Page 74 of Cruel Savior

“Stop!” she screamed. “That’s Anthony. He was my bodyguard. There has to be some mistake. He’s not my brother.”

“The only mistake is you consorting with these assholes. You deserved better than this. Now. Get. The. Fuck. Out,” he roared.

I watched his hand carefully, hoping in his fit of rage that he didn’t accidentally press that trigger button. For half a second my heart stopped when his finger slipped just missing the tiny button.

I didn’t bother sparing a glance at JD. I knew he’d seen it too. I raised my gun and took the shot.

The bullet pierced his skull right between his eyes, and for a second, he stared at us almost as if he hadn’t been just eliminated. Another second, and he dropped to his knees, and I dove for his hand and the device still loosely clutched in his fist.

“You fucking idiot,” Mandy screamed. She was thrashing against the chair, trying to break free.

“Someone tell me it’s okay to take this thing out of his hand,” I yelled.

“No!” both Tel and Mandy yelled. I froze.

“Is there any pressure on the button?” Tel asked, running over to my side.

“I don’t know. I can’t tell. You said don’t touch him.”

“It doesn’t matter. We can’t take a chance.” She looked over at Tel. “You have to get that vest off of her first. Please.”

Tel nodded and ran over to the young girl still sobbing uncontrollably. “Calm down. Please. I’m going to get you free. But I can’t do anything with you shaking like this.”

She grabbed at his hand, her tears flowing freely down her face. It was hard to tell exactly what she looked like with her face and eyes swollen from all the crying, but there was something about her that looked vaguely familiar.

JD crossed to Mandy. “We need a first aid kit.”

“I’m fine,” Mandy snarled. “Just help her. Dear God, please. Help her.” Her words slurred at the end and it was the first real indication besides the blood flowing from her wrists that she was definitelynotokay.

“You’re ice cold,” JD observed.

She shook her head and tried to jerk away from him, but her movements were slow and her head lolled to the side.

“Fuck. She just passed out.”

“Someone needs to call 911.” It was going to kill me not to move if someone didn’t do something.

JD looked at me sharply. “And what the hell do you think happens if the Seattle PD walks in here? She’ll be dead before they can even assemble a bomb team.”

“You can’t just let her die. She’s here because of me.” The young girl’s cries ceased, her face creased with a different worry now. But it was her words that stuck in my mind.

“She’s not going to die,” JD reassured her, but I doubted he could say that for certain. There was a shit ton of blood pooling around her chair.

“I’ve got it.” Tel announced, lifting the vest slowly away from the girl’s body.

“Get everyone out,” I ordered. “I’m not releasing his hand until everyone else is clear.”

“Tel,” JD called. “Put that vest in a tub if you can find one. Hurry.” He had already untied Mandy’s arms and was lifting her into his arms. “As soon as we get outside, we’ll call 911.”

“Hurry,” I whispered. Unsure whether I was more worried about the explosives going off or whether or not Mandy was going to make it. If I was honest, that wasn’t true. I needed her to live. For me—US.

And so I could make sure she understood that going in ALONE was not an acceptable thing to do, and that it was high time for her to show some damned trust.

Tel returned to the room and grabbed the young girl’s hand. “It’s done. Let’s go.” She nodded and followed him out.

“Don’t get dead,” JD warned me.

“There’s a first aid kit in the truck. Save her.”

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