Page 154 of Wicked and Claimed

“Nash.” A whisper behind him. Tiptoed steps in his direction.

He spun to find Karliah and pointed at the keypad. “Combination?”

She shrugged. “There’s a connecting door through labor and delivery.”

He remembered now. “On it. Watch my six.”

With a nod, she followed.

“Location?” Ethan’s voice cracked through his earpiece.

“Medical wing. The doctor has Haisley trapped inside.”

“Mila is heading that way. We’re in pursuit, but she’s surrounded by guards. She’s armed, and she’s pissed off.”

Not the news he wanted. “ETA?”

“We’ll be there in two.”

Goddamn it, he feared this battle would be over before then. And if he and Karliah couldn’t reach Haisley in time…

He refused to think the worst.

Ethan went on. “Feds are rounding up all the buyers and are getting the women from tonight’s auction to safety.”

Good. “And Gray?”

“Dead. I double-tapped that son of a bitch in the head and planted another one in his black heart just for fun. He felt Kaylee up before he ‘sold’ her to me, so I took care of him. Personally.”

Ethan was a good-timing, beer-drinking manwhore who loved pranks and had a snarky sense of humor. But Nash had always known his roommate was lethal—not a man smart people crossed if they wanted to live.

“Good. One less armed pervert to contend with.” Nash swiped blood and sweat from his face as he reached the next door. Unlocked, thank god.

In case the hinges squeaked, he eased it open. He couldn’t give away their approach, but he didn’t hear Haisley anymore. That unnerved him.

Dread twisting his gut, he crept into the labor and delivery room, crossed the dark room dominated by three empty beds with blank monitors and empty incubators beside them. Women gave birth here, probably before they had their newborns ripped from their arms forever.

His fury climbed another ten notches. Every one of these fucking monsters deserved to die. And for threatening his woman, he’d be more than happy to start with the doctor first.

“Back up, or I’ll shoot you.”

Haisley. Nash nearly sagged in relief to hear her trembling voice again.

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he caught a glimpse of her through the observation window, wearing a flimsy blue shift, torn in the scuffle, and a narrow-eyed glare of determination.

His training screamed at him to act, to protect, to eliminate the threat. But one wrong move, one misplaced shot through this maze of medical equipment and thick glass, and he could get Haisley killed. The doctor was using her as a shield too effectively.

His fingers tightened on his weapon as Dr. Haynes advanced with the syringe.

“You won’t shoot me.” Dr. Haynes’s eyes held a desperate gleam as she took another step closer to Haisley. “You don’t have it in you.”

Haisley’s hands trembled on the GLOCK. Nash saw the war in her eyes between survival and the weight of taking a life. He’d been there. That moment before your first kill changed you forever. He wanted to spare her that burden, but he couldn’t fucking reach her in time.

“Stay back!” Haisley shouted, her voice trembling even as her hands remained steady.

“One little stick, and this will all be over. Black Velvet just wants what’s hers.”

“Fuck you both. I’m not property.”

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