Page 189 of Devil's Bargain

His eyes flick between mine for a brief second before he cuts the chain with a grunt.

I shoot to my feet and fling myself in his arms. “Thank you for finding me!”

He holds me close. “We couldn’t have done it without Rick.”

The man in question wraps his arm around my shoulder to help steady me and says, “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

I limp as we make our way upstairs. It’s dark outside, and my haunted reflection stares back at me in the windows.

“How did you find me?” I ask Rick.

He sweeps his eyes over my face as if he needs to make sure I’m unharmed. Physically I am, but mentally…

“I turned my father’s study upside down for a clue of some kind. My mom helped. Turns out this house has been in the family for generations. My dad kept it a secret from my mom.”

“What’s going to happen to him?” I whisper, my stomach churning at the thought of him waking up.

“Dallas phoned the police.”

I flick my gaze up when Matt comes to a halt in front of me. His body stiffens, and he steps back, hiding me behind him.

“I didn’t know we were expecting guests?”

I peek around Matt’s shoulder.

Chapman is pointing a gun at Matt. “Friends of yours?” he asks, grinning at me.

I duck back behind Matt as panic seizes me.

“Drop the fucking gun, man!” Matt growls.

Chapman hums a disagreeing sound. “I can’t let you walk out with her.”

Ben growls and shoves past me. He takes up position in front of Matt, baseball bat in his hand. “Move!”

Chapman laughs. “Hasn’t anyone told you that you don’t bring a baseball bat to a gunfight?”

“The difference between you and me is that you’re shaking in your boots.”

The servant laughs as if this is all one big joke to him. “Attitude, I like that!”

“So do I!” a deep voice rings out behind us.

My heart lurches.

Baron has a gun. Blood trickles down his temple from where Ben whacked him with the bat. “Come here, princess!” he says, motioning with the gun for me to join him.

Dallas pulls a face. “I’m never calling Emily ‘princess’ again. He’s ruined it for me.”

Ben looks uncomfortable too.

“What are you doing, April?” Nina asks when I take tentative steps toward Baron. They’ve got guns. We don’t.

“You should leave. I want to stay.”

Nina stares at me disbelievingly. “You don’t mean that!”

I don’t.“I do. No one has to die here today.”

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