Page 264 of Saving Her

I can barely think through the instinct to get to her as fast as possible. But that shit isn’t smart. We need to do this right. I’d knock Decker out before I’d ever risk him endangering her further.

I inch toward the doorway, and glance along the hall. To the left there’s nothing but shadow. To the right there’s a soft glow coming from the far end of the house.

She’s down there, and if there’s only two of them, that could make for easy work.

It’s getting from here to there without being noticed that’s the problem.

I indicate with a finger motion that we’re moving forward and take the first silenced steps into the hall. Decker stays on my ass, his exhales breathing down my fucking neck.

A twinge of sound carries behind us. A footstep, then a snicker.

I swing around, about to take aim when something rolls along the floor toward us, the cylindrical device looking like a grenade in the low light.

“Move.” I lunge for the closest door, grabbing Decker by the shoulder, to launch us both into the room. We fall, but it’s not onto carpet—it’s down a fucking staircase.

My head hits a sharp corner directly against my healing bullet wound.

Fuck.

I tumble, flipping through the air like a son of a bitch.

The pain and vertigo are nothing in comparison to the burst of blinding light and the accompanying thunderous sound exploding in my ears.

A fucking flash-bang.

The noise is deafening. The resulting shriek inside my skull is torture.

I land in a heap at the foot of the stairs as Decker fumbles beside me.

I can’t see.

Can’t think.

Can’t stand.

I’m on my hands and knees, my stomach revolting with nausea, my nose wet with an accompanying scent of blood, my brain squeezed in a life-threatening vise.

There’s nothing but static and agony as I fail numerous attempts to get onto my feet only to land on my ass when something hard presses into my skull through the darkness.

“Long time, no see, Luca,” Robert greets. “Now, tell me, which one of you wants to die first?”

32

Penny

I scream,rattling the chair I’m bound to, yanking my arms against the rope knotted behind me.

The blast had rocked the house, the loud boom hitting me in the chest while a bright burst of light exploded down the hall. I’d initially thought it was an attack strategy from Luca, but Robert’s henchman standing guard at the door to the kitchen didn’t show any shock at the eruption.

In fact, he’s smiling, pleased with himself.

I scream again, longer and louder, using the noise to disguise the grind of my cuff blade against the rope.

“Shut up and quit struggling,” he shouts. “Or I’ll hit you again.”

I ignore him, letting out another throat-piercing shriek as I pull and tug and slash.

“Nobody’s coming to save you now, bitch. We came prepared.” He points his gun toward me, shooting another glance down the hall. “Things are about to get wild.”

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