Page 111 of Burn Like An Angel

Blood trickles from my mouth. “Why?”

“I promised no one would hurt you again.” His neck muscles spasm. “Yet the son of a bitch laid his hands on you.”

My eyes stray to Harrison’s body. “He p-paid the price.”

“I’ll tear his corpse limb from limb!” He wipes the blood from my chin.

With a heavy thump, Lennox spits out a curse nearby. He’s got the final perp subdued, a knife pressed against his jugular. The three other men are dead, watering the earth with their life blood.

“One move and I’ll give you a new smiley face.” Lennox digs the switchblade in deep. “You wanna join your friends?”

He’s rewarded with a groan.

“That’s what I thought.” Lennox looks over at us. “Rip?”

Breathing deeply, I force my lips to move. “I’m okay.”

“Jesus, Xan. Did you have to go full Hannibal Lecter?”

“We need to get out of here.” Xander eyes the bloodbath all around us. “Can you walk, Raine?”

“I think so,” he utters quietly. “Christ, all I can smell is blood.”

Struggling to his feet, Raine winces as he puts weight on his ankle, but he manages to stay upright this time. His stick has vanished somewhere in the melee. All of our supplies are scattered in the dark.

“What should we do with this one?” Lennox nods to his captive.

“Kill him.” Xander isn’t fazed.

“W-Wait,” I stammer. “We can use him.”

“For what?” Lennox frowns.

Raine catches on, looking panicked at the thought of even more death. “Leverage. He works for Incendia.”

Sighing in disappointment, Lennox lowers the blade to tuck it in his pocket. “Pass me the gun.”

I work on flexing my muscles, attempting to regain control of them while Xander tosses the rifle over. Lennox trains it on our new prisoner’s back, ensuring he knows the deal.

“Let’s get you up.” Xander pulls me to stand with him. “Easy.”

I cry out at the throbbing heat wrapped all around my middle. The entire area is tender, pulsing with deep, shooting pain. Xander braces me against his side, a hand clasped on my waist.

“Can you move?”

Lips smashed shut, I nod curtly.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here, then.”

“What about the bodies?” Lennox asks.

“Leave them for Bancroft to find.”

With each step, the internal fire roars hotter. Still, it falls short of the fear knotting my windpipe at the thought of what we’ll find. Or ratherwho.We ran into the night while Rae was still screaming.

Retracing our steps is a harrowing dance in the dark, hobbling along in faint light, all panting and exhausted. Lennox still guards his stumbling prisoner.

“Hear anything?” Xander asks apprehensively when the road comes into view.

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