Page 50 of His to Take

Two more left.

“She saved your life, and you were just going to kill her, you fucking bastard,” I spat at Jamie. He raised his gun and I dipped behind a desk, using it as cover as I listened to the sounds of his boots scraping against the tile floor.

“What do you care? She’s just a woman. Barely even a human to you men back in Pacifica,” he taunted.

He couldn’t have been more wrong, about me and about Pacifica.

Without a second thought, I sprang up and squeezed the trigger for a fifth time, shooting him right in the middle of his forehead. The shock was permanently etched into his eyes as he slumped to the side and crashed against a metal desk before landing in a heap on the floor.

“To think that she could have died saving you, you worthless motherfucker,” I growled.

Hurriedly, I rushed toward the door but couldn’t stop myself from spitting in his face before I left that room, shutting the scan locked door behind me.

I was silent as I made my way back to the reactor. Vince had Naomi in his grip, his forearm locked against her throat and the barrel of his handgun pressed firmly against her temple.

“Don’t,” I said boldly.

His wild eyes locked on mine.

“What did you do to the others, asshole?”

“They’re back there in the control room,” I said, using my thumb to point backwards over my shoulder.

“I thought I heard gunfire,” he said, suspicion all over his face.

“We had to shoot up the mainframe to cut the power,” I lied. I met Naomi’s gaze, taking a deep steadying breath. Her eyes were wide with fear, and I could tell that she was doing everything in her power to stay strong.

“On your knees, little girl,” I commanded, and she dropped to the floor instantly. Vince wasn’t ready for her sudden change in position, but I was.

I lifted the gun, aimed, and squeezed the trigger, shooting him point blank. Vince stared at me with disbelief before his eyes rolled back in his head. After a long tenuous moment, he finally collapsed to the floor. Naomi crawled forward, her face a mask of terror. She practically hurtled into my arms.

“Shhh… You’re safe. They’re all gone. No one is going to hurt you, not ever,” I assured her. Her arms closed tightly around my waist as if she didn’t want to let go. I didn’t make her; I was too busy holding her as close as possible.

“The control room?” she finally asked, her voice shaking.

“There never was one. I can power down the reactor from here,” I explained. I led her over to the reactor and slid open a panel. Carefully, I shielded her as I went through the steps to power down the reactor. When it was ready, I disconnected the whole thing and slipped it into my backpack along with the other solar cells I’d already collected.

“Let’s get out of here,” she suggested. She was trembling against me.

“That sounds like a great idea,” I agreed.

CHAPTER 12

Naomi

We’d taken a few minutes to rifle through the supplies the guards had kept back in the lodging area. Restocking our own packs as efficiently as possible, we made sure to take as much food and water as we could carry in addition to the important items we were bringing back from this place. It took a while for us to climb up out of the many levels of the underground labyrinth. Ryker had used the badge to shut several doors along the way, which would hopefully ensure that none of the guards could follow us if any of them happened to still be alive.

Once we emerged from the decaying building, we paused for a moment in the afternoon sunshine, just breathing in the fresh air. I was willing my heartbeat to return to normal after the massive adrenaline rush from our near-death experience.

“What now?” I asked.

Ryker stilled with his back to me. He’d just killed six men to save me. I couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling at thismoment. We’d accomplished the objective of our mission, but at a cost I’m sure he never expected to have to pay. Turning around to face me, I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed heavily. His eyes were soft, but somehow revealed the tumultuous nature of the thoughts he must be having. When he finally spoke, he didn’t sound like his usual self.

“You’re coming home to Pacifica with me,” he declared, his voice authoritarian.

For a moment, I just stared at him, not really taking him seriously. Slowly, I began to realize that he sincerely believed that was something he could just decide unilaterally. Like it was even a possibility.

“You can’t mean that. I have a life, a home, a career. I can’t just turn away from that,” I argued.

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