Page 117 of Inside the Wicked

“He has a gun in the back of his jeans,” Rhett informs me. “Don’t do anything reckless unless you have no choice. We’re closing in soon. And that hand of his is getting ripped from his body first for touching you.”

I want to snip back playfully at his overprotectiveness, instead I pluck the lollipop from my mouth and smile.

“It’s hardly a party with just you three,” I say as we get closer to the other men who appear older than this guy.

I realize my complete faith and security in Rhett as I don’t feel even the slightest bit nervous anymore. All the unsettles in me is giddiness to watch their grins of triumph fall to frightened children when Xoid came.

“We have more friends for you,” one of the new men say, his voice gruff like he’s smoked twenty a day for a century.

“How many women?” I ask.

He looks down at me with a hint of confusion.

“Do you bat for both teams, princess?”

Rhett said not to do anything reckless, but I’m feeling pretty justified.

This guy doesn’t expect me to know about his gun as I pull it from the back of his jeans, nor does he anticipate my fingers jabbing into his throat when he tries to reach for me. When he chokes I push his chest which crashes him into the wall and point the gun at his face. My head snaps in warning to his friends. Their sly smiles have turned to vicious fury.

“How many women and children have you taken from this fair?” I ask, slower, with all the sinister intent that pours out of me thinking of those frightened victims.

“She won’t shoot,” the other guy says.

That gives the one under my gun the confidence to try grab me again but he’s not that much taller than me and I land a hit with the gun across his temple.

He yelps, clutching the bleeding wound. The other two drew guns, pointing at me.

“I have friends too,” I say.

“Baby, I thought I told you to wait for me,” Rhett’s voice is almost a purr, caressing down my nape.

“You took too long.” I shrug.

Rhett takes the gun from my hands, only to slide another in place. This one has a silencer attached.

I see commotion in my peripheral vision, figuring our people from Xoid have detained the other two.

Rhett grabs the guy’s hand, pinning it by his head. “You haven’t answered her question,” he says, low and menacing. “How many women and children?”

“I-I don’t know man.”

I watch, twistedly high with adrenaline, as Rhett stuffs a cloth into the man’s mouth to smother his scream when he snaps his wrist. He keeps twisting past the initial break and I almost wince imagining the agony. My heart pounds thinking he might actually follow through on his threat and tear the man’s hand right off. When he looks close to passing out, Rhett stops.

“That’s for touching my girl,” he says calmly. The man would have fallen to his knees but Rhett pins him up with a choking hold around his neck. “Where have you taken the victims?”

“I don’t think you’re getting the answer out of him now,” I mutter, still aiming my gun but he’s no longer a threat of attacking back or making a getaway.

“Dammit,” Rhett says half-heartedly.

He lets the man go who falls to a crumpled heap instantly.

“Those who enjoy to inflict malicious pain on others typically do have the worst tolerance themselves,” Rix comments. I flick a look over my shoulder to find him standing cross-armed behind Rhett. “I’ve never been in on the action, this side is kind of fascinating.”

“Ana,” Adam says my name with quiet horror. He looks between the gun and me as if he doesn’t know who he’s seeing.

“You knew I wasn’t going to confront this with a teddy bear in my hand,” I answer.

Rix claps a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Welcome to the violent and ugly side of the underworld, pretty boy.”

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