Page 83 of A Touch of Treachery
Henrika jerked her head at Bryce and the other guards.“You heard him.No one shoots or otherwise harms Ms.Locke.Am I understood?”
The guards all nodded, even Bryce, although he did so quite reluctantly.
Henrika snapped her fingers.“It’s time for Desmond to go nighty-night.”
“With pleasure,” Bryce said.“I’ve waited a long time for this.”
The former cleaner slid his gun into its holster, stepped in front of me, and flexed his fingers.Bryce grinned, then snapped up his fist and punched me in the jaw.
Thwack-thwack-thwack.
Bryce followed up that first punch with three more in rapid succession.He put the full force of his enduro strength into each blow, and pain exploded in my face like grenades detonating one after another.My galvanism surged up, trying to turn the jarring force into usable energy, but the pain quickly overwhelmed my power.A strange, numb sensation also spread through my body, and everything took on a dull, fuzzy haze, as though the entire clearing had somehow been plunged deep underwater ...
Thwack.
Bryce plowed his fist into my ribs.This blow was harder and sharper than the others, and another, larger grenade of pain exploded in my chest.
I didn’t even feel my legs buckle or my body hit the ground, but they must have, because suddenly, I was lying in the snow, trying to move my head so I could stare up at Charlotte.But it didn’t work, and my eyes slowly slid shut, despite my best efforts to keep them open ...
“Desmond!Desmond, wake up!”
The last thing I heard before the world went black was Charlotte screaming my name.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHARLOTTE
“Desmond!”Iyelledagain.“Wake up!”
The guard tightened his viselike grip on my arm and shoved his gun into my side.“Shut up!”he growled.“Or I’ll ignore the boss’s orders and shoot you in the gut!”
Truth, my synesthesia whispered, as if I needed the magical confirmation that the man would make good on his threat.I bit my tongue and swallowed my screams.
Henrika made a circular motion with her index finger, and two guards stepped forward and took hold of Desmond.The two men must have been enduros with extra strength, because they maneuvered the cleaner around like he was as light as feather.The first guard removed all of Desmond’s weapons, including his silver pocket watch, and tossed them aside.Then the second man bent down and hefted the unconscious cleaner over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry.
In the distance, more gunshots sounded, louder and closer than before.
“Get him into the woods!”Henrika hissed.“Now!”
The second guard hefted Desmond a little higher onto his shoulders and vanished into the woods.The first guard followed him, and Henrika also headed in that direction.Bryce trailed after her, although he kept his gun trained on the three paramortals still standing in the clearing.
“What do you think you’re doing?”Steig demanded.“Tell your men to lower their weapons!”
Henrika shook her head.“You still don’t get it, do you, Steig?You wereneverhere to bid on my formula.You and the others were just bait so I could lure Desmond and Charlotte to the resort.Spies like them will never pass up a chance to track down villains like you.And now?You’re just a distraction, something for the Section agents to focus on and chase after, so I can escape.”
The assassin’s hands clenched into fists, and his handsome features twisted into something dark and ugly.“You duplicitous bitch!I’ll kill you for this!”
Henrika backed toward the trees, with Bryce still by her side.“You’ll be far too busy running from Section 47 to worry about me.”
Fury stained Steig’s face a mottled red.Oriana and Niles were just as pissed, and they also glared at Henrika.
“Anyone who tries to follow us will get shot.Let’s go!”Henrika called out.“Move!Move!Move!”
The other guards dropped their guns and darted into the woods.Henrika smirked at me again, then she too vanished, with Bryce still right beside her.
The guard who’d been hanging on to my arm shoved me away.I stumbled back a few steps.He snapped up his gun, ready to fire if I moved toward him.I didn’t care about the guard, so I held my hands up, wondering how I could get past him and get to Desmond—
“Gurp!”The guard let out a loud, strangled noise.
