Assail bit into his cigar, taking a long puff just so he didn’t do something to his own bloodline that he’d regret. “Take the bags and hide them where can we find them on the property—”
Down at the base of the drive, a car turned off the main road and came forward at a tear. “Finally,” Assail bitched. “One would expect a faster response.”
Brakes were hit at the house—at least until whoever was behind the wheel saw Assail and the sedan and the cousins. Then tires grabbed at the snow pack as the gas was hit once again.
“Take the duffels,” he hissed to the twins. “Go.”
Spotlit by the headlights, Assail lowered his gun down to his thigh so that it became lost in the folds of his three-quarter leather coat—and he ordered his arm to stay there. Much as it infuriated him further, Ehric was right. He’d just murdered two mouthpieces.
Further evidence that he was out of his mind in all this. And he could not make that uncharacteristic mistake again.
As the sedan slid to a halt, three men got out, and indeed, they had come prepared. Multiple muzzles pointed in his direction, and they were steady: These boys had done this before, and in fact, he recognized two of them.
The bodyguard in front actually lowered his autoloader. “Assail?”
“Where is she?” he demanded.
“What?”
In truth, he was getting so bored with these frowns of confusion.
Assail’s trigger finger started twitching again. “Your boss has something I want back.”
The enforcer’s sharp eyes shifted to the first sedan with its open trunk—and given the immediate brow pop, it appeared he noticed the soles of his predecessors’ shoes upon the asphalt.
“Neither of them could give me an answer,” Assail drawled. “Perhaps you should like to give it a try?”
Instantly, that gun was back up into position. “What the fuck are you—”
From out of thin air, the twins made an appearance and flanked the trio—and they had far more firepower, what with all four of their palms locked on a quartet of Smith & Wessons.
Assail kept his gun where it was, out of the action temporarily. “I would suggest you drop your weapons. If you do not, they will kill you.”
There was a heartbeat of a pause—which proved too long for Assail’s liking.
In the blink of an eye, his arm shot up and pop! He shot the closest guard, putting a bullet through his ear at a trajectory that left the remaining two men still standing.
As yet another dead weight fell to the ground, he thought, See? There was still plenty of living and breathing left to work with.
Assail lowered his arm and released another plume of smoke that drifted into the headlights, tinting the illumination blue. Addressing the pair who remained vertical, he said levelly, “I shall ask you again. Where is she.”
Rather a lot of talk sprang up, but none of it included the words woman, held, or captive.
“You’re boring me,” he said, lifting his muzzle once more. “I’d suggest one of the two of you start getting to the point now.”
SIX
“Is he alive?”
Beth heard the words come out of her mouth, but was only half aware of having spoken them. It was just too terrifying when a guy as strong as John Matthew went over like that—and worse? He’d surfaced for a minute and a half, tried to communicate something to her, and passed out cold again.
“Good,” Doc Jane said as she pressed a stethoscope to his heart. “Okay, I need my blood pressure—”
Blay pressed the floppy cuff into the doctor’s hands and the woman worked fast, wrapping it around John’s bulging biceps and puffing up its inner tube. There was a long hiss that was too loud, and Beth leaned back against her hellren as they waited for the results.
It seemed to take forever. Meanwhile, Xhex was cradling John’s head in her lap—and God, that was a hard spot: Someone you love down and out, no clue what was going to happen next.
“A little on the low side,” Jane muttered as she ripped the Velcro free of itself. “But nothing catastrophic—”
John’s eyes began to open, the lids flipping up and down.
“John?” Xhex said roughly. “Are you coming back to me?”
Apparently he was. He turned to his mate’s voice and lifted a shaking hand, clasping her palm and staring into her eyes. Some kind of energy exchange seemed to take place, and a moment later, John sat up. Stood up. Was only a little on the wobbly side as the pair embraced and stood soul to soul for a long while.
When her brother finally turned to her, Beth broke free of Wrath and hugged the younger male fiercely. “I’m so sorry.”