Page 41 of Miles

Close behind them came Ainsley, Leslie, Martina and the others, herded by three additional armed men.

Gate made a strangled sound from his position only feet from where I watched the horror unfolding.

“Hold your fire.”

The voice was clear, in command of the situation. Or so he thought. The coward had hidden himself in the office, behind the desk where I’d killed two of his men. He stepped out, his face twisting in an expression of disgust as he stepped over the bodies in his way. “I have what I came for, and I won’t take her out of here with any injuries.”

“She’s already injured,” the man who held her pointed out.

“Stating the obvious, as always,” Antonio sneered.

I peered out over the top of the chair, watching, straining to hear over the ringing in my ear and the roar of the dragon in my head to release him. I wanted to.

I glanced at Gate, eyebrows raised, but he shook his head.

I understood why when I looked back at Antonio—and the pistol he pointed at Savannah.

“We meet again,” he crooned, as though he were speaking to someone he was in love with.

Or as though he was toying with her. More likely the latter than the former, as I doubted he possessed a soul or the ability to love.

“Leave the rest of them alone,” she spat. There was more power in her voice than I had ever heard.

The look which came over his face told me he’d never heard her that way, either. “Well, well. The cat found her claws. I’m glad.” He stepped closer, until their bodies nearly touched.

She held her chin up, defiant, while he sneered down at her.

Somehow, his linen suit had remained unblemished.

“Glad?” she smirked.

“Oh, yes. I much prefer a woman with spirit. Didn’t you know that? It’s so much more satisfying to break them.”

I’d had more than enough of him by now.

“Leave her go,” I warned, standing with my rifle aimed at his heart.

He only laughed. “You! I should’ve known. You seemed like the most interested when we met. The mouthiest. If you hadn’t been so mouthy, you wouldn’t have made me suspicious. I wouldn’t have had to do any of this.”

He turned back to Savannah with a sigh. “Then again, nobody would’ve had to die tonight if you hadn’t run away. Don’t you know by now it’s pointless to be so stupid?”

“Shut up,” she hissed. “You’re pathetic. You can’t earn a woman’s love, so you would rather own her and break her down.”

“Love?” he sneered. “Never had any time for it. It doesn’t pay my bills.”

One of the men guarding the girls spoke up. “What should we do with these?”

“What do you think?” Antonio grinned, winking. “Then, get rid of ‘em.”

“Don’t you dare,” Gate warned, stepping out from behind the sofa he’d used for cover.

I watched the men around us, making sure none of them opened fire on him.

“Who’s gonna stop us?” Antonio asked, aiming the gun at Savannah’s head. “Don’t take another step. And if any of you fuckers think about firing on me or another one of my men, you’re all dead. The women first. I’ll make you watch what we do to them before that though.”

I had never heard such depravity, had never known it could exist. And Savannah was supposed to marry him. No wonder she had jumped.

The dragon was dangerously close to the surface.

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