Page 136 of Reclaiming Adelaide

“We made a deal, and then he disappeared with no communication. I had to show him that wasn’t how we did business.”

“So you killed my parents?” I whispered, my throat aching as the words came out.

“It’s not like they were our first choice.” He leaned back in his chair, then leaned forward again as if he slipped up and remembered he shouldn’t be comfortable. “We tried killing you… but you are atrickylittle thing, aren’t you?”

I shook my head. It was all luck. No thought or planning was involved.

“I’ve never underestimated an enemy so much in my entire life. But you?” He shook the pistol as he pointed it at me. “I couldn’t tell if you’d ran away with Yergi or if you were telling the truth that you’d left the group.” He sighed. “It just seemed odd that you left the group, and then he did. Almost like it was orchestrated.”

Thoughts of escape bombarded me as he spoke, killing time as he waited for confirmation.

“I need a drink.” I stood and took a small step back.

“Don’t,” he said, his gaze dodging to my feet. “I don’t want to have to shoot you prematurely.”

I took another step, solidifying my decision, then another, until I spun around and ran. A gunshot rang through the room, hitting the chair in front of me, puncturing the red leather with a narrow hole. I screamed as I raised my arms over my head, my ears ringing from the resounding blast, and continued running.

If I could get down to the safe room. I’d be okay there. Jake had added me into the system and showed me the safety protocols over and over. Use my thumb, go inside, and activate panic protocols.

I rounded the corner to the stairs and slammed into a solid frame. My eyes burned from the newfound agonizing shards licking across my nose. The massive man who’d thrown me over his shoulder the night my father saved me gripped my arms and stopped me from falling onto my ass.

“I told you—“

I screamed and kicked the Hulk before me, my bloodied hands pounding into his bullet-proof vest.

“What? You thought I took this fortress on my own? I’m flattered.”

“Let me go!” Where the fuck was Charity?

“After I went through all this…Nah.“ His pistol dangled in his hand at his thigh. “I worked too hard to keep my men free from your curiosity.”

My head tossed from side to side, denying him. “I left the team. I didn’t want anything to do with it anymore.”

“Yeah, that’s what they said. But you still know everything about us.”

Franklin tipped his head to the man behind me. The hulking being wrapped his meaty arms around my chest, trapping my arms by my sides. My feet left the floor as he carried me back to the couch.

“You’re a terrible shot for a mercenary,” I said, struggling, my arms trickling with blood.

“Or my bullet went exactly where I wanted it to.”

The Hulk tossed me onto the couch when two gunshots went off, and the flashing lights went out. I jerked my gaze towards the driveway where I was certain it’d come from, then back to Franklin, his hands gripping the pistol tight to his body in an act I’m sure he didn’t have to think about.

“Well, it seems we’re not alone anymore.”

“Wha—“

Franklin jerked me off the couch by my upper arm and dragged me into the dark recesses of the room. His hand slipped through the blood coating my face as he covered my mouth. His lips brushed against my ear as he whispered, “Don’t make a sound, or I’ll paint the ceiling with you.”

A cold hard metal dug into my ribcage, bringing about a muffled whimper against his gloved hand.

Rapid gunfire popped around us like suppressed popcorn, making me jump in Franklin’s tight grasp. “Shhh. We have company.”

My gaze darted across the room, searching for the culprit.

Was that Charity?

The bulky man ran towards the line of fire. His heavy black military-style boots pounded through my puddled blood where I’d laid beside the couch. He turned the corner, and two quick flashes of light illuminated the hallway, followed by the deafening blast of gunfire. My world slowed to a near standstill as the man tipped backward and crashed to the floor with a thud.

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