Page 32 of Saving Her

Her voice is heaven to my ears. If only it wasn’t too little too late. I can’t hang around any longer.

“Luc, wait.”

Fuck.

I turn, finding her staring back at me, her forehead etched in pain.

“He’s out to get you.” There’s remorse in her tone. In her eyes, too. “And I have no doubt he’ll succeed.”

6

Penny

Luca dashes from the room,not acknowledging my pained admission with more than a narrowed stare.

He’s going to get himself killed.

All of us could die in the melee.

Oh, God,Tobias.

I rush to my feet and scramble to follow him. As I enter the hall, I find Luca crouched before Tobias, a finger to his lips as he instructs Luther’s son to remain quiet.

For a brief moment I’m struck with the kindness in his features. The gentle nurturing that seems one hundred percent pure. Then he looks at me, his gaze hardening as he pushes to his feet.

“Go,” he mouths to Tobias. “Hide.”

The boy rushes toward me and I usher him into the room, mimicking Luca’s warning to keep as quiet as possible with a finger to my mouth.

“What’s going on?” I whisper.

“Dad told me to come get you. You need to go to him.”

I nod. “I will. But first, you have to hide, okay?”

He opens his mouth to protest.

“Not now, Tobias. You need to listen.Hide. Get under the bed. Or in the closet. But don’t come out, you hear me?”

“What’s happening?” His voice breaks with a sob.

“I don’t know. I have to go with Luca to find out.”

“But you were meant to—”

I shake my head at him, cutting off his words. I’m well aware of what I was meant to do. I know I failed. “Did you do it? Did you sedate Cole?” I murmur.

He winces, his tiny shoulders curling in on themselves.

“Don’t worry. You did great.” I smile at him, my heart breaking at the thought of this possibly being our final goodbye.

Luther will kill me for failing.

Me, and the man I endangered.

“Now it’s important you hide.” I shoo him farther into the room and grab the door handle. “Don’t come out until I get you.”

I want to tell him I love him. There’re so many things I need this little boy to know, but I close the barrier between us and force myself to remain strong as I turn to Luca.

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