Page 60 of Submit

I start doing math out loud. “If they have six vehicles loaded with four guys each, that’s twenty-four people. We’re outnumbered two to one and they can potentially cram more people in those SUVs,” I whisper mostly to myself.

I feel Beatrice’s hand descend on my shoulder. “Libby, Dominic has been protecting Richard and I for years. He’s good at what he does and he’s prepared. It’s going to be okay.”

I wish I was as strong as Bea. As calm. As wise. But I’m not. I’m not some gunslinging badass. I’m terrified and now that this is really happening, I’m hyperventilating.

“Shh,” Bea coos as she rubs my back. She says it twice more with no result before switching gears, her tone sharper this time. “Libby, Dominic needs a warrior by his side. Even when you make it out of here, your battles are far from over. He can’t do his job well if he’s worried about you breaking down so I need you to dig deeper than you’ve ever dug before. I need you...no,heneeds you to find the strength to be able to take a shot when needed, to run when told, and to keep it together until it’s safe to fall apart.” She shakes my shoulders to bring me back to the present.

I stare blankly at her while her words take their sweet time to process through my brain but when they do, I nod vehemently.

I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know who I am or why I’m in this mess. But I’m here and I can’t change that fact. Idoknow that it’s pretty clear I’m falling in love with a man who has an equally suspicious background, who accidentally murdered his sister, and who probably purposely murdered several others. Even still, I want to be deserving of him and if Bea says he needs a warrior, then that’s what I want to be.

She must see the emotion clear from my eyes and my fire return because she drops her hands from my shoulders. “Good girl. You have your knife on you?”

I nod again, letting the anger, resentment, frustration, sadness, disappointment, and rage from my entire existence build inside me until I feel it like a bonfire doused in gasoline with a pulse all of its own.Fuckthe world for taking my wonderful parents from me,fuckLuis and the Hielos for everything they think they know, anddefinitely fuckWillem Van den Tweel for manipulating me and thinking he owns me and trying to make me into a meek, docile, fragile woman.

I’m ready to draw blood.

My inner Viking comes out in the nick of time. Bea and I whip our heads to look at each other when the sound of gunshots rings out in the distance.

“These walls are thick. It will be hard to tell where the shots are coming from, but they didn’t sound too close to the house. Probably the snipers,” she says. I’m not sure if she’s trying to convince me or herself or if that’s her honest assessment, but I’m going with it.

Unable to stop myself, I pace back and forth nervously, never taking my hand off my pistol.

Two more shots ring out.

A third. Closer this time.

Five shots total but we don’t know which side fired them and the suspense is enough to give me a heart attack.

At first, I think hearing the shots is the worst part because we don’t have any updates to know who fired the bullet and who received it, but I quickly learn that the silence is worse. And after ten minutes of silence, I’m seriously contemplating opening the door.

As I approach it, Bea grabs my arm. “Elizabeth,” she says sharply. “We wait. You will not endanger my husband by breaking the plan and walking out of this room. The men need to concentrate.”

She’s right. I know she’s right, but it does absolutely nothing to lessen my desire to open that goddamn door and find Dominic.

I huff out a sigh of frustration when we hear glass break and the shelves in the weapons room vibrate.

“What the hell was that?” I ask.

Bea’s face is drained of color. “It sounded like a grenade.”

“Agrenade? Where the fuck did Will getgrenades?”

“I’m not sure, but I can guarantee that was an element of surprise all of its own.”

We hear voices shouting in Dutch and it’s my turn to go pale. If we can hear their voices, it means they’re inside the house.Where the hell are Luis’ men?Several more rapid-fire gunshots sound close.

We hear Dominic yell Richard’s name and then two more shots. At this point, Bea and I clutch each other in a tight hug and turn to prepare our weapons. Hearing her husband’s name roll off Dominic’s lips in a panic turned her switch to full-auto and she’s as ready as I am to break the rules and start slinging bullets at these motherfuckers.

As we approach the door, it starts sliding open first. Weapons ready, it’s Dominic’s face that comes into view.

“Oh thank G--”

He looks at Bea first. “Richard’s fine. Get to the laundry room and wait for me,” and then looks at me, “You need to gonow,Libby. Follow Max.” He points to a guy at the end of the hall who’s waving at me hurriedly.

“What? No. I’m not leaving without you!”

“I’ll get down to the boat as soon as I can.”

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