Page 70 of Bottoms
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, holding Mike’s gun in my palm. “But you can switch me. I have more rounds.”
His large hand came to wrap around the boon I offered.
“Colten, get her out of here.” Fynn’s voice echoed through me as soon as the gun's weight left my hand.
I screamed as a band of an arm wrapped around my waist. Hauling me back as Fynn slipped through the door. I fought against Colten’s hold, but he stood emotionlessly in place.
“Colten, let me go,” I growled, digging my nails into the skin of his arm. “I will never forgive you if you don’t let me go.”
“I know,” he sighed. Looking down at me with regret in his eyes. But I could see he had already accepted my hate. “We have to make sure you're safe.”
I stopped struggling, understanding that Colten was beyond his breaking point regarding my safety. They were all reliving their worst nightmare yet again.
“Nik, please,” I begged, switching my focus. “Tanner needs all the help he can get. We need to do this together and end it tonight.”
“Amira’s security team is all over the building,” Colten said to Nik before he could respond.
Nik looked momentarily torn. I watched his eyes harden and my heart sank.
“You still know this house like the back of your hand?” Nik asked, laughing nervously as he looked at Colten.
“Unfortunately,” Colten sighed, keeping his iron grip around me. “I need you to listen very carefully, Nessa,” he started, his tone cold. “There are a lot of men in this house with guns aimed at our heads, and we do not have enough bullets to take them all down. Now I can either knock you out and carry you out of here over my shoulder, or you can walk.”
“What about the others? I can’t leave them, Colten,” I said, feeling a ball of dread settle into my chest.
“They’ll find their way back to you if they can. Nothing but death will keep any of us away from you, Nessa,” Nik said, stepping into my line of sight.
“Right now, they have to focus on getting back to you, and they can’t do that if they are worried about you,” Colten said.
The ball of dread in my chest must have spread out of me to cover the entire room. Colten and Nik didn’t think Tanner or Fynn would be coming back. My head hung, letting the shadows of fear and worry swallow me. Until I realized they felt exactly like the deep abyss. I shoved all my emotions down into the bottomless pit.
I tipped my head back up, my mind cold and focused.
“I said we’re not leaving them.”
His arms loosened around me, but he didn’t let me go. I turned in his embrace, looking into his dark eyes as I pushed his glasses back in place.
“Either we all make it, or I don’t make it,” I said firmly.
“So, we aren’t escaping?” Nik asked, causing me to break my gaze with Colten's dark eyes.
I had been talking to the darkest part of Colten, begging it to recognize us as the same. Even if I physically walked out of here alive, I would shatter completely if they weren’t all with me. I looked at Nik’s soft blue eyes, realizing I was grateful he didn’t have a dark shadow on his heart. Nik would always be my warm summer day.
“We’re going to save the others’ asses,” Colten said.
I turned back to him with a soft smile, mouthing, “Thank you.”
“It’s about time I settled who was the better killer,” Colten said with a playful smirk. The confidence and the dark looked good on him.
“I like this version of you,” I said, getting up on the tips of my toes to plant a kiss on his lips. “Now, let’s go before they get themselves killed.”
“Let me lead. I know my way around. Mr. Ryland would have headed straight for his office,” Colten said.
Nik and I nodded, letting Colten take the lead. He opened the door slowly, leading with his gun to check both sides of the hallway before slipping through. He motioned for us to go next. I followed Colten, and Nik took up the rear. We moved quietly down the halls, ducking into rooms as uniformed men with guns ran past.
Whoever Amira was, she had some serious security.
“How did you get in with all these guards?” I asked when we were hiding out in a room again.
