Page 75 of Secret Love

“Hello, Fox,” he greets me from the center of the hall. “I suppose we have you to thank for this light and sound show. Pretty brilliant, I’ll say… it’ll take ages for what’s left of our squad to get up here now.”

I let the door close behind me and I take a few more steps into the hall. “Dani, it’s going to be okay—”

“I think all of us know that’s not true, Fox,” Mercer says. “No point in lying to her now.”

I look into her frightened eyes. There’s a fresh bruise above her cheek that wasn’t there before. I take a deep, angry breath. “Let her go,” I say.

“I have to hand it to her…” Mercer says. “She put up a good fight. Not as dainty as she appears.”

“Let her go.”

“I think she might be growing on me…” he continues, ignoring the demand. He takes a whiff of her hair. “Tell you what, Fox… You come back with me and I won’t kill her. We’ll bring her along and share her with the rest of the boys. I think that’s fair, don’t you?” I grit my teeth and he laughs. “Put the gun down, Fox. Let’s get this over with.”

“Fox, don’t—”

Mercer clamps his hand over her mouth, silencing her while he presses his gun into her throat.

I hold back my rage. “If you were going to kill her, you’d have done it already. Just let her go.”

“I will,” he says. “Once you’re on the chopper with me, she’s free to go back to Tinseltown.”

Her eyes shake, silently urging me not to give in but there’s no other option. The stairwell opens behind me and a man in a black mask steps into the hall with us. I don’t recognize his eyes. Must be new.

“If I go with you,” I say, “you let her go.”

Mercer grins. “Of course.”

Dani’s eyes grow wide and he holds her tighter to keep her from shaking her head again. I watch her expression as more tears fall down her face.

He’s lying and she knows it.

I raise my hands in surrender. The man behind me moves in closer, drawing his handgun from his holster. It sticks into my back, just below my left kidney.

I stare into her eyes. My Dani. If I fight back now, Mercer won’t hesitate. I’m too far away from them to stop him before he pulls the trigger and her brains spray against the golden wallpaper. I have to get closer.

“Lead the way,” I say.

The man behind me snatches the revolver from my hand. He stuffs it inside his own holster before pushing me forward. We step slowly and Mercer reaches for the elevator call button.

The doors open and Mercer shoves Dani inside, making my blood boil just a little bit more. He waits for me to step on before pointing his gun at her again.

“Face the wall,” he tells her. He places a hand on her back and guides her into the corner. “Head and hands on the glass. Say anything and I’ll shoot you.”

I would have told her to do the same.

I don’t want her to see this.

“You, too,” the masked one growls in my ear.

I shift to face the other corner and the doors close. The golden box moves upward, rising high toward the roof.

I scan the reflective walls, watching for an opportunity. Black mask here is no rookie. He’s got his eyes trained on me and his aim is solid. Mercer’s eyes are on the move as well, memorizing every detail of the cramped space. His gaze drifts to Dani and it flows down her back to her ass.

The elevator lurches to a stop on the roof.

Black mask lowers his gun an inch, meaning his muscles are loose…

It’s now or never.

---