Page 75 of Unchained

“You don’t want them hurt, Brooks. Trust me.”

The second guard shoved Nash farther into the room and held a gun to his head. Nash’s face turned red with unspent rage.

Brooks fumed. He had to get Nash out of here before he got shot. Leonetti wouldn’t give a damn about collateral damage. Goddammit. They had them by the balls. He relinquished the guard, shoving him on the ground so he landed on his face.

Fuck.

* * *

Cam drummed her thumbs on the steering wheel. A war raged inside of her. Sitting on her ass helped her abused feet, but it did nothing for her heart. Cole, Dare, and Nash were more than capable of handling the situation. Surely with their expertise they’d get Brooks out alive. But what if they got shot? What if Leonetti called in more guards?

She shifted into drive, cut the headlights, and tapped the gas pedal. The truck rolled smoothly forward as she examined the darkness. The gravel road leading toward the tent came into view, and she turned toward it. A figure moved out of the shadows. Hope made her rise onto the edge of her tailbone.

Brooks.

She flicked on the headlights. A man in uniform glowered at her, gun trained on her head through the windshield. No, no, no! He blocked her path onto the gravel road.

“Get out with your hands up!”

If they seized her, Brooks would have risked his life for nothing. She couldn’t let them take her. Lifting her shaky hands, she nodded.

“Keep your hands where I can see them and open the door!”

She winced. The last thing she needed was for his announcement to draw out more of Leonetti’s men. She turned to the door, pretending to comply. Her heart hammered against her ribcage. If she didn’t move fast, she’d get a bullet through her head. Sliding her foot from the brake to the gas, she stomped on the pedal, grabbed the steering wheel, and ducked as the vehicle shot forward. Bullets rained down on the hood of the truck and windshield.

The guard screamed.

Smack!

The hail of bullets stopped as the vehicle bumped over the guard’s body. The truck rolled into the woods, and Cam stomped on the brake. Tree branches scraped against the window. She pulled the key from the ignition, shoved open the door, and toppled out of the truck. Her hands caught the dirt first, stopping her face from hitting the ground.

She’d killed someone. Run him over as if he were nothing more than a squirrel. She sat back on her haunches as wave after wave of nausea crashed in her stomach. Her abdomen tightened. She leaned over and retched into the bushes. Vomit burned the back of her throat, but the release did nothing to ease the weight of her conscience.

He would have killed her. Had she not ducked and hit him, one of the dozens of bullets he’d fired would have been her demise. Reaching up, she grabbed the truck’s open door and pulled herself to stand. Her knees wobbled and her feet throbbed as twigs pressed into her flesh, but she forced all pain from her mind. Stretching over her seat, she grabbed the gun from the console. Holding its reassuring weight in her palm, she crept through the woods.

“Dennis, you there? We heard gunfire. Over.”

Cam brought her gaze to the body on the gravel road. His legs lay twisted at an unnatural angle, and blood pooled on the ground in a thick crimson puddle. More vomit hit the back of her throat. She covered her mouth and sucked in a breath of air. She couldn’t get sick again. If she didn’t hold her shit together, she’d die tonight.

“I’m heading out to find you. Are you there? Over.”

She darted through the trees east of the tent and gingerly stepped over each log, branch, and tree root. She couldn’t avoid the small rocks, but she could avoid moving too quickly and cutting her soles open more—or worse, alerting someone to where she was. She just had to make it to the back of the tent. Voices reached her ears. One of the guards had left. If Cole’s calculations were right, that meant one other guard was inside.

She broke into a jog, ignoring the jabs of agony in her feet and the whip of branches against her face. Where were the guys?

She froze and blinked through the moonlight filtering in through the branches from overhead. She’d lost sight of the guard. Fear closed her throat. She stumbled to the side of the tent and followed the wall toward the entrance. Voices carried through the material.

“Who are they?” Nash’s bellow made her trip. She caught her balance before going down.

“Once Cam’s here I’ll show you.” Leonetti’s controlled tone spiked her blood pressure.

“Cam? Are you here?” The shrill question reverberated through the tent.

Oh god. It couldn’t be.

If Leonetti wanted her, she had to show herself. No one else could die because of her. She ran to the front of the tent and busted through the door, nearly colliding with one of the guards standing on the inside.

“Thank god.” Brooks raced forward, shoving the guard back with his hand and pulling Cam against his chest. “You were supposed to run.” His hoarse whisper made her close her eyes.

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