Page 39 of Defiant Devotion

“Sonya. Get up. Let’s go.” I couldn’t soften my voice. I wasn’t able to lighten up and coax her into rising off the filthy floor. This was the time for orders. For strategy. For getting the fuck out of here while we could.

I reached for her sleeve as she slowly began to lift up. Blinking her big, dark eyes, she showed me a bewildered gaze as she checked her surroundings. More and more, she leaned up, but this wasn’t the time to dawdle. She could react and freak out later. Right this instant, we had to move it.

“Come on. Let’s go!” I held onto her arm with a tighter clutch, helping her to stand and also to pull her along with me.

She didn’t protest. Maybe she was too shell-shocked to process what was happening or that she still lived. Tucked into the middle of a shootout, itwasa miracle she hadn’t been shot. And she wasn’t. On her feet, her legs shaky as she found her stride, she moved without any suggestion of a gunshot wound.

“Come on,” I urged, still using a voice of command to push her to hurry as fast as she could. Any second now, an Ilyin could show up and try to stop us. I was half tempted to pick her up and carry her, to rush faster, but I had to keep at least one hand available to shoot if I had to.

No one came at us as we ran for my SUV idling outside the building, and I exhaled a slight breath of relief that Sonya was too dazed to protest. Or maybe she trusted me because I’d killed those men to spare her life.

Now wasn’t the time to figure out the reason for her motivation to go with me, but the second she was in the passenger seat and I shoved the gear stick into drive, I appreciated that she hadn’t put up a fight, argued, or wanted to ask any questions.

This was a matter of life or death, and she was in agreement to come along.

“Are you kidnapping me?” she accused as soon as I sped further from the warehouse.

“No.” I reached over to shove at her head, though. “Get down!”

Gunshots were fired, and the pings of the shots on my bullet-proof windows followed. Two cars zoomed close, giving chase, and I focused on speeding away without crashing. All the while, Sonya tucked down and ranted at me, bitching me out for daring to think I could be the next one to kidnap her.

“I’m not—” I cut myself off with a growl as I turned sharply to lose the car after us. They crashed into a building, and I checked on the location of the other car.

“Then where do you think you’re taking me? Against my will.”

“For fuck’s sake. You want to live, don’t you?” I gritted my teeth to get the SUV turning even sharper the other way. The car in hot pursuit after us couldn’t keep up, and they slammed into a truck at an intersection. “I’m taking you to a safe location.”

When she didn’t reply, I glanced at her and tried to catch my breath from the adrenaline rush. She glowered right back, her kissable lips thin in a firm line as she stared me down.

“I’m taking you to a safe location.”

She narrowed her eyes more, not speaking.

“Do you hear me?”

“How could I not when you’re shouting at me?” she sassed back.

“What the fuck is your problem?” I volleyed my attention again, looking back to see if any cars were coming and forward again as I checked the route ahead. “I?—”

Don’t. Don’t lash out. Keep your cool. She’s shocked and traumatized and…I whooshed out a long breath. “I’m taking you to a safe location.”

“Of your choice?You’lldecide that?”

“Yes!” I again shot her a side-eye, trying my hardest not to be annoyed at her attitude after I’d literally followed those Ilyins to save her.

“Then how are you not kidnapping me?”

“I’m not?—”

“Because I am sick of being taken!” She screamed it, fisting her hands as she snarled at me. “I am sick and tired of being taken and controlled.”

I licked my lips and forced a dry swallow, minding my temper. She was venting, raging and releasing all that pent-up fear. I recognized that it was happening, and I schooled myself not to react, not to reply in kind with anger and frustration.

“I’m only taking you to a safe location,” I repeated.

She didn’t speak up. Seething as she turned, giving me her shoulder, she crossed her arms and stared at the window.

“I’m taking you to a safe location,” I said once more, just to drive in that reassurance. I felt obligated to treat her like a feral, cornered, and scared animal. “Were you shot?”

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