Page 10 of Kiss the Dawn
I want to see the layout of the room, so I nudge him out the way and take his place at the gap. Not much of the room is visible, just the back end where there are old crates piled up. Shay has his back to us, and three more guys are huddled around the table holding hands of cards.
Wait…that makes four at the table. Where’s the fifth?
The door flies open, and a man with bright red hair and a too wide mouth points a blade at us. “Boo.”
Edwin draws me back and steps in front of me. “Back off.”
“Not bad,” Shay says, his back still to us. “I tied those ropes tight, and you still got out. I’m impressed.” He sets his cards down and turns on his stool to look at us. “But what was your plan next? You have no weapons, and you’re outnumbered. How did you expect to get away? Unless…” He lets out a bark of laughter. “You were waiting for Orina to arrive so you could fight us together. I like your optimism.” His expression sobers. “But it’s misplaced. There is no getting away from this situation. Once she walks through those doors,” he says, indicating the main exit across the room, “she’ll be trapped in here with us.” A stone appears in his hand, glinting red in the lamplight. “I have her blood. Well, the blood of her bloodline, which is enough for a holding spell. Once she’s inside, she’ll be powerless to leave unless I break the spell.” He turns back to his cards. “Take them back to the storage room and tie them up.”
“Or we could simply kill them,” dagger boy says. “We don’t need them. Not really. You said yourself, she’s too much of a do-gooder not to come for them.”
“I told you I don’t want the hassle of cleanup,” Shay says with a sigh.
“I’ll do it,” dagger boy says, his attention on us with wicked intention.
“Fine. Do it,” Shay says without looking our way, as if we’re nothing.
“Yes!” Dagger boy moves toward us, and I launch myself at the red-headed bastard, thumbs aimed for his eyes.
Pain grips my head in a vise, and I drop to my knees, screaming in agony.
“Stop!” Edwin yells, and then he simply yells, his pain echoing mine.
Laughter erupts around us.
I want to curse at them, but my throat is otherwise occupied with screaming, and I can’t see. I can’t fucking see, but I feel the hand in my hair as dagger boy grabs a fistful and yanks my head back. I want to fight, but pain holds me immobile. The cold pinch ofsteel kisses my throat, and terror starbursts in my chest. I’m about to die.
Icy wind hits my back, and the splinter of wood drowns out the laughter.
The pain stops as if someone has flipped a switch.
My sight returns in time to see Crush step through the busted doorway, three hulking figures at his back. “Hello, Shay,” he says in his gruff, growly voice. “I think you and I are due a chat.”
Edwin grabs my arm and hauls me out of the room just as all hell breaks loose.
Chapter 4
ORINA
Iwasn’t hungry, but I ate because my body needed fuel and my brain needed a distraction. The meal passed quickly, and we were still an hour and a half away from the meetup time with Shay.
“Can we all stay here tonight?” Merry asked as we gathered the paper plates and plastic cutlery.
“There’s only one bed,” Holly pointed out.
“There’s a camping store open down the street,” Merry said.
“We don’t have the van to go get it all.”
The van which Padma and Edwin had taken and was probably still parked up somewhere near Succulent Delights. Shit.
“I’ll need a sleeping bag,” Lorenzo said.
“You’re stayinghere?” Hemlock asked.
“I was planning to, yes.” He looked at me. “I can take the sofa.”
“I think it would be good if everyone stayed tonight,” Hemlock said, then to Holly and Merry, “I’ll drive you two to the store.” He leaned in and dropped a kiss on my head before heading for the door. Nonchalant and natural as if he’d been doing it all his life, but I froze, and then my heart began to pound.
