Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
I'm so sick of people threatening to shoot me.
Just as he pulls me out of sight, Cain goes down from a bullet to the face, a sight I don’t think I’ll ever get out of my head. I don't see where my guys are, or Sandra.
"Let go of me!"
"Don't make me fucking shoot ya."
I try to kick his shin, but he doesn't care. "If you shoot me, you're free game."
Did anyone even see him grab me? "Help!" I scream. "I'm back here!"
Then suddenly I'm seeing stars. A sharp pain from my temple crawls all the way down my neck and onto my back. Crusher lifts the grip of his pistol and holds it like he's going to hit me again. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up." His voice cracks, sounding even more unhinged than usual.
I whimper and nod. I'm not getting out of this if he kills me on the way.
Towards the back of the room, it looks like there used to be a staircase, but it's been knocked out and replaced with steel struts and a rudimentary elevator platform that goes up from a garage on the first floor.
"Fuck," swears Crusher and pushes a green rubber call button mounted on a pole next to it. Gears grind and the platform starts crawling up towards us. It's too high to jump yet, but it won't be long. Then what? If Crusher has a vehicle down there, he's either going to take me with him or he's going to kill me. Neither sounds good.
"You're not getting away. They’ll find you."
"Shut the fuck up. When I say jump, you jump, if you don't want your fucking legs broken."
There's red at the corner of my eye and sliding down from my eyebrow. I'm bleeding. I blink to keep it at bay but I'm starting to panic, and hard. I can feel it building up, my heart racing, my pulse pounding and the edges of my vision darkening. I'm a baker, not a fighter.
"Get ready." Crusher hits the down button and the elevator reverses, so it'll get us down as quickly as possible.
I make a last attempt to get away from him, fueled by panicked adrenaline. He's going to kill me if I don't. I focus on what little I know about fighting, and aim my elbow at the center of his chest, right below his ribcage. He wheezes and loses his grip, and for a whole moment, I think I've managed to actually do something, but then his arm is around me again, pulling me back and throwing me to the floor. I hit hard, my breath knocked out of me. The back of my head hits the marble and everything goes black for a moment.
Crap. Fuck. This is it.
But when I open my eyes again, it's not Crusher who's standing over me. It's Badass, and he's holding Crusher up by his throat, high enough that Crusher's feet aren't touching the ground. The expression on Badass's face is something I hope I never see again, because if there's a picture in the dictionary next to the definition of ruthless murder, this face is it.
Crusher kicks his legs uselessly as he struggles for breath. He's trying to say something, but it's just gurgles.
Movement gets my attention, and it's Animal. He's got Sandra, his arm holding her close. Thank God, she's safe. And then Quickshot, whose expression is dead. Completely flat, like a robot's, while he watches Crusher wiggle like a fish on a hook. Then he turns to me, and the stone melts. His eyes widen and his nostrils flare as he drops to his knees next to me to cradle my head with his hands.
"Natalie. Are you okay?"
My head pounds like a hammer and I know my temple is bleeding, but as I try to move, just gently, my body seems to work. I nod and regret it immediately. My brain feels like it somehow got detached and is rattling around in my skull. "I think so."
"Might be a concussion," says Animal. "We'll have Doc look at her."
The elevator grinds to a halt with a clunk, all the way back down on the first floor. Badass still has a tight grip on Crusher, who's turned blue in the face. With a sudden motion, he drives his forehead into Crusher's face with a crack.
Even half choked to death, Crusher gets out a pained gurgle. Blood spurts from his nose and his glassy eyes roll into the back of his head. Then Badass looks at the gaping hole down to the first floor where the metal platform of the elevator just settled, and I realize what he's going to do.
"Badass, don't—"
He launches Crusher's body backwards and I watch his twitching body sail through the air until he strikes the platform with a gross crunch. He lies still.
"Turn away," says Quickshot. As he stands up, his expression closes down again. He pulls his gun and aims downwards, then pulls the trigger. I just get my hands to my ears in time before the gunshot echoes through the large room. Then he puts it away calmly. "We should get you two outta here."