Page 46 of Redemption
I felt Damien’s hand on my shoulder, his grip tightening as he muttered under his breath. “Stay calm, Gabriel.” His warning echoed in my ears, but it was hard to heed his words when all I could think about was going up to her and dragging her out of here.
Sophia said something that had Emma doubling over with laughter. For a moment, I felt happy at their joy. That moment ended no sooner than it started when one of the blond men leaned too close, saying something to Emma. Her face lit up, and she welcomed them to sit. “Goddammit,” I muttered.
“Try to get close enough to hear them. We need to find out what they’re planning. Stay to the shadows,” I said to Damien.
We split, Damien moving to the darkness behind them while I slithered towards a secluded booth near the entryway. Not too far to go unnoticed, not too close to be seen. A woman sashayed past me, her tiny black skirt swinging in sync with the music. She stopped, turned back toward me, and smiled with hungry eyes.
“You are so-“ She stumbled, then caught herself on the table before falling back into the arms of her drunk laughing friends. I sneered at her, then looked back at Sophia. The Sinclair men were sitting down beside them, drinks in hand and smirks plastered on their faces. Sophia seemed teasingly dismissive of what the shorter one was saying to her, completely oblivious to the danger she was in. The two men flashed a wicked glance at each other that the girls didn’t notice. Then Emma and Sophia closed their eyes and put a finger to the sides of their heads.What the fuck were they doing? The moment their eyes closed, the shorter one spiked their drinks.
The taller one leaned over to whisper into Emma's ear, and she chuckled, nudging Sophia playfully. My heart clenched painfully at the sight. I was torn between my desire to stride over there and yank Sophia away from these wolves and the rational part of me that knew exposing myself would end in four guns drawn. A hand abruptly gripped my shoulder.
“Did you see that shit?” Damien said.
"Every damn second," I growled, glaring at the two men who were now laughing at something Sophia had said.
Damien's grip on my shoulder tightened in silent understanding. We were both watching intently, our senses heightened by the immediate danger waiting for the girls. Adrenaline shot through my body as they lifted their drinks in a toast. To my horror, Sophia downed the entire glass. My hand slipped into my jacket and gripped my gun, then relaxed and shifted to the ice pick.
“Tell Niko to cut the power to this place. I’ve got the one who takes Sophia. We have to get them back before they leave the club. Shoot them if you have to, but do not let them out of the club”
“Understood,” Damien said before pulling out his phone.
The four of them stood and made their way to the dance floor. We followed, slipping past drunk dancers, through the blinding lights and music. I stayed within a few feet of Sophia. If I just reached out my arm, I could touch her. If I took a single step, I could hold her. I began unbuttoning the white linen shirt under my leather jacket while dancing casually, blending in, waiting for my moment. A woman in a dress barely containing her glittery breasts approached me, drunkenly placing a hand on my chest. Leaning in, she slurred something that was lost in the noise. I smiled and nodded, blending in, letting her dance andgrind against me. I was just another man in the crowd, but I held Sophia in the corner of my eye. She moved with an innate grace, her body flowing to the rhythm of the music. Her wavy hair bounced around her face, shielding her fading consciousness from the attention of those around her. She stumbled, and the Sinclair muscle held her up against him while he scanned the dance floor. Niko was taking too long. The Sinclair looked right at me as I lowered my head just in time, pretending to be staring at the woman’s ass grinding against me. My hair fell forward, partially covering my face, but still, I watched through the corner of my eye. Relief washed over me when his eyes moved over and past me, until he wrapped his arm around Sophia’s waist and began guiding her off the dance floor.
The music stopped, darkness filled the club, and for a moment, everything was silent. From the quiet darkness, confused, disappointed voices erupted. I pushed the woman clinging to me away, ignoring the sound of her body slapping the hard ground and ran through the darkness where the man pulling at Sophia had been. As if the universe were guiding my hand, I blindly reached out, gripped the front of his neck, and slammed the ice pick into the soft spot on the back of his head. All the muscles in his body tensed up at once, and as if the music were still playing, and he was having the time of his life, his body convulsed in a wild jig. My biceps threatened to tear my sleeve as I held him standing there. Then, slowly, he stilled, his dance over. I grabbed his phone, keys, and wallet out of his pockets before pushing him forward, letting the weight of his falling body unsheathe my weapon from his skull. I wiped the ice pick on his clothes, slipped it back into my jacket, and waved my arms around in the darkness, feeling for the woman I killed for.
“Sophia!” I shouted.
After a frantic moment, I felt the soft skin of a woman stumbling in the darkness and pulled her in close. Her hotbreath on my chest and sweet perfume was enough for me to know Sophia was the woman in my arms. I held her face with one hand and leaned in, straining to see her. The emergency lights flickered on, and cool white light lit up her soft, sweaty face as her eyes rolled back and forth, fighting to stay open. She leaned into me, and I pulled her closer, threading my arm around her waist to support her wobbling form. Her skin felt dangerously warm to the touch. I looked around the club. People were filing out in rows through the exits, stepping over the man I had just killed as if he were a passed-out drunk. I spotted Damien with Emma. He flashed me the most uncomfortable smile I’d ever seen on his face. He motioned with a flick of his eyes to the far side of the dance floor, where dark red blood pooled out around the other dead Sinclair. I picked Sophia up and forced my way past the crowd. The fresh, cool night air met us as a gut-wrenching scream bellowed out from the club. We ran down the street, carrying the girls.
“I thought you said no blood,” I said between labored breaths.
“My first few stabs weren’t exactly on target,” he yelled back defensively, Emma bouncing in his arms.
Damien pulled Emma’s keys out of her purse as we approached her car. “You take mine.” He tossed his keys to me, and I caught them with my free hand.
“Tony, get over here,” I yelled.
The doors to Damien’s car opened skyward, and I lowered Sophia into the passenger seat and put on her seatbelt while Tony’s massive frame barreled toward me. I passed him the phone, keys, and wallet I lifted from the Sinclair.
“Get their car out of here, then search it. Don’t leave any prints.”
“You got it, boss,” he said before slipping on a pair of black gloves.
I got in Damien’s car and closed my eyes. The world was quiet now, besides my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I could have lost her in the worst way possible tonight. There are many things worse than death, and I doubt they would have killed her. I focused on my rapid, uncontrolled breath, steadying myself. The adrenaline subsided, and my heartbeat calmed to normal. I looked over at Sophia, her head lolling against the seat as she breathed soft, shallow breaths. Her hair was damp with sweat, clinging to her forehead in a way that made my heart ache. I reached over and brushed it out of her face, my fingers trembling slightly.
"Hey, it's ok," I murmured, keeping my voice steady. "You're safe now."
Something must have registered because her eyes fluttered open, a slow blink before her big green eyes met mine, then smiled. She tried to sit up, but her body slumped back down, exhaustion pulling at her. Her gaze drifted around the car before landing back on me, confusion flickering on her innocent face.
“It’s me. I’m here. You’re safe.”
Sirens wailed in the distance from all directions, and the Ferrari’s engine roared to life.
Sophia
My head pounded, and I could barely open my eyes. Slowly, my blurry vision focused, and I saw Gabriel sitting in a chair in the corner. I tried to sit up.
"Where am I?" My eyes landed on a floor-mounted air conditioner below some tacky curtains, swaying in the cool air it pumped out.
