Page 145 of Vengeful Guard

“Where is she?”

He’s still screaming, looking down at his ruined knees as he holds his bleeding hand. If he lived, he’d be in a wheelchair for life. Lucky for him, he isn’t going to.

I grab him by his hair and pull his head back to face me.

“Where is Paige?”

“Fuck you!”

“Okay, I’ll find her myself.” I drop his head, shooting him point blank in the face.

He slumps over, a mess on the floor, and I run toward the back of the building.

There are four rooms, and she could be in any of them.

“Feck.”

I need to get her and get out of here fast, before Murphy shows up. He’ll know his men aren’t checking in.

Gun drawn and ready, I open the closest door, securing the room.

Empty.

I close the door and move to the second door.

Chances are a man may be guarding her, and he heard the shots, so I need to be careful and thorough.

Room two is empty too, so onto the third door, keeping my gun handy. When I open it, someone screams and comes at me with a chair leg, hitting me on the thigh pretty hard.

I point my gun down, but it's none of Murphy’s men. It’s a woman. Her face is all swollen.

I lower my gun, cursing. “Paige?”

Oh, my god, what have they done to her? Her eyes are practically swollen shut, her face is a mess of bruises.

“Paige, sweetheart. It’s me. It’s Kael.”

Her screech stops halfway through, and she looks up at me, but I’m not sure she can see me.

“Kael?” she croaks. “Is that really you?”

“Princess…” I scoop her up in my arms bridal style.

I want to kiss her poor, hurt face, but she cries out when I pick her up. “I’m so sorry, princess. So sorry, but we have to get the hell out of here.”

She leans her head on my shoulder. “Kael, I have to tell you something.”

“What is it, princess?” I walk as fast as I can as I carry her, but her moans of pain are tearing me apart.

She goes quiet, and I wonder if she’s passed out.

I realize that she has when I put her in the passenger seat of my car, buckling her seatbelt.

She wakes up when I start the car, screaming, and I have to touch her face, cupping it in my hands.

“It’s me, princess. It’s me.”

The screams stop, but she starts sobbing, and I hate that I have to let her go. “I’m sorry. Have to get you to the hospital.”

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