Page 25 of Promise of Hellfire

I didn’t have time to focus on the other men in the room and prayed that someone was covering me as I watched a person bleeding dart around the bar. My heart pounded in my chest and adrenaline coursed through my veins as I ducked behind a nearby table to get closer. I fired several shots when his head appeared several feet away above the dark wood. Bullets flew through the air and bottles shattered behind the bar from where I had missed my mark. Glass rained onto the floor, its sound adding to the chaos, but the bleeding man didn’t resurface.

One by one, the group of ten fell. Finally, the only sound filling the air was the heavy bass. “Can someone shut that shit off?” Paul asked as he surveyed the damage and ensured that the men laying on the floor were no longer breathing. He pushed against one of the bodies lying on the floor with the toe of his shoe. He pointed at Hunter and Rory. “Go upstairs and make sure it’s clear. Dominic, go check on your girl. Help get everyone outside to the van.”

Ignacio messed with the sound system and everything fell silent. A muffled shriek pierced the air, and I stood in shock for half a second before racing to the basement stairs, worried about what I would find.

Chapter fifteen

Rayne

AfterDominic’sorders,Ethanand I ghosted down the dark hallway, stopping in front of the door leading to the basement. Sweat beaded on my brow and I tapped my foot impatiently, trying to settle the anxiety threatening to overwhelm me again. In some ways, I wished Dominic would’ve given the task of picking locks to me. At least then I would have something to do with my hands and to preoccupy my thoughts. Instead, I stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to finish.

There were several factors that worked to our advantage. The first was the amount of organization that went into tonight’s plans. The second was that the music coming from the sound system would help to muffle any noise we made unlocking the cages downstairs.

Ethan worked quietly, finally pushing the door open after the final tumbler fell into place. He pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and turned it on before placing his palm on the small of my back. “Ready to do this?” he asked quietly.

A pop came from down the hallway and I nodded my head. It seemed like things were already escalating and we needed to hurry. As we descended the steps, the music from upstairs slowly faded and the scent of mildew and sickness clung to my nose.

After tonight, they would be free, I reminded myself.

At the bottom of the stairs, I found the light switch and pushed it up. One woman gasped and another began crying as the room was illuminated. “Shh, it’s okay,” I said as loudly as I dared. “Don’t be scared, it’s just me.”

The woman’s cries got louder as Ethan approached the metal bars, attempting to unlock the mechanism in front of him. A divot formed between his eyebrows and he bit his lip, concentrating on the task at hand. “Stop being a dumb bitch,” Lexi hissed as she struggled to stand, staggering backward on her feet. “I know them. They’re here to get us out.” The woman pressed a hand over her mouth, trying to muffle her cries. Her body shook with silent sobs that I hoped were from relief instead of fear.

“Ethan, do you have another lock pick?” I asked, knowing if the two of us were both working, this would go faster. Standing here staring made me feel useless.

“One sec,” he mumbled as the lock finally popped open. The woman inside pushed her body further against the wall, tears streaming down her face. He lifted his chin in her direction and tossed me something from his pocket. “Before you start on locks, see if you can convince her to trust us.”

Lexi rolled her eyes at him even though her cheeks were also wet. “Rayne, let me out first. I’ll handle everyone else while you work,” she said, clutching the bars in front of her.

I approached where she stood, her face pressed against the metal. “Good idea. We both know that I’m not an overly charismatic person to begin with.”

She chuckled at my statement through her tears as I got to work. “I know we never really got along, but thank you for coming back for me,” she whispered as I worked with the thin metal pieces in my hand.

I shook my head at her, unwilling to meet her eyes. We hadn’t always gotten along. Last summer, Lexi made Victoria’s life miserable when she began dating Rory. Add in substance abuse issues and a stint in rehab hosted by Oliver and our past was dicey. Despite everything, I would never wish her current fate on anyone. What was happening in this basement made me sick to my stomach.

The lock finally clicked into place and I looked up at her. “None of that matters to me now.” I swallowed the hard lump forming in my throat. “All that matters is you convincing the others to let us help. Oliver and Marie are outside, but we have to wait on the signal to head out.”

Lexi gave me a half-hearted smile as she limped across to the opened cage. “I’ll see what I can do.”

The next several minutes were filled with Ethan and me working on the locks while Lexi comforted the women inside. How she remained so composed considering the last several weeks, I wasn’t sure.

There were two cages that still needed to be unlocked when I heard a loud shriek from one of the women huddled together in the corner near the stairs. My skin crawled at the sound and I looked up. What I saw caused my breath to hitch in my chest.

Bennett, Ayers’ right-hand man, stood at the base of the stairs with a gun trained on Ethan. His gaze caught mine and his face split in two with a broad smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “Well, well. What do we have here?” he asked as he cocked the weapon. “You surely didn’t think that there weren’t cameras protecting the merchandise?”

Lexi’s eyes widened at his words, and the women surrounding her huddled closer together. Bennett’s attention returned to Ethan. “I’m not sure what any of you are hoping to accomplish here. Everyone in this building is replaceable.”

Fury flowed through me as I listened to his words. He obviously didn’t realize he was among the people in this building that could be replaced. There was no doubt in my mind that Ayers would get rid of him without a second thought. My fingers inched towards my thigh incrementally, hoping not to draw his attention.

Time slowed to a crawl, and I watched in slow motion as Lexi jumped toward the blond-haired man. The pistol in his hand went off filling the air with gunpowder as I drew the gun from the holster on my leg. The bullet struck Ethan’s shoulder, slamming him back against the metal bars behind him.

A silent scream caught in my throat, and white, cold adrenaline floated through my veins. Scarlet stained Ethan’s white shirt and he grunted in pain. I aimed my gun at Bennett as he jerked Lexi off his side and held her in front of him, using her as a shield.

“What are you going to do?” he sneered at me as his grip on Lexi tightened. His hand circled her throat and squeezed. “I doubt you even know how to use the gun you’re holding.”

I swallowed again, knowing that his words weren’t far from hitting the mark, yet I also knew that inaction at this moment would be devastating. There was no way I could lose Ethan. Not after everything we’d been through. Fresh tears streamed down Lexi’s cheeks and she gave me a silent nod even as her body shook from fear.

The last time I’d gone to the range to practice flashed before my eyes. The only thing keeping me grounded was the fact that even trying to make a body shot, I’d only been able to hit the paper target's thigh. At this moment, I wished I’d been able to ensure a headshot to free myself of the nightmare I was trapped in.

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