Page 103 of Final Exit

“Bailey?” Panic had Kade’s own throat closing and he had to force the word out. He suddenly realized what was wrong. She was choking on the ball of paper she’d had in her mouth. He grabbed her up in his arms just as the door exploded in a rain of glass and flames behind him. He ducked down and ran into the other office, then pulled the panel shut, cutting off the flames.

He sank to the floor with his precious burden and rolled her onto her stomach. Then he squeezed his fists together beneath her diaphragm and jerked them back against her—once, twice. The wadded-up paper flew across the room. Bailey gagged and threw up on the carpet.

Kade pulled her hair out of her face, holding her until she stopped retching.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” he said, when she finally looked up at him. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

She grabbed him and buried her face in his neck.

He rocked her in his arms. “What was on that piece of paper that Faegan was so worried about?”

“Swiss bank account numbers,” she said, her throat sounding raw. “He stole money from all the Enforcers he murdered. I couldn’t let him get away with that. I couldn’t let him profit from their deaths.”

He shuddered at how close she’d come to dying and clasped her more tightly against him.

“Kade, the Enforcers who were captured, we have to find them. Sebastian and Amber—”

He pulled her back, looking into her eyes, hating what he had to say next. “The Enforcers who were in the tunnels have already been rescued. Bailey, I’m so sorry. Your friends didn’t make it.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “That bastard. Faegan is going to pay for this.”

Another loud roar sounded from outside the doorway. Black smoke belched underneath it and the first finger of flames clawed its way under the threshold.

Kade grabbed her hand and pulled her up. “We have to get out of here. Let’s go.”

She nodded, and he was so damn proud of how courageous she was. He could see she was hurting over the deaths of her friends. But she was strong, a survivor. She tamped down her grief and focused on what had to be done.

They raced through the opening on the other side of the office, down into the tunnels. They never saw Mason or Jace as they ran toward the exit that would take them into the woods. Sirens sounded overhead. Fire trucks were finally arriving. They were careful not to draw any attention to themselves when they rushed from the little landscaper’s hut at the end of the parking lot that was really the tunnel exit.

Ten minutes later, Bailey and Kade were back with Devlin and Austin in the woods near the field. Kade couldn’t seem to let Bailey go after coming so close to losing her. He had his arms around her shoulders and kept her tucked up against him. She seemed to be struck with the same affliction as him, because both of her arms were around his waist and she was holding on tight.

“Have you heard from Mason and Jace?” Kade asked. “We lost them in the tunnels when they were chasing Faegan.”

Devlin nodded. “They caught him and cuffed him, said they’ll be here in a few minutes.”

Kade exchanged a relieved look with Bailey.

Austin was on his cell phone, trying to arrange some alternate transportation for them. With the fire trucks and, soon, police all over the EXIT parking lot, they wouldn’t be able to use their cars, parked just inside the woods. Thankfully the rest of their crew had already left, just ahead of the fire trucks’ arrival.

He hung up the phone. “We’re gonna have to hike through the forest about a mile and a half to get to a second rendezvous point. I’ll have some vehicles waiting for us there.” He frowned down at the hole in his prosthetic leg. “I hope this thing lasts that long.”

Bailey looked down at Kade’s leg.

“Don’t even say it,” he said. “If Austin can make it, so can I.” He kissed her to soften his rebuke. It felt so good, he kissed her again.

“Here they come,” Devlin said.

Kade turned to see Mason and Jace striding toward them. “Give me a minute,” he told Bailey. He gave her another quick kiss, then strode over to intercept the two before they reached the group.

“Devlin said you caught Faegan. Where is he?”

Mason and Jace exchanged a glance, then shrugged.

Kade stared at them. “Did you kill him?”

“Not yet,” Mason said, sounding defensive. “We figured we’d interrogate him when we get a chance. Just to be sure there aren’t any more loose ends we need to tie up. I’m sick to death of EXIT Inc. and don’t ever want to go through something like this again. I’m getting too old for this crap.”

Jace nodded and stood shoulder to shoulder with Mason.

---