Page 61 of A Forbidden Love (Fraser Crime Syndicate 3)

CHAPTER17

Ryan

Itake Aurelia to bed, and I fall asleep wrapped up in her. I never sleep heavily, my years in the army conditioning me not to, so as soon as I hear something out of the ordinary, my senses become alert. My eyes pop open and I’m greeted by the darkness of the room. For a moment, I just lie there, trying to discover what disturbed me. The alarm clock’s illuminated face on the bedside table reads 12:02 AM. We’ve been asleep maybe an hour, maybe a little less. Aurelia’s breathing is even and shallow, telling me she is in a deep sleep.

I’m considering the fact nothing is wrong when I hear it again. It’s not a loud noise. It’s not even one I can pinpoint its origin, but it isn’t normal. I’ve gotten used to the sounds of the apartment: the steady rumble of the air conditioning, the sound of the wind hitting the windows, and the other sounds that are loud in the silence of the night. This is out of place.

I don’t want to scare Aurelia, but I’d also rather be safe than sorry. Gently, I shake her shoulders, murmuring her name. She stirs instantly, and although I can’t see her eyes open, I know they are. “Ryan?”

I clamp my hand over her mouth, stopping any more words from spilling out. I need her to be quiet because I don’t think we’re alone.

She jolts under my hand. I can sense her panic, so I quickly say, “Someone is here.”

She senses the danger, or she must, because when I pull my hand free, she doesn’t say anything. I climb out of the bed, quickly pulling on a pair of sweatpants I dropped on the floor before we went to sleep. She grabs for her own tee, fumbling in the dark to find it. She doesn’t ask questions, which I’m grateful for. It allows me to focus on pulling my gun from under my pillow.

“Hide,” I tell her.

I go to the door and carefully open it. I reach out with every sense I have, trying to pinpoint where the threat is coming from. On light feet, I move into the living area. Careful to hug the wall, I keep myself covered and out of the line of fire as I peer through into the room.

It’s lighter in here, the floor-to-ceiling windows letting in light from the city below. Against the backdrop of high-rises, I can see two silhouettes at the balcony door. I don’t even want to know how they managed to get on there, but it’s clear they are trying to break in. I hear the front door squeak open. I’m going to have to deal with them first, before giving my attention to the attackers on the balcony.

My gun has a silencer. Firearms are not legal in the UK and getting caught with one carries a hefty prison sentence. I use a silencer to ensure any time I have to fire, the neighbours aren’t going to be on the phone to the police.

I want to take a shot, but in the shitty light, it’s likely I’ll miss and alert them to my position. Instead, I force myself to be patient as the two men move closer to where I’m standing. As soon as they cross into the slither of light streaming through the windows, I raise my gun and aim. I pull the trigger. I hit the first fucker in the chest, I think. He goes down anyway.

The second man is quick to react. He drops to the floor before I can get my shot off. He disappears behind the couch, and in the dark it’s hard to see where he is. The men at the door are pushing it open. I fire in their direction, hitting the glass of the door. It shatters, the noise of it loud in the silence. I fire off another shot, but my aim is interrupted by a body throwing itself at me. I barely have time to react before I’m slammed back against the wall behind me. I can see a little of my attacker’s face, but not enough to put a name to him. I don’t need to see him. I know who he is. One of Charlotte’s minions. They are here for Aurelia, something I will not allow. I will tear every single one of these men down before I let them touch her.

I drive my fist into the man’s gut. I’m not able to put as much force behind it as I would like, because of the way he’s holding me against the wall, but it’s enough to make him jolt back.

I grab him by the throat, squeezing as hard as I can while I slam my fist over and over into his stomach. He gets a couple of hits in, making my head snap to the side with the force of his fist. There’s blood in my mouth, the copper tang of it coating my tongue.

I ignore the way my brain feels rattled as he connects with my temple. He’s got a lead fist. It feels like being hit with a block of cement. I don’t pay that any attention. My only focus is on keeping these bastards from reaching the room down the hall, the room where Aurelia is waiting for me.

