Claimed(105)
Connor was everything to her.
“He blames you for her death,” she admitted. “There’s a chance he’ll kill you if you show your face.”
“Then he’ll kill me,” Dominik said simply.
She gasped. “Dom —”
“This could be our only chance to get you out of here again,” he cut in. “If I have to give up my life so you can rejoin your people, then so be it.”
Her people. It was surreal, difficult to absorb, but so damn true it made her throat hurt. She didn’t belong in this compound anymore, and she didn’t belong in the city.
She belonged in the free land. With or without Connor.
Dominik lifted his chin in that stubborn pose she’d seen her entire life. The same one she donned when she was about to dig her heels in. “I’ll tell the men that the message was a communication error and make sure they know there’s no meeting on the schedule.” He paused in thought. “We’ve got four hours. Plenty of time for me to figure out how to get you out of the compound.”
She attempted another protest. “Dom —”
“Don’t you fucking argue with me!”
She recoiled.
And when he took a menacing step toward her, she was genuinely afraid.
“Oh fuck.” He staggered to a stop and sucked in a breath, his fists slowly loosening. “Fuck.” A stricken look seized his features. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I wasn’t going to… hurt you… I promise…”
He transformed in front of her eyes, reverting back to the little boy she’d grown up with. He looked so confused and upset that her fear faded and her heart throbbed, spurring her to throw her arms around him again.
“It’s okay. I know you’d never hurt me.” When she felt him shaking against her, she hugged him tighter. “I love you, Dom.”
“I love you too.”
They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Dom finally dropped a kiss on her cheek and stepped out of the embrace. Clearly shaken up. “I need to make arrangements.” His stride was weary as he headed for the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
22
“How did you get rid of the guard?” Hudson whispered a little more than three hours later. She gazed at the empty corridor outside the door of her quarters, then at Dom’s tired face. “Won’t Ferris be suspicious?”
“Trust me, he’s not happy about it,” Dom whispered back. “I was on the phone with the bastard for more than twenty minutes, listening to him fume about it. But I told him that no matter what you’ve done, you’re still the daughter of the man who founded the Global Council and therefore you deserve to be treated with respect.” He smiled faintly. “I also reminded him you were in the same training class I was and that if you wanted to escape, one guard at your door wasn’t going to stop you.”
She grinned back. “Damn right it wouldn’t.”
They fell silent as they crept down the fluorescent-lit hallway. The building primarily housed offices and living quarters, so they moved cautiously and soundlessly to avoid the risk of waking anyone. Hudson’s legs trembled with each step she took. She wasn’t sure what Dom’s plan was, how they were going to walk out of the gate unseen, but she hoped that whatever he’d come up with, it wouldn’t result in the two of them dying in a hail of bullets.
It was eerily quiet outside when they emerged from the building’s rear exit. They stuck close to the brick wall, which was bathed in shadows. Hudson glanced up at the roof in surprise. Normally there was a floodlight shining down on the back door.
Dominik raised a brow. “Bulb must be busted,” he murmured. “I should really get maintenance to look into that.”
She choked down a laugh, but all traces of humor died when she gazed at the lit-up area beyond their shadowy nook. The pavement gleamed under the bright lights, the silver links of the massive chain fence winking as if to taunt at her. Hudson peered up at the guard tower a hundred yards away, then studied the security cameras mounted on every fence post. Her uneasiness steadily rose.
How on earth did Dom think they’d make it all the way to the gate without being spotted?
To her shock, he raised his assault rifle and strode forward.
“What are you doing?” she hissed out.
He gestured for her to follow him. “It’s all right. The cameras along this side of the fence have been disabled.” Another grin flashed her way. “Regularly scheduled maintenance, which requires a total reboot, of course. But we’ve only got nine minutes before they’re back online. Stay tight to the wall so the tower guards don’t see us. It’ll be okay.”