Page 80 of Martyr
“The Hell Hounds’ leader.” He sighs. “Don’t make me remember his name. I only recall the way he wheezed after his lungs were punctured.”
Ah, for fuck’s sake.
I grab Artemis when she’s mid-lunge. Her feet leave the floor, her weight suddenly fully in my grasp. Momentum carries her forward. Her fingers come within an inch of his face. Kadeshoves Gabriel back. I swing her around, too aware of the feel of her body on mine. She struggles against me. Her face reddens.
“Easy.” I put my hand on her face.
Why am I touching her face?
“Calm down.”
Her gaze darts to mine. “Calmdown? You must have learned better than to say that?—”
“We are in a precarious situation, and you freaking the fuck out will not help.” I band my free arm tighter around her, but my palm on her cheek is unbearably gentle. “So, yeah, calm down and deal with the emotions on the other side of this.”
“Go,” Jace says to Kade and Gabriel.
I keep Tem’s attention on me. I want her eyes. I want her focus.
I want her scowling, smiling, insulting…
We’ve been in this position before. Locked together. Angry.
Except this time, it’s not me who’s furious.
“He could’ve told us before,” she says. “We could’ve made a plan to get Malik out?—”
“Ifhe’s here,” I reason. “They could’ve brought him to the hospital. He doesn’t sound sure.”
Pain flashes across her face, and she finally goes still. She grasps my wrist and squeezes. “I just can’t watch anyone else…”
I shake my head fast. I’ve been dreaming a lot about blood lately… and I think it’s Elora’s. I think I’m beginning to remember pieces of her death. The agony of watching her die… No, I don’t want to live through something like that again. I care about everyone here, minus one torturing lunatic.
How would we survive another loss?
A gunshot cracks in the distance. We reflexively drop into crouches.
There’s another, followed by a shout. I eye my brother, who shifts ever so slightly in front of me. I can’t find it in me to be mad—he’s always had a protective streak.
The overhead lights flicker, then go out. We’re doused in darkness for a long moment, still and silent, before we click on our flashlights again. With a twist on the top, we switch them over to a red-light mode.
“Shit,” Jace mutters. “Okay, we’re splitting up. Saint and Reese, come with me. Apollo and Artemis, go back the way we came and clear us an exit in case things get dicey.”
We all nod, our faces barely visible in the collective red glow. I don’t particularly want to leave Artemis—a weird gut reaction—but she turns and follows her brother back the way we came, sticking to the wall and moving fast. She doesn’t look back.
Reese elbows me, and I adjust my grip on my weapon. There’s another volley of gunshots, these higher-pitched. A different caliber of gun, thepop-pop-popfamiliar and alarming at the same time.
I grimace. Reese opens the door for Jace and me. We move fast, and I take a little comfort in the idea that Reese has professional training. Not that I love the idea of him going to war, but he seems unbothered that we’re in the middle of another one.
We hurry down and pause on a landing that splits into the upper, VIP level of the club. Jace glances down it, frowning, then points to Reese.
I swallow when Reese moves silently down the hall on his own.
Jace points at me and then down the stairs.
Onward.
We descend into the belly of the club. Kade and Gabriel are probably ahead of us somewhere, but the club was made to holdshadows and secrets. Part of its charm, Tem would say. With the low strobe lights and wall sconces, the whole vibe is dark luxury.
