Page 59 of Secured By the Buyer

Liam hesitates, gears turning in his head. He gives Bugrov a slimy smile. “You know how Omegas get. Jealous of each other until they go into Heat. I think I’m fine with the ones I have for now, but I’ll keep your offer in mind for when I grow bored.”

He tightens his grip on my arm and propels me toward the exit, but we only make it two steps before the distinctive click of a gun sounds behind us.

“Not so fast,” Bugrov says, his voice gone cold. “This one here was my first purchase from you. So why don’t you tell me who you really are?”

My heart lodges in my throat as I realize our cover is blown.

20

The cold metal barrel points at us, and my stomach swoops.

“Move away from the door.” Bugrov flicks the gun to the right.

Liam raises his palms. “What are you doing? I came here in good faith.”

“You’re not Caruso, which makes me wonder how you got my information.” His eyes narrow, the gears in his head working. “Unless you took Caruso’s place from the start. How did you find out about the auction?”

Liam takes a small step to the side, broad shoulders tense as he maintains the distance from Bugrov. I shuffle beside him, hands bound at my back, the plastic zip-tie digging into my wrists.

Suddenly, Liam’s muscular body slams into mine, shoving me. “Get down!”

I stumble and fall hard, my left shoulder taking the brunt of the impact as I crash down behind a covered slot machine. Pain lances through my arms as Liam lands on top of me, his weight crushing me.

A shot goes wild, slamming into the wall in front of us as the door bursts open with a bang. Heavy boots pound inside, shouts ringing out.

Then the unmistakable rattle of gunfire erupts, bullets ricocheting off metal and concrete with high-pitched pings.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trembling, face pressed into the cold ground. Liam shields my body with his own, protecting my head, his breath puffing against my hair.

This can’t be happening. After everything, I’m going to die here on this filthy floor, never having truly lived.

The angry report of shots being exchanged feels endless, though it’s likely only seconds. Acrid gun smoke stings my nostrils, and my heart pounds hard enough to be heard drumming on the concrete beneath me.

Then, as fast as it began, the gunfire ceases. An eerie quiet falls over the room, broken only by a fewdistant groans of pain. I hold my breath, not daring to move a muscle.

Is it over? Are we still alive?

I swallow, tasting copper from where I must have bitten my cheek.

Liam shifts above me, lips caressing my ear. “It’s okay, princess. I’ve got you.”

Reaching behind my back, he breaks the zip-tie binding my wrists with a sharp tug, and I stifle a cry at the biting sting.

I flex my fingers, wincing at the pins and needles sensation as blood rushes back into my hands.

A scuff sounds, and then the gunfire starts up again, making me flinch.

“We need to move.” Liam grips my arm, hauling me to my feet. “Stay close and run in a crouch.”

I stumble, half numb from being trapped beneath him, but he steadies me with a firm hand on my waist. Even in these dire circumstances, my heart stutters at the contact.

Crouching, we weave through the maze of slot machines, using them to hide our movements.

My ears ring, and the smoke from gunpowder in the air burns my nostrils. Liam leads the way, his long stride eating up ground even in the awkward position, and I struggle to keep up on shaky legs.

We reach the end of our cover, and Liam pulls me to his side. “See that door ahead of us?”

Through the stinging haze, I locate it. “Yeah.”

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