Page 60 of The Bookseller and the Alpha
I was ready to leave. Only thirty minutes now until the deadline. I would drive myself to the stated location. The journal was securely tucked under my shirt on a sturdy spell-warded chain. The chain was long enough that when I shifted it wouldn’t choke me. Even as I folded myself into the driver’s seat of my car, Sam tried to dissuade me from going alone. “Boss, we can have a sniper on the roof of the building opposite. To give you some back up if things go wrong.”
“No. If they spot the sniper, they’ll shoot Caly. I won’t take any chances with her safety.” I’d already spoken to Bas and he green-lighted my plan. A journal in exchange for my mate’s life. It’s a trade he would make in my shoes. We could deal with the consequences later. Nothing mattered except my mate’s safety. I would make sure she was safe and out of harm’s way before I handed over the journal. Chances were, they would try to kill me once I handed over the journal. I knew it. Bas knew it. His solemn nod when he signed off our holo call told me that he understood. If I didn’t make it back, he and Elie would take care of Caly.
My best chance was that they would underestimate what I was capable of when I was motivated. I bared my teeth ina savage grin. And I was very motivated. I’d never been more motivated in my life.
I tested our bond, feeling Caly’s shields. I didn’t like it when she closed the mental door between us, but now I was fucking ecstatic that she wouldn’t be able to feel my emotions. I didn’t want her to know what I was planning. But I wanted her to know that I was coming for her. And despite her shields, I could still send her a message, like slipping a note under her door.
Hold on sweetheart. I’m coming.
Chapter 71
Calypso
Hold on sweetheart. I’m coming.
Luc’s message whispered down the bond, curling around me and warming my heart but at the same time it prompted a stab of anxiety in my stomach. Don’t come, I wanted to tell him. I don’t want you to die for me. But he wouldn’t listen. I was out of time. The only thing I could do to keep him safe was to get out of here before he arrived.
Magic was buzzing under my skin and my anger was like lava in my chest. Burning me from the inside. It burned away the cold and I was no longer shaking. The glow on my skin lit up the small space, showing me an industrial size fridge, empty except for me. Another pulse of anger under my breastbone lifted all the hairs on my arms.
I’d filled myself to the brim with power and now I had to let it out. The classic Witch move was to use your arms and push the magic away from your body. But I was still restrained, and I didn’t have the finesse to break my bonds.
Time to improvise and hope I didn’t kill myself.
I lifted to my feet, facing the metal door.
I opened my mouth.
And I screamed.
I used my voice to funnel my rage, to channel my magic. Like an erupting volcano, I let everything out. All of it. I pushed it out from my body, and there was only one way it could go. Towards the hinges on my prison.
I heard the groan of tortured metal as the door bent, then crumpled. Then a boom, as the door flew off the frame. Bright light blinded me and I heard more booms as all four walls and the roof of the fridge slammed outwards. Shocked, I gulped a breath, stopping my scream. There was a thud, a grunt, and then a series of louder thumps as the various pieces of the fridge came to a sudden stop against hard surfaces.
Wow. Okay. I did have power. A lot of power. Blinking furiously against the sudden brightness, I stood like a deer in the headlights,like an idiot, for a couple of seconds. The sudden change from being a magical conduit to nothing was disorienting to say the least. Then my brain kicked in. I needed to move in case there was a guard in here or one about to rush in to find out what all the noise was.
The shock from the sudden cessation of magic flowing through my body coupled with the body aches from being stuck in a fridge left me unsteady so when I tried to duck and roll, all I achieved was a couple of stumbling steps before I tripped over my own feet and hurtled towards the floor.
I put out my arms automatically to break my fall. Which was when I found that my hands were free. The ties that had bound me didn’t survive the blast of power that I threw into the room. Well, that was a bonus.
From my position on the floor, a little groggy, I took in the state of the room. Bare concrete walls and floor. My eyes adjusted to the light, which was just a bare bulb in the middle of the ceiling. No windows. One door in the wall to my right. Chances were, I was in a basement.
I couldn’t see a guard. Would they have left a guard down here if they’d already locked me in a fridge?
I flicked my gaze around the rest of the room. Oh. Ew. So, yeah, there was a guard here. Emphasis onwas. The crumpled fridge door was partially embedded in the opposite wall, a pair of legs sticking out from underneath it. A large sharp-looking shard of timber was half buried in one of the legs and a large pool of blood had already formed on the floor. The legs weren’t moving. I didn’t think anyone could survive… that.
I wasn’t sorry, but for a second, I thought I might puke. I swallowed hard, pushing the nausea down. It was a quick death and he was a kidnapper. A terrorist. It was the least he deserved.
Silence settled around me and the dead guy across the room. The basement was quiet except for the sound of my own breathing. No running feet. No shouting.Get up. Get up.Get out before Luc gets here.
Staggering to my feet I headed for the door in the side wall. The handle turned easily under my hand and I pulled the door open to see a set of stairs leading up. Only way to go was up.
Chapter 72
Luc
The address given to me was in a seedy part of the city. There were still a few businesses operating, but abandoned factories and warehouses occupied by squatters or gangs were more common. The building I was directed to was in better condition than many: walls and floors intact, with security cameras and a new strong door. Whoever was in charge had spent a bit of money on this setup. And the fact they’d let me see their base of operations confirmed my worst suspicions. There was no way they would let me go after I handed over the journal.
My instructions were to park the car out front and come inside alone. Unarmed. For Caly, I had followed the instructions to the letter. But I wouldn’t give them what they want until she was safe. I turned off the engine, sitting in the silence, readying myself. I knew it would come to this. From the moment I received their ransom note. I knew. And I accepted it. If I could gain Caly’s freedom, even if it cost my life, then I’d been a good mate.
