Page 10 of Law

“Settle down, fairy cat. Zane will be fine. But if we don’t get out of here, I can’t guarantee the same for us. Now listen. We shouldn’t attract attention since I’m wearing one of their security uniforms. You can act reluctant, but don’t do anything to slow us down. Got me? The sooner we get off the grounds, the sooner we’ll know about Zane.”

She nodded. “I’m good at acting. Especially if it means you won’t be throwing me over your shoulder again. My stomach is going to be bruised.”

He gave her a look that should have terrified her. It didn’t, but at least she stopped struggling. The only explanation was shock. She was in shock. “Babygirl, next time I toss you over something, it’ll be my knee. Count on it.”

Her lips rounded into the most adorableoh,and her eyes widened. That didn’t interest him nearly as much as the way her pupils dilated, darkening her eyes from honey to chocolate fudge. He didn’t allow himself to read anything into that. It was probably the shock as well. “Are you ready?”

She nodded, gazing up at him. “Are you taking me to Zane?

Damn. You couldn’t fake that kind of worry. It tinged her voice and darkened her eyes. Chalk one up for the kid. His sister did care about him. “You’ll see him soon enough, and he’s fine. Now, are you ready?”

A shout rang out from behind them. “Lovelyn, you bitch. When I get my hands on you, you’re dead.” Damn it. He knew that voice.

“That’s our cue to leave, fairy cat. You ready?” At her nod, he kicked the door open. “Let’s go. And fairy cat, we’ll be having a chat about what you were doing in that office as soon as I get you out of here.”

Things went well for about twenty paces, then the door behind them burst open. It slammed against the side of the mansion with so much force it echoed across the grounds.

“Someone, stop them! Shoot them!” Malice slithered through the General’s voice.

Lovelyn froze. “Should we run now? We should run now, right?” Fear coated her words.

Law gritted his teeth. She wasn’t supposed to be afraid when she was with him. He should have come up with a better fucking plan. Taking a quick breath, he pushed back on the urge to shoot someone. Lovelyn had voiced the only viable option. Trying to keep his voice level, he answered her. “Yes, we should run.”

He slowed his pace to match hers, keeping his hand on her arm in case she fell. She managed well until one of the guards fired a shot. She screamed and stumbled but managed to stay on her feet as he continued to move them forward.

Her gaze bounced around the compound searching for danger. “They’re shooting at us!”

He shook his head. “Warning shot. Keep going.”

The bullet of thatwarning shotpassed so close to his ear he felt the wind. The only reason he hadn’t killed the guard right then was that it would have put Lovelyn in more danger than he’d already caused.

They’d shot at her. It passed by on the side opposite Lovelyn. But he saw which guard fired that thankfully piss-poor shot. He’d be back for that guy another time.

The chaos around them organized more quickly than he’dhoped. Before they reached the gate, the guards surrounded them. Even though they outnumbered him ten to one, he pulled Lovelyn behind him and prepared to fight. Some of the guards had received training. They knew enough to form a large circle and slowly tighten it.

They’d cut off every avenue Law had to get Lovelyn to safety. The bellow of frustration that escaped him caused the guards to stop moving, but only for a moment. That was all right. He needed them closer anyway. Then he could fight hand-to-hand.

The second guard to his right was the weak link. Those shiny, clean boots, the tucked shirt, and his regulation haircut all screamed newbie. And the fact that the guy was scared shitless? Yep. When they got close enough, he’d target the new guy first.

“What are you doing?” The General’s voice had that same crazed tone when he’d attacked Suzi. “Get the girl and take her to my office. I don’t care what you do to that Sabre psycho. He’s nothing.”

Law didn’t give one naked mole-rat’s ass what the General said about him, but that frenzied tone of voice had even the hairs on the back of his neck standing at attention.

He redirected his attention to the guards. “You boys need to listen to me. The General is navigating a sinking ship. It won’t be long before he’s decorating his cell on death row for at least one count of murder. On the other hand, I'll be right here. And I swear on all that is holy, you will beg to join him if you so much as lay a finger on her.”

They hesitated, but only briefly. The General had plenty of time to make an impression. While he might not be officially in charge of the Society and their vile acts, he was the one who kept them out of prison.

He scanned her outfit again. At least today she wore jeans. Shaking his head, he asked, “Are you wearing a belt?”

She looked at him as if he’d spoken in Pig Latin, but nodded.After setting her backpack down, Law unbuckled his belt and yanked it free of the loops. Spinning Lovelyn to face away from him, he ran his belt through the back loop of her jeans and under her belt, then back around his waist and buckled. Now the belt loosely bound them together, making her impossible to snatch. “Lovelyn, stay as close to me as you can. Your only job is to stay safe.”

Twisting to look at him, surprise filled her face. “You call me Lovelyn.”

He nodded. “That’s your name, right?”

“Well, yes. But everyone calls me Lovie.”

Holy hell, she was distracting him. Here they were, surrounded by the enemy, discussing her name. “I like Lovelyn. It suits you. We’ll discuss your name later. Now, what’s your job?”

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