’ll mirror everything I do to you on your sister.”
Muffled whimpers echo from behind me.
“I’m so sorry, Nova.” Tears fill my voice.
“I’m sure you are, sweetheart.” He sounds bored. “But I have a conference call in” —he pauses to look at his wrist— “two hours. Time to get started.”
I attempt to shore up strength, curling my hands into fists at my sides.
My arm throbs. The dried blood pulling at the skin while more seeps through the torn stitches.
“You’re going to die. You won’t make that conference call.
I can promise you that. Your days have been numbered for a long time, and today is the last one.
Whether you took me and my sister or not, you aren’t living past today.
” No matter what happens to us, I take solace in knowing this man will have a bloody and painful death.
Barrett won’t allow it to be quick. Once he finds us.
Dorian’s eyes narrow, but the cocky grin remains. “Is that so? Seems you have information I need. I don’t mind adding an interrogation to my plans.”
Fuck. I want to make him talk, scare him, anything to draw this out and give Barrett time.
I know he’s gotten the message by now. Paisley would have called them right away.
Barrett and the others should be right on our heels.
Unless they don’t know where we are. Why would they have any reason to believe Dorian would bring me back to my own house?
Dorian reaches behind him, lowering his chin as he takes a step toward me.
The familiar creak of my bedroom window opening makes the next few seconds pass in a blur.
I whip my head in the direction of the sound as large boots launch through the opening.
But Dorian is faster than he seems. I’m trapped in his grasp with a blade against my throat and Nova is pinned beneath his foot.
She only struggles for a moment, gasping for air, until she meets my stare from my peripheral. Her eyes widen at the knife.
The sharp edge isn’t smooth. There are gaps in the metal and my arm throbs with memory of the wicked blade. I’m positive this one is the same and a shiver flows down my body at the image of what it will do to my throat when Dorian snaps.
As the seconds slow, I look ahead into the eyes of a deadly assassin, but there’s more. It’s the first time I’ve seen Barrett panic. Even yesterday with the attacker who sliced my arm, he had so much rage, but no panic. He knew we’d come out of that alive.
But right now? He doesn’t hold that same certainty.
And neither do I.
“I’ve seen you before.” Dorian’s tone is curious in my ear.
Barrett doesn’t respond. He’s assessing. There’s too much distance between us and Dorian is balancing on one foot with his other pressing against Nova who’s wheezing and doing her best not to struggle and upset his balance with the knife against my throat.
“At the gala.” He turns his face toward mine. “Your date. Oh, I think I’m starting to piece some things together. Is he why you think I won’t live past today?”
“You won’t.” Barrett’s voice sounds more demon than man.
“I will. You’re outnumbered. I have this house full of men.”
Tears fill my eyes. I haven’t given Barrett any promises. I haven’t told him how I feel, holding it all back because I didn’t want to end up dependent on someone the way my sister had been. What more proof did I need from him? Nothing, yet I couldn’t be honest.
I’m so sorry. I love you. I mouth the words for Barrett to see. I hate that it’s the first time I’ve told him I love him, but I don’t want to go another second without him knowing.
His lips pinch and his eyes flash. He’s angry, but all I can feel is sadness.
I don’t know how this would have played out if I hadn’t approached Barrett to begin with.
Dorian wouldn’t have been able to get past Adam to get to Nova to use against me, but I may not have continued to resist without Barrett.
Would the three assassins have gotten to Dorian before he took me?
Maybe. Or maybe they’d be too late. Either way, Barrett would be spared this pain.
“Well, sweetheart. It seems you’re fucking a what? A mercenary?”
“Not quite,” I rasp.
“An assassin then. Explains a few of the dead bodies I’ve found recently.
Is there a difference between a mercenary and an assassin?
” Dorian sounds amused, tightening his arms around me and forcing my chin higher with the blade.
Nova whimpers, but it’s only a faint squeak through her struggle to breathe.
“There is. I’ll happily show you.” Barrett drops his chin.
Dorian sighs. “You can’t close the distance before I slice her throat and throw the knife at her sister.”
