Page 50 of Redeeming Meg

Declan’s guts crawled as Hagar’s eyes roved over her body. The things he wanted to do to her shone in them. “You must know by now that I am all-powerful.”

“Meaning you have the Romanian Police in your back pocket,” Declan clarified. “Plenty of assholes bribe officials. You’re not unique or clever.”

They were outnumbered and cornered. Tessa was his hostage this time, but it was all too similar to what happened with Jessie.

Declan would not let it happen again.

Meg started to speak, but her voice trembled. She cleared her throat, her back going ramrod straight. “What do you want?”

Hagar’s cold smile stretched across his face as he took a single step forward. The tiniest bit of light caught on the blade. “Come now, my sweet Meg. You know what I want.”

Declan stepped in front of her, a shield.

She stepped out from behind him. “Me,” she said so softly, it was barely a whisper.

Hagar’s smile grew. “We have unfinished business, do we not?”

“Fuck you,” Declan said. “The only unfinished business is for me to put you down like the rabid dog you are.”

Tessa shook her head, her eyes going to a spot behind Hagar on the fountain. Declan had missed it before, and now the sight of it made his skin crawl.

A second machete.

Meg laid her weapon on the floor, raising her hands. “Me for her,” she said, gesturing at Tessa. “A more than fair trade.”

Her voice was now without any emotion. Dead. Just like she knew she would be if she traded places with Tessa.

“Meg,” Declan ground out.

“It’s okay,” she said quietly. “Take Tessa out of here. Don’t look back.”

She took a step toward Hagar, and it was all Declan could do not to tackle her. “All due respect, no,” he said. “I said it before, and I’ll say it again. I will always?—”

“Release her,” she interrupted him, speaking to the terrorist. “Let her go free, and you can have me.”

The bastard licked his lips. He fuckinglicked his lips.

Declan brought his gun up and pointed it at the bastard’s smug face, stepping up to where Meg’s gun lay.I will kill him. Before this day is done, I will use one of his own machetes and give him a dose of his own medicine.

“Say it,” Meg demanded. “I want your word that Tessa and Declan walk out of here, free and clear, if I give myself to you.”

As if there were any honor to this man. As if she could trust anything he promised.

Hagar sized Declan up and glanced back at Tessa. “Seems to me you don’t have a choice in the matter. You are mine, regardless if I let them go.”

Damn it. Declan had walked her right into this trap.

It was up to him to get her out.

She had some warped sense of righteousness that letting Hagar kill her would… What?

It wouldn’t bring Jessie back.

It wouldn’t absolve her from what had happened.

Did she still believe she deserved this? Deserved to die?

Bullshit.

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