Page 86 of Lust
The bike sped toward the plant. Another engine roared in the distance, perhaps on the other side. Above the warehouse, beneath the light of a cloud-covered moon, two figures encroached upon the soldier who’d fired at Joe. They dispatched the guard together and then faced each other, both in an attack-ready stance. One big Deadly Seven warrior, and one smaller Sinner. They launched at each other. The chink of clashing metal echoed across the night.
They weren’t his problem. Joe ducked and dashed for the warehouse where he’d heard Liza’s scream.
28
The agonyin Liza’s hands radiated through her body. Why, Daisy? She rolled into a fetal position, cradling her hands. Her tormented head spun, but she’d handled pain before. They’d trained by smashing shins and knuckles into hardwood trees. They’d hung suspended from nooses to toughen their necks. They’d smashed their hands against stone walls to condition for pain.
She blinked with understanding.
Her hands were tougher than her mind led her to believe. Taking a breath through her nose, she steeled herself and forced her fingers to uncurl, wincing at the scraping of agony radiating up her arms. Her fingers had moved. Good. They weren’t broken. The kevlar-type fabric of the gloves perhaps had saved her. Pushing the tip of her tongue against the gag, she used her damaged fingers to tug it out, gasping with relief when the mask tumbled to the ground.
Another few calming breaths and she used her teeth to tug the fingertips of her gloves, inching them off until her hands were bare. She held her trembling fingers before her face. They were red, sore, but in one piece. Already tingling as they healed.
A single gunshot fired outside. Something had a guard spooked. Probably her family. If they were here, then shit was about to get messy. Multiple gunshots went off behind the cooler door, and then it went silent. What was Daisy thinking? Whose side was she on?
If there were gunshots in there, Daisy had attacked.
Sounds of battle increased. She was running out of time. Her only weapons were the shuriken still attached to her belt, but she had no hand power to remove them by force. She’d have to use other parts of her body then, feet, head, elbows. Poison.
Liza jogged to the refrigerator door but heard wails coming from deeper in the plant. People were injured.
“Liza.”
She turned, eyes wide. Joe darted in and out of machinery to get to her. Dressed in tactical attire, he had his firearm at the ready, and eyes stuck on her. Her stomach flipped at the sight of him.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed. “Goddammit. It’s dangerous.”
“Don’t fucking ask me to leave,” he replied.
She ground her teeth, part furious that he’d risked himself, part ecstatic that he loved her enough to find her. She kissed him quickly, but then pulled back with a wince.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Daisy crushed my hands.” She held them up. “But I’m good.”
Crashes, bangs, and gunfire reverberated through the building.
“Your family is here,” Joe explained.
Liza looked at the cooler door. Whether Daisy was on their side, or she’d escaped, Liza had to take care of the replicate tanks. And Julius. That fucker won’t see her coming.
She moved. Joe followed, but she stopped him.
“I’m coming with you,” he insisted.
She pointed toward the other room where she’d heard the pained groans. “Remember those sketches of pregnant women and people in pain? I need you to check in there.”
His brows lifted. “You want me to go through the room with meat hooks dangling body bags?”
“Yes. I’m going to the cooler. There are replicate tanks in there. And Julius with armed guards. Please, Joe. Save the people.”
“You’re hurt.”
She forced herself to flex her fingers and kept the wince from her eyes. “I’m good.”
He gave one last lingering look and then dashed away. Her love for him rushed to the surface as she watched him go. He was a good man. Whatever happened next, she was happy that she’d had the chance to love him.
Hardening her resolve, she shouldered the cooler door open. What she found made her stomach revolt. The replicate tanks had burst. Water, slime, and bodies were on the floor. Some replicates twitched and convulsed. Some were still. Some climbed onto all fours, testing the mobility of their limbs, about to get up.