The other two men approach. “You good?” he asks the man I’m grappling with.

“Yeah, get the girl.”

I recognise the voices. These are definitely Charlotte’s guards. That knowledge makes me fight harder. If they get hold of Aurelia, she will be forced to marry against her will, and I cannot allow that to happen. I made her a promise. But more than that. She is mine, and I will fight anyone who tries to take her from me.

I slam the fucker fighting me against the wall behind him, winding him momentarily. He gasps for air as I smash his head against the plaster.

Aurelia’s scream distracts me, allowing my attacker to slug me in the jaw. The force of it nearly drives me to my knees. Aurelia’s distress makes my gut churn. The need to protect her burns through me. I’ll do whatever it takes to stop them taking her out of the apartment. Even if it means giving up my own life. I promised I’d take care of her, and that’s what I intend to do.

With a renewed vigour, I fight harder than I’ve ever fought. My fists fly, and I slam him over and over against the wall, using any advantage I can find. Eventually, I crack his head hard enough against the wall that his legs give in, and he slumps onto the floor.

Ignoring the taste of blood in my mouth, and the pain radiating through my face, I stagger into the bedroom and find Aurelia pressed down on the bed. The lights are on, no need to be stealthy any longer, and the scene in front of me makes my blood run cold. She is trying to fight them, but one of the men has a knee in her back as he tries to bind her wrists. The other man is holding the back of her neck, keeping her face pushed down into the mattress. She thrashes and screams, trying to get herself free, but she is no match for these men.

Fuelled mostly by anger at seeing them hurt her like this, I attack in a frenzy. I’m hardly aware of what I’m doing as I grab the first man, dragging him off her. They both come at me, but I’m fighting for our survival right now, and that makes me bold.

One of the men has a knife in his hand. The light glints off the metal, making my eyes focus on it. I draw on all my training, all the things I have learned over the years, all the skills I have, to fight them both. In a blur of motion, I take hits to my side, even as I throw punches of my own. The guy with the knife is my main focus. I manage to grab his wrist, and I squeeze the bone so hard I’m sure it must feel like it’s shattering. I manage to get the weapon from him and slam it into his neck. Blood pours, spraying over my face and hands. I don’t pay any heed. Instead, I turn to my other attacker. I have no idea what Aurelia is doing, I can’t think about her in this moment. Instead, I slam my knife into the man’s abdomen. Then I twist it. He gargles, blood bubbling on his lips. He tries to pull it out, but I twist it further, making him gasp. Then he slides to his knees, the blade leaving his body.

“Ryan…”

At the sound of her voice, I turn to her. The T-shirt she was wearing for bed is ripped at the neckline, revealing part of her shoulder. Her cheek is red, as if they hit her to subdue her. I can see the fear in her eyes, the terror as she stares at me. I know I’m covered in blood, and while I never wanted her to see me this way, I don’t regret my actions.

I don’t think. I grab her hand and I pull her out of the room, stepping over the body of the man I stabbed. The other man I attacked is starting to rouse. We need to get out of here, now. I need her safe. Keeping her tucked against my side, we move through the apartment and to the front door. The other men I attacked are starting to stir as well. It’s only a matter of time before we are attacked again, and I’m not sure I’m in shape enough to defend us this time. My side is a ball of pain, and my vision feels heavy.

Even so, I stagger towards the door, my arms wrapped around her so tightly they would have to fight me to get her out of my grip. I get the door unlocked and we’re out into the corridor. We move quickly to the lift, and I stab the button to call it down. My stomach churns, knowing they could come out of the apartment at any moment and try to take her from me. It’s a relief when the doors slide open, and we step inside. I pump the button for the penthouse suite, grateful that my fingerprint is still on record from when Zeke lived here. The doors slide closed just as two men start to emerge from the apartment.

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