Page 109 of Between the Lies

Right, where the hell were Dickheadson and Anne? They’d taken around ten thugs with them.

Holding on to the knife, Nina rushed towards where Robert had just felled two men, and was just about to stab a third man when he toppled at her feet.

She blinked at Robert. The man looked like he’d been to war. Blood stained his torso, and his shirt had ripped, showing off those incredible muscles. And his jaw was set in a determined snarl. ‘Get Anne. She fled out the back door.’

‘But—’

Another thug went down.

‘Now, Nina!’

As much as she wanted to stay back and help, Robert didn’t appear to need assistance. He’d single-handedly punched his way through all these men. Anne was right. When the fighter came out in Robert, the man became even hotter.

Storing her appreciation for later, Nina ran towards the back door.

The sounds of grunts from behind her faded until all she heard were her own ragged breaths. She burst through an emergency exit door and splashed into a puddle.

Nina blinked. She’d emerged in an unlit alley – and it was empty.

Taking another calming breath, Nina shut her eyes and listened. There – a faint scuttle of feet and the rustle of clothes.

Pivoting to the left, Nina stuck to the shadows even as she picked up her pace to a jog. When she neared the end of the alley, she halted. Here, the footsteps sounded more pronounced.

And then she heard a car engine. Anne was getting away, and their wee surprisestill wasn’t here.

‘Leaving so soon?’ Nina emerged, staring at the dark SUV. It was the same one Robert had spotted outside Shah’s shop.

The woman entering the car froze. ‘How the fuck did she get away again? Kill her!’

Nina held up her hand – after tucking the knife in her back pocket. ‘Come on, seriously? You framed me for murder, then tried to abduct me and kill me, not to mention you blew Shah’s brains out right in front of me. Surely you can finish the job on your own?’

Anne faced Nina, one hand still gripping the car’s door. ‘I see why he’s enamoured with you. You’re tenacious.’

‘He loves me.’

Anne laughed at Nina’s admission, sparking a little doubt in her heart. Robert had never said those words to her; she’d assumed them.

‘Love is a mirage; there one moment, gone the next.’ Abandoning the car, Anne sauntered over to Nina. ‘And?—’

The driver’s-side door opened. Dickheadson stepped out and scrambled over to where Anne stood, his phone held up. ‘I just received a call.’

Anne rolled her eyes, then snatched the device. ‘I told you to dump it.’ She dropped it on the ground and smashed her stiletto down on the screen. ‘Get the car ready.’

Dickheadson gripped Anne’s arm. ‘No, we need to go. The… the girls. They’re all gone.’

Anne blinked – then blinked again. Then her lips parted in a snarl. ‘What the fuck do you mean they’re gone?’

‘Someone’s taken them away. All of them, from all locations.’

Anne’s blue eyes now blazed towards Nina. ‘What the hell did you do?’

Nina shrugged. ‘Surprise!’

CHAPTERFIFTY-FOUR

Anne lunged, a scream escaping her mouth. But instead of ducking away, Nina leaned in. Now this she would truly enjoy.

Anne’s claws sank into the base of Nina’s neck, cutting through the skin and drawing blood, then Anne pushed her – but Nina clutched Anne’s cocktail dress and tackled her to the ground.

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