Page 50 of Rami

He forced himself to ignore the shock in her eyes. To look away. If he didn’t, he’d drop to his knees and hold her, and they couldn’t do that right now. He couldn’t get lost in helping her heal from what she’d endured. Not when he needed to keep her alive.

The bastard who’d attacked her had a knife sticking out of his side. He made a mental note to commend Ivy later. But he couldn’t shake the fact that the asshole would have used the knife to remove Ivy’s head if Rami hadn’t shown up when he had.

He towed her away from the parking lot. The other cartel member was dead in the lobby, and it wouldn’t be long before someone spotted the body on the cement. They couldn’t be anywhere near the scene.

He pulled his gun from its spot at his tailbone and was comforted by its weight. He walked two paces ahead of Ivy scanning the walkway that wrapped around the building.

“We should call the police,” Ivy said breathlessly.

He grunted. “That’s a surefire way to get us killed quicker. Unfortunately, you can never be too careful when it comes to law enforcement. With all the drugs and trafficking that happens between here and Mexico, it’s a guarantee they’ve got cops on their payroll.”

“You think the police are involved?” Disbelief stung her words.

“I think it’s very likely someone on the police force or higher up is paid off by the cartel. It’s best we avoid the police as much as possible.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

He cast a glance at her quickly paling face. There wasn’t time for reassurances.

They had minutes at best before the bodies were spotted. They weren’t far from his vehicle. The street came into view. His truck was parked at the curb.

“Stop!” Ivy jerked his arm back, propelling him to flatten his back against the side of the building.

He bolted his arm against her chest, keeping her as shielded as possible. At the same time, he sought the threat but saw only two squirrels chasing each other across the lawn. “What is it?”

“Out front. I saw another SUV like the one parked in the parking lot.”

He leaned away from the wall a few inches and, sure enough, a blacked-out SUV was at the curb a few spots behind his vehicle. Fuck.

Two brutish-looking men dressed in black with baseball caps pulled low on their heads exited the SUV.

They were stuck.

Rami leaned back against the wall as his brain worked at warp speed. Going out front was a no-go. The men who’d left the SUV had gotten out on the passenger side. Which meant a driver was waiting. It was too late to call any of the guys for help. There was only one option.

“We’ll go through the back alley and find an old vehicle I can hot-wire.” He gripped her wrist and they retraced their steps. “But we need to—”

Rami stopped in his tracks and his senses sizzled as a large white truck pulled into the parking lot. “What the? Why’s August here?”

August waved then pulled the truck up close to the sidewalk.

“Oh, I forgot,” Ivy said. “I called your office and gave my address. I told them we were in trouble. They must have sent him.”

Relief spread through Rami. He caught the back of her head in his palm and kissed her temple. “Damn, you’re smart. Let’s go.” Ushering her ahead of him, they crossed the grass and reached August’s vehicle.

Rami yanked open the back door and Ivy hopped in, then Rami got in the front.

“The fuck happened to you?” August’s lip curled as he raked his gaze over Rami’s torn and battered clothes.

“Added two more cartel members to the death count.”

“No shit.” August’s eyes widened. “You look like you took a beating. Shoulda called me in sooner.” He swatted Rami’s biceps, and it was all Rami could do not to break August’s wrist. That sure as hell wouldn’t serve him and Ivy.

“Um, can we go? There’s a dead body on the pavement over there and a truck full of cartel assholes out front.”

August cursed and shifted into gear. “Gotta say. I’m kind of impressed you made it out alive.”

“Just drive,” Rami growled. If he killed anyone else today, it’d be his friend.

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