Page 48 of Her Last Hope
The roar of the power kicking back on rattled the room as the lights flickered and the music bleeped back.
Leandra turned to face Nick.
But he was gone.
Then the room went black again.
10
Nick twisted his wrists, the rope digging into his skin. He blinked his eyes open. The searing bright light sent his pounding headache into a full-on battle of the drums.
“You fucked with the wrong man.” A dark raspy voice pierced through the ringing in Nick’s ears.
Nick struggled to concentrate as a sticky liquid dripped over his eyes.
“I could say the same thing to you.” Nick’s vision slowly snapped into focus. He’d been tied to a chair, his arms behind his back, his ankles bound to the legs. To his right a large oak desk faced a window that overlooked a small patio that he recognized as an extension of the pool area.
So he was on the first floor, east of the pool, and a far distance to the gate where he’d entered the property.
He glanced to his left, and his heart dropped to his gut.
Leandra sat on the sofa, her hands and ankles bound and duct tape over her mouth.
“Motherfucker.” He snapped his head up to his captor. “You hurt her, and I’ll fucking kill you.” He cocked his head. “On second thought, I’m going to kill you anyway.”
The man laughed. “I don’t think so.” He waved his gun in Nick’s face, then pointed it at Leandra. “You stole my girls, so I’m thinking I should steal yours.”
Nick growled, twisting his wrists as hard as he could. The rope ripped at his skin, but he didn’t care. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.” He had to believe his brothers had gotten the girls to safety and were minutes away from crashing through a window. Or maybe a door. He looked up. Could be the roof.
But his brothers were out there, and they would help save his sorry ass.
Their father always told them that brothers shared a bond, one that could never be broken. He taught them to watch each other’s back. His father had been the smartest man Nick had ever known, and he and his brothers did their best to think just like him. Two days before he’d been killed in the line of duty, he’d gathered his sons and took them on a fishing trip, where they caught absolutely nothing but were reminded of the brotherhood they shared.
One for all and all for one.
Just one of the many Sarich family mottos.
“What? I’m supposed to be scared of some hired mercenary? No one is coming for you. Whoever you work for will write you off because what you just did is just as illegal as my operation.”
“Like I said, you have no idea who you’re dealing with.” Nick slowed his breathing, controlling his pulse, letting all his training kick in. He had to keep his emotions, his feelings, for Leandra out of his head, or they might not live to see his brothers’ plan.
Whatever that might be.
“Hollywood, right? That’s what you go by?”
Hollywood nodded as he sat down next to Leandra, his slimy fingers on her leg.
Nick twisted his wrists harder, the extra force allowing him to snag the end of the rope with the tips of his fingers. Leandra’s eyes shifted from Hollywood, then back to Nick.
“I bet this one has a pussy that tastes like the finest wine money can buy.” Hollywood ran his hand between her legs.
Leandra shifted her eyes again, but this time Nick realized she wasn’t looking at Hollywood, but at the window.
He stole a glance and cracked a smile when he saw the drone in the distance.
His brothers were close.
“You’re right about that,” Nick said, still tugging and twisting the rope. “But you’re never going to find out.”
