Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Serena’s wide, furious eyes stayed locked on him until Brock caught her on the ground. Jesus Christ, he’d thrown her off a fucking balcony. The stomp of feet barreling toward the door got his ass moving.
He didn’t wait to evaluate her landing. Bracing his hand on the rail, he stepped over it, crouched down, and wrapped his hands around the bars.
Then he dropped his feet and gravity pulled his weight toward the ground, making the tendons in his arms burn.
Dangling above the ground and not seeing where he’d land sent tremors up his spine.
A light flicked on in the master bedroom, and he let go.
His feet connected with the grass, sending him into a deep squat. His already overstretched hamstrings cried out. Needles shot through his joints, but he forced himself to stand.
“Are you all right?” He dragged his gaze over Serena.
She nodded. He grabbed her hand and followed Brock’s and Peyton’s retreating steps. He didn’t bother chastising her for not running. His legs ached with every movement. They reached the fountain, and he sandwiched Serena between Brock’s back and him while Brock timed the cameras.
Milo craned his neck over his shoulder. Lights glowed on the second level of the house.
Fuck. They had to get the hell off this property before the guards came downstairs and released the dogs.
“Now,” Brock barked.
They rushed from their hiding spot. Milo stayed behind Serena until they made it to the wall.
He turned to her. “You’re going first. Once you hit the ground, run.
Don’t wait for us.” He slid the keys into her coat pocket and zipped it shut.
“If you don’t see us behind you, get the hell out of here. ”
He didn’t want to open his mind to the possibilities of what Titus would do if he caught her.
The breeze caught her hair, making small flyaways dance. She paled. “I’m not leaving you.”
He crouched down and held out his hands. “Do it now before the dogs come.”
She placed her foot in his laced palms and clung to the wall. He lifted her and watched as she swung her perfect ass effortlessly over the top. Next, he sent over Peyton.
He braced himself for Brock’s weight. “Go.”
Brock stepped into his hand and Milo boosted him up the wall.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
His skin turned icy and sweat collected at his brow.
Brock extended his hand from where he balanced on top of the wall.
Milo jumped and grabbed it, locking his hold on Brock’s forearm.
The sound of the dogs’ tearing up the grass reached his ears.
He slapped his fingers on the top of the wall and Brock hooked his arm under his bicep.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Brock cursed; his face pinched with fear.
Milo grunted and dug his toes into the wall, scaling the last few inches.
He swung his knee, ground it into the stone, and sat up.
The dogs’ paws crashed against the wall.
His chest was tight, but he didn’t stop to catch his breath.
He swung down and landed at the same time as Brock, and they sprinted through the trees.
“Where’d they go?” His gaze took in the trees around them as fear pierced his heart.
“There!” Brock pointed straight ahead, and Milo located Serena’s slim form several paces ahead of Peyton.
She must have heard their approach because she stopped and turned to face them.
From here, he could see the rise and fall of her chest and the wind picking up the strands of her hair.
Peyton stopped too and lowered her hands to her knees.
Milo didn’t slow down. If he could have screamed at them to keep running, he would have, but there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d risk alerting anyone to their location.
They had to get to the truck. He pounded his feet into the soft earth.
Serena brought her fingertips to her chest. “Thank god. I didn’t know what I’d do if—”
“Freeze!” The metallic click of weapons echoed in the space surrounding them. Milo skidded to a stop next to Peyton and raised his hands.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
They were caught. Had it been a trap? Serena’s eyes widened as she looked at him, and her lips parted as she raised her hands over her head.
Shapes moved from the brush, and three flashlights swept the night.
Less than twenty feet stood between Serena and him, but the space seemed to stretch farther than the sea.
Six men flocked around them, blocking every possible avenue of escape.
His body ached to stand in front of Serena, to protect her, but moving an inch could be fatal.
“Don’t move,” said a booming voice from beyond Serena’s back. Sandy blond hair peppered with gray and white tapered from the man’s head to his goatee. His skin was crinkled like beat-up leather. His large, dry lips stretched into a smirk. Milo knew the voice. The face. The man . . .
The air grew cold with the force of an ice age. Serena’s slack lip trembled, and her face was paler than the moon above them.
The man moved closer to Serena’s back, and Milo stomped toward them.
“I said, don’t move!” Six weapons were pointed at Milo’s body. Then the man lifted a gun to the back of Serena’s head. “Take one more step and I’ll blow her head off.”
