Page 76 of Rescuing Tobias

At the sound of his voice, he heard a small gasp come from Isabella as her gaze searched for him. Despite the small distance between them, he could see—or maybe it was feel—her relief, and it renewed in him his determination. He’d failed her and not stopped her abduction, he wasn't going to fail her again.

“Let me leave, and I won't kill her,” the man holding a gun to Isabella’s temple said.

“Not happening.”

“Then I’ll shoot her now,” the man threatened.

Although his heart rate jumped at the words, his voice was steady when he spoke. “You won't do that because you know the second you do, we shoot you. Put your weapon down and come with us, that’s the only way you leave here alive today.”

“I let you take me, I'm as good as dead anyway,” the man said.

“You give us the name of your boss and we’ll make sure you're protected.” While Tobias wanted the man dead for touching Isabella, more than that, he wanted the ring disbanded, those in charge imprisoned where they couldn’t hurt anyone else, couldn’t come after Isabella again.

The weapon pointed at Isabella’s head wavered slightly as the man obviously contemplated his fate and what it was going to look like, and knowing he might not get another opportunity, Tobias didn't hesitate to grab hold of this one.

“Firecracker, drop,” he screamed.

April 27th

5:21 P.M.

Her head was throbbing,spinning too, her stomach didn't feel great, her shoulders ached from her arms being twisted behind her back at an awkward angle, and those last couple of blows she’d been given after she helped Trinity escape had aggravated her symptoms. Even her temple hurt where the barrel of the gun was being ground against it.

But the second Isabella heard Tobias’ voice, she relaxed.

Safe.

If he was there, she was going to live.

When he ordered her to drop, she complied.

No hesitation. No thought involved. Tobias knew what he was doing, this was what he had trained for, what he had spent years of his life doing. There was not a single doubt in her mind that following his orders would save her life.

So she dropped.

Let all her body weight hang against the man’s arm.

It was enough for him to have to adjust his grip on her, and that was all Tobias needed.

Shots rang out, the arm holding her up was gone.

Isabella staggered, fighting against dropping to the ground.

Then someone grabbed her from behind.

Pure instinct had her slamming her bound fists backward at the same time she threw her head back, aiming for his groin and whatever of his face she could reach. The other two guards who had been in the room with her when the man who had used her as a human shield was about to make her suck him off had run off the second the gunshots started.

Thankfully for her, they’d come right in time.

Now she had no way of knowing if those men were already dead or if one of them had just grabbed her and also intended to try to use her as a bargaining chip so he could escape.

There was no way she was going to let that happen.

Not if she could possibly stop it.

So when the man grunted, she pivoted, intending to run toward where she knew Tobias had to be, but that darn spinning in her head had her stumbling, and she went down hard.

At least she’d temporarily immobilized the man who’d attempted to grab her. He was standing before her, groaning, a wry look on his face.

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