Page 90 of Right With You
All the windows around the sides and back had shades pulled or were a kind of frosted glass that prevented seeing in. No telling where she would be inside, if she was even here. Stone, Liz, and Doc hadn’t gotten to the cabin yet to confirm that location.
Bruce approached the door, then nodded for me. I approached, picked the lock and slid the deadbolt back with ease, then stepped back. Now Kenny rounded the corner, ready to pull it open for the breach.
We stepped inside, and chaos erupted.
CHAPTERFORTY-THREE
Elise
The house went from virtually silent to a cacophony I couldn’t make sense of. Yelling, screaming, and the sound of what my terrified mind processed as gunshots.
I ducked, covering my head on instinct, when the door flew open. Callum ran for me, dragging me up and holding me in front of him as best he could, though my wrist was still cuffed to the bottom of the radiator, so he had to crouch instead of stand.
“What’s going on? What?—”
“Shut up. Shut. Up.”
His hand slapped over my mouth, but my adrenaline-fueled brain finally caught up and I started fighting.
I sent an elbow into his chest and stomped on one of his feet. He pulled my hair hard, and my eyes watered. His hand slipped off my lips and I screamed, “Luc! I’m here! I’m here! Help!” before he clamped his hand over my mouth again.
I kept screaming, futile though it seemed, and thrashed around until something sharp angled up into my neck. My cries for help stopped with a sharp gasp as I realized he had a knife to my neck.
Two dark figures appeared in the doorway. My heart leaped and my pulse skyrocketed.Luc!And Kenny. The good guys were here!
“Don’t come any closer,” Callum yelled, angling the knife a touch closer to my trachea. “You’re going to send that money and I’m going to walk out of here.”
Without a word, something popped, and Callum jerked backward. At the same time, both men rushed inside the room, Luc straight to me, and Kenny directly to Callum, whom he jabbed in the throat and forced to the ground.
“I’m here. I’m here,” he said, his face lined with what looked like agony as he clipped the cuff from the chain, then unlocked it and freed my poor, mangled wrist. “I’m so sorry it took so long.”
I launched into his arms, so relieved to see him and feel him wrapping around me.
“It’s alright. You’re alright,” he said, rubbing soothing circles into my back with his gloved hands. “You’re okay.”
I’d hardly registered how hard I was crying, but wow. I was full-on sobbing into his shoulder, and I’d never felt so heartbroken and so relieved. Shouldn’t I just be happy?
He eased back and cupped my face in his hands. “You’re going to be alright, Elise. I promise you,mon amour, you’ll be okay.”
Inhaling a deep breath, I tried to steady myself enough to speak. “I know. I just… I wasn’t sure.”
I wasn’t sure you’d find me. I wasn’t sure I’d see you again. I wasn’t sure you’d still want me.
“Oh,mon cœur,je t’aime. Je t’aime.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead, my temple. “I’m so sorry this happened. It’s all my fault.”
Amidst everything, I hadn’t dreamt of his soft, sweet words. Maybe I’d hoped for them, but I couldn’t have guessed how beautiful they sounded, his accent rolling over the consonants and bringing me a kind of comfort. I had to tell him what I’d feared I wouldn’t get a chance to. “Luc, I love?—”
“You’ll never have her the way I had her, you idiot. You’ll never—” Callum’s words cut off when a sharp ripping sound cut through the space.
“That’s enough of that, sweetie pie.” Kenny slapped a piece of duct tape over Callum’s mouth, then pulled him to his feet. “I’ll take out the trash. You two take a minute.” He winked and hauled a stumbling Callum behind him.
“Catch your breath and then let’s get Doc to take a look at you. He’ll be here any minute. You might need to head to the hospital,” he said, his dark brows furrowed as he rotated my wrist one way, then the other. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. He did this. Him and whoevertheyare,” I said, settling my palm against the curve of his stubbled jaw.
His gaze sharpened even as he pressed his face into my hand, nuzzling slightly. “What else did he say? Who else was he working with?”
“I didn’t see anyone but him.” I moved to stand, and he jumped to his feet, then held my hand and arm to guide me to standing. “He only referred to how ‘they’d get their money,’ and I guess he’d get a small payout and…” I swallowed. “Me.”