Milo’s muscles bunched. When he got ahold of that motherfucker . . .
“Milo.” Peyton’s pleading tone slowed his breath.
His muscles spasmed with the effort it took not to charge the sonofabitch. Next to him, Brock clicked his tongue, drawing back Milo’s rage further. He couldn’t lose it. Serena pulled back her shoulders and lifted her chin an inch.
“What are you doing here, Uncle Sebastian?” Distaste coated her voice. Gone was the terror that had been etched on the delicate lines of her jaw only moments before.
The gun moved away from her head, and the man pressed his lips to her smooth strands.
He closed his eyes on an inhale. A tidal wave of anger, hot and fast, shot through Milo’s body.
Sebastian would pay if he touched Serena.
He’d see to that. Serena turned her head, and her eyes closed on a swallow, as if she was fighting the urge to be sick.
“I’ve missed you, Reena.” He circled her, and Milo snapped his gaze to Brock. If the bastard didn’t get the fuck away from her, he was going to crush Sebastian. Bullets be damned. Brock gave one shake of his head and his hand sliced through the air near his neck.
“You fucked me, girl. You cut me out of the Alban gig and then you had the nerve to hide and change your name. You can’t escape this family.” He laughed and widened his stance, blocking Milo’s view of Serena. “Hand over the diamonds and you can walk. For now.”
“I didn’t cut you out of anything and you know it.
Alban’s house got raided that night and I barely escaped.
I severed ties with you because I’m done being manipulated.
” Her voice became shrill and Milo’s nostrils flared.
The tendons in his legs coiled, ready to spring at Sebastian if he retaliated.
“Dani’s been kidnapped, Uncle Sebastian. The diamonds are her ransom.” This time, her voice dropped to a plea, cutting Milo’s heart. Serena never showed weakness, and if she was doing so now, it was because she was ready to break.
Sebastian took a step back. His shit-brown eyes landed on Milo and his lips melted into a smirk. “Hard to believe Milo Baxter is standing here. I’d be careful, honey,” he said to Serena with mock concern. “He’s a backstabber like his father.”
Milo lifted his chin. He stood three full inches taller than Sebastian.
“Make up your mind, Sebastian. Any second and the dogs and guards will be on us. The cops will be here any minute too. I’d rather not be around when that happens.
Either help your niece or be the piece of shit uncle you’ve always been. ”
Sebastian froze. Color stained his pale cheeks. He worked his mouth and spat on the ground at Milo’s feet. Then Sebastian advanced on Serena, snagging the side of her jacket.
“I’ll take the fucking diamonds. Dani’s been a pain in my ass her whole life.
” He dug into Serena’s jacket pocket, yanked out the velvet bag, and dumped some of the contents into his palm.
His mouth split, revealing his uneven teeth.
“Thanks, doll.” He shoved the handful of diamonds in his pocket, then did the same with the ones remaining in the satchel, and tossed the empty bag at Serena.
“How did you know we robbed Titus?”
Milo tensed. Jesus. They’d had the job planned a day and a half. There weren’t many ways word could have gotten out.
Sebastian’s grin lit his eyes. “To be honest, I didn’t know about Dani.
Not that it would have changed anything.
I knew you were back in the game when I saw you leave The Fainting Goat the other night with Milo.
” His jowls bounced. “Small world. But I knew our paths would cross again one day. After that, I had a guy tail you, and he called when you rolled up and hid your truck near Titus’s.
I didn’t think you’d be so ballsy to hit him, but here we are. ”
Milo opened and closed his fists. Following someone around like a conniving serpent was exactly something Sebastian would do. He’d waited for their defenses to be down and then struck. Serena didn’t say a word, but her lowered lids blazed fire.
Raging barks coming from the rear of the house made Milo’s skin turn cold.
It wouldn’t take long for them to circle the perimeter of the property.
He kept his hands raised, but his feet tingled to tear away from where he stood.
If they didn’t get out before the dogs came, they’d be torn apart or held until the cops got there.
Sebastian winked. “I’ll have you shot if you move an inch.” Headlights bumped over the dark earth and an SUV pulled out of the shrubs. Sebastian climbed into the passenger’s seat, two men got in the back, and another SUV rolled out behind it.
“Good luck.” Sebastian waved out the window and the vehicle peeled away.
Woof! Woof! Woof!