Page 64 of Elven Prince

“What the—”

“Do you want to live?” Maxwell roared in the gnome’s face. “Or would you prefer to stay here in the broken remains of your old life and die anyway? Those are your only options.”

Bruce stammered and struggled in Maxwell’s hold, clawing at the shifter’s fist around his shirt in a failed effort to free himself.

The struggle didn’t last long before the gnome gave up with a massive sigh and dropped his hands to both sides. As he dangled in Maxwell’s grip, the truth of his situation finally seemed to sink in. “No. I don’t want to die.”

The shifter cocked an ear toward him. “What was that?”

“I want to live!”

“Good answer.” Maxwell lowered the gnome to the ground, then stepped back with another growl to give him space. “If you wish to leave on your feet, I suggest you start moving now.”

“Fine, fine.” Bruce lifted both hands in concession and let out a massive sigh. “Just please,pleaselet me pack up a few things first. I’ve got too many prototypes and sensitive material tucked away in here. The culmination of my best work! Let me get them together first and take them with me.”

Maxwell bared his teeth. “Will those keep you alive better than we will?”

“Probably not…” Bruce squeaked. “But they won’t do you and your people any good if I just leave them here, will they? And if we’re all facing the same asshole who wants to take us all down for the count, I promise you don’t want my work falling intotheirhands instead of yours.”

Maxwell looked like he was about to sweep the gnome off his feet again and chuck him through the non-existent front door just to get this over with. But he reined in his impulses and turned to Rebecca instead.

The gnome had a point. He was, after all, their only surviving business contact, and his work might eventually help them once Shade made more headway against their most dangerous foe to date.

She nodded.

Maxwell hissed in irritation before barking at the gnome, “Two minutes! After that, I will carry you off the premises myself if need be.”

“Fair enough.” Bruce scrambling off across his home to collect his most important belongings.

Rebecca summoned a new reserve of patience as best she could, though it probably wouldn’t last long. Most likely, she could hold her frustration in check longer than two minutes, but something told her Maxwell’s fuse was much shorter tonight.

And with good reason.

His team had been through a hell of a surprise mission that had blown up in their faces. At least they’d be going home with something to show for it. A single rescued contact. Just one among dozens.

But even once they returned to Headquarters and set Bruce up in the compound’s most secure area, the night still wasn’t over.

There was so much more to do, and every new item added to Rebecca’s checklist tonight was top priority.

Maxwell glanced at his watch, then thundered across the house. “Ten seconds!”

“Yeah, yeah, okay! I get it. Just hold your panties on!”

The heavy, sliding shuffle in a struggling rhythm preceded the gnome’s appearance at the front of the house, where his rescuers turned chaperones waited for him. Somehow, the gnome possessed enough strength to push an enormous storage tote across the floor in front of him, which looked and sounded at least four times his own body weight.

He stopped when he reached the destroyed front room of his bungalow, where the remains of the team’s last-minute barricade remained. Then he looked up at Rebecca and Maxwell with a sigh and dusted off his hands. “All right then. You guys are leaving now, right?”

“And we’re taking you with us,” Rebecca replied.

“Yeah, about that…” The gnome thrust both hands onto his hips and defiantly lifted his chin again. “I’ve changed my mind, actually. Idon’tthink I’ll go with you. Thanks for all the help or whatever. If that’s what you wanna call it. But I’ve gone over my options, and I’d prefer to take my chances with something a little different. Have fun without me.”

“Not an option.” Maxwell stalked toward the gnome, then bent to grab the edges of the storage tote.

“Hey, you listen to me, shifter!” Bruce wagged a finger in Maxwell’s face. “You don’townme, and you sure as hell can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do.”

Growling again with his hands clamped around the edges of the tote, Maxwell looked up where he’d bent over and met the gnome’s gaze. “Wanna bet?”

Bruce’s face drained of color, his mouth popped open, but the words he wanted seemed to have gotten stuck in his throat.

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