Page 109 of The Demons We Hide

He came. I don’t know how they found out I was gone or how he knew where to come, but he came. No one has come before.

Another familiar figure appears on his other side as I pull away, and my eyes widen at the dark glint in Gio’s eyes. He peers at me, eyes scanning down my body as he presses one finger to his lips. When Lex lifts my wrist and takes in the handcuffs, his expression blackens. Violent simmering rage has always been beneath his surface, that much I know, but right here and now—the storm of fury in his gunmetal gray eyes makes me want to move away from him lest he unleash it all on me.

“Be very quiet,” Gio’s words are barely a whisper on the wind as he curves a hand around my back and pushes me closer into Lex’s hold. “We’ll take care of this. How many are there?”

“Three.” The answer escapes on a breath of air so quiet that I almost don’t hear myself. Gio hears me, though, and nods to show me his understanding.

Then, he and Lex exchange an enigmatic look that speaks volumes and still, says nothing at all. It’s as if they’re giving each other directions without a damn word—or perhaps they have their own language of facial twitches and micro expressions that I can’t decipher.

Whatever the case, Lex draws me backwards towards the tree line and leaves Gio behind. “Wait!” I hiss out the word. “What about?—”

Gio doesn’t look back and instead disappears around one of the train cars just as one of my kidnappers appears from the other end. I suck back a breath and don’t fight it when Lex lifts me off my feet and hauls me into the trees, crossing the fifteen-foot gap in the span of a few seconds.

Adrenaline spills into my veins as Lex silently checks out my handcuffs. The shadows are stronger, deeper in the woods, but I do feel safer now. “How did you find me?” I ask.

Lex glances up at me before quietly reaching around and patting my butt and then down. “Phone,” he grunts, frowning when he doesn’t find it.

I’d completely forgotten about my phone, but since it’s no longer with me, I’m guessing my kidnappers had taken it while I’d been unconscious. Lex makes a quiet noise and then taps me on the lips to signal that I should stay quiet. I nod my head and turn towards the clearing of train cars, listening for Gio’s discovery.

It never comes. Not minutes later when Lex somehow manages to figure out a way to unlock the cuffs with a Swiss Army Knife of all fucking things. Then his fingers trail to the red on my palm.

“Did they do this?” The question is near silent in its intensity.

I shake my head. “No, I?—”

He doesn’t let me finish. “I’m going to fucking kill them.”

I blink. “What?”

Despite his harsh words, Lex is gentle as he nudges me back against a tree. He peers around it and me as if he’s trying to figure out the best plan of attack, and my stupid girl brain can’t stop fucking thinking.

He actually came for me. He and Gio. Then it reminds me…

“Where’s Nolan?” I ask. I shouldn’t be hurt that he’s not here. It doesn’t matter to me, but it’s odd that it’s just the two of them and not their leader.

“On his way,” Lex whispers.

There’s a shout in the distance and I turn, spinning, but Lex grabs me and keeps me pressed between him and the tree. “Don’t,” he bites the word out. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

I squirm against him. If the men out there were planning to up their game by killing me on behalf of whoever their boss is, I have no doubt that they would have no issues killing Gio too.

“Lex, they?—”

His hand claps over my lips a split second before a body comes streaking through the fifteen-foot opening between the last train car and the tree line that we peer through. It’s not Gio, but one of the masked men—except he’s no longer masked. His face is tan and there are wrinkles curved around either side of his mouth and eyes. He looks somewhere between his early to mid-forties as he sprints towards the sound.

I realize that the shout hadn’t sounded like Gio. What is he doing? As soon as the man is gone, Lex relaxes his hand and takes it away from my mouth.

“If I ask you to stay here, will you?”

No,but I know if I say it he won’t go after Gio, won’t try to help him if he needs it. Still, I can’t lie either. So I remain silent, turning my head to stare up at him.

Lex groans. “You’re killing me, baby. Please, I need you to stay here.”

Stay here and let them get fucked up? No way in hell. “What if they have guns?” I hiss.

“So do we.” I blink at his statement.

“You do?”

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