Glass shatters downstairs and all hell seems to break loose outside of the closed bedroom door. Dorian only tightens his hold again and shuffles further away from Barrett. Warmth trickles down my neck before the stinging pain registers and I realize he’s cut me.
I clench my jaw and keep my breaths shallow, but I can’t control the shaking that starts at a bone-deep level in my body. It’s pure fear trying to escape.
“I’d hate to waste you, sweetheart, but I will if he doesn’t back down,” Dorian hisses. “How did you entangle yourself with an assassin anyway? Liam and all of your coworkers were certain you were unattached and had been for a while.”
More crashes, cries of pain, and hard thuds come from downstairs.
“You’re losing your numbers, Campbell.” Barrett doesn’t smirk or allow any confidence to show. His face is blank, yet I see all of the emotions in his eyes and I wonder if I’m the only one who recognizes them.
“What makes you think it’s mine falling and not yours?”
“We’re good at what we do.”
“Not good enough.” I feel his lips lift into a smirk before he bites my ear. I can’t hold in my sob of disgust. Shutting my eyes, I block Barrett out before his uncontrolled rage takes over. The same rage that methodically killed the attacker yesterday.
The bedroom door swings open and something shifts in Dorian. It’s subtle, but his intake of breath is quick. It isn’t one of his men that comes in.
“This looks complicated.” It’s Rafe.
“I’ve warned you. I will kill her if you make me.” Dorian shifts so he’s looking at Barrett again.
“Why?” Rafe asks.
“Excuse me?” The knife slides downward over my skin. His breaths are quick and now his attention is split.
“Why would you kill the woman you found special enough to pursue personally, not only as an asset?” Rafe steps further into the room, his long stride bringing him closer.
I’m close enough to Dorian to hear the stutter in his throat as he tries to rationalize an answer. He doesn’t want to kill me. He’s still trying to find a way out of this with both of us alive.
I need to startle him, but not in a way that would have him pulling us closer together in defence. I scream. It’s the only thing I can think of.
Starting small, I let the sound grow, pulling from my own anger, frustration, and despair.
Dorian jolts and his hold loosens enough for me to get my hands between my body and his wrist. Pushing with all of my might, I drop the moment I have enough room and roll toward Nova, punching at the side of Dorian’s knee with my good hand.
And that’s all I can do. I wrap myself around Nova while she gasps in air, and cut us both off from everything that happens next.
When I force myself to peek, I see Dorian on his knees while Rafe holds a gun to his temple and Barrett is twirling two wicked blades around in his hands.
Nova shakes in my arms and I hear their voices, Fain joining them moments later.
The air in my house is cold and I know it’s littered with dead bodies, soon to be one more added to the pile.
I let the rumble of their voices soothe me, but I don’t try to listen.
All I need to know is that we’re safe and that they are here. That Barrett is here.
A hand lands on my back and I jump, separating myself from my sister.
“It’s okay. It’s over.” Barrett pulls me against his chest while Rafe crouches down beside Nova. I sink into his hold, his heat, his scent. His arms are tight around me, but when Nova says my name, he lets me go, reluctantly.
“Sage?”
I turn toward Nova. “I’m so sorry you got dragged into this.”
“An assassin?” Her eyes briefly dance toward Barrett. “How did you meet an assassin? When?”
“Nova,” I freeze. I have nothing to say. I can’t explain how or when I met Barrett, how I tracked him down to blackmail him.
“The gala? The charity gala? That was after Adam died.” The timeline starts to fall into place, playing over her features.
“Nova.” I’m begging her now.
“Adam didn’t just die.” Nova backs away, pushing herself further into the corner. “You …” she hesitates, different sounds escaping her hoarse throat.
“Nova? Will you let me take you home?” Rafe is a calm voice in the storm between sisters, cutting through to get her attention.
“Why would I let you do that? You’re an assassin too, and I just witnessed a whole lot of death. I doubt you’re taking me home.” The mistrust bleeds from her.
“I won’t hurt you. None of us will. In case you didn’t understand what happened here, it was Dorian Campbell that was the bad guy, intent on taking your sister and using you in the process. He would have killed you eventually.”
“At least that would have been some sort of peace.” She closes her eyes. “And I don’t have a sister.”