Page 93 of Tabitha

I expect him to kiss me, but he just presses his forehead against mine. “I’m not a good man, not like the others. I’ve killed too many people over the years, each one taking a little piece of my soul until I had nothing left.

“Then I met you. It’s like you are the missing pieces I lost over the years.” He releases my neck, caressing my face like I’m something beyond precious. “You make me feel alive. You feed my soul and give me hope that the darkness living inside me won’t consume me completely.”

My heart feels so full that it actually hurts.

I slap my hand over his mouth to stop him from talking. “I don’t do emotions. I don’t like feeling them or talking about them.” I barely repress a shudder, then I sigh when he continues to look up at me with his heart in his eyes, and my stomach does that weird flutter again. “I’ll say this just once, and I’ll deny it if you ever bring it up again, but…I’m falling in love with you. I shouldn’t—I know better—but you are irresistible. It’s like you were created just for me.

“But I’m warning you. If I claim you, there is no going back.” I search his eyes, my heart pounding too hard and much too fast. “If I take this leap of faith and you aren’t there to catch me, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and end you.”

His mouth moves under my hand…kissing my palm.

I hesitantly pull away, not sure I want to know his answer. I’m terrified that it might already be too late. I’m not sure I can let him go, even if he changes his mind. I lift my hand, ready to slap it over his mouth again, and he quickly grabs my wrist.

“I won’t let you fall.” His gaze is steady, his smile growing. “You are my heart. Without you, I am nothing but a shadow. Giving you up is like asking me to stop breathing—it’s impossible.”

“Fine, but we have to go.” I scowl as I work on freeing him from the chair. “The guys are distracting the others, but we have to get topside and end this now.”

When River is free, I haul him to his feet, wincing when he struggles to remain upright. “You’re in no condition to fight,” I murmur, practically wringing my hands that I’m unable to magically fix him. I shove the knife in the back of my waistband, then carry the gun in my other hand, ready to defend us if needed.

I refuse to allow anything more to happen to him.

Not on my watch.

As we enter the tunnel, I manage two turns before I sense we’re heading the wrong way—especially when we stumble upon a room that is packed full of over a dozen wired barrels.

Explosives, to be more precise.

And if the timer counting down is any indication, we only have twenty minutes to get topside and clear the area before the whole mountainside comes down on top of us.

Easy peasy.

River curses, his grip squeezing my waist so hard that I struggle to get enough air. “Can you defuse it?”

I open my mouth, then close it, studying the barrels, noting the different timers and ignition switches. I scan dozens of schematics in my head and come to one conclusion.

We’re fucked.

“No. If I touch one, it could trigger the others.” I grab his arm and pull him out of the passageway and hustle us in the other direction. It’s not long before the dirt turns into a familiar cement tunnel. Once we reach the end, we’re prevented from going farther by a massive steel door. I prop River against the wall, then open the panel next to the door, breathing out a sigh of relief when I see the keypad.

I quickly punch in the code Banks used, then nearly sag when the door clicks open. I struggle to push and shove River up the narrow steps, but he seems to be more interested in making sure I get out first.

We sneak past an open door, and I spot the girl from the café, the one who interrupted my date with Banks. She looks skinnier, slightly strung out, a light set of bruises decorating almost every inch of her exposed skin. Though I’m not surprised to learn she and the others are here against their will, I’m still slightly horrified.

Our eyes lock, and I halt at her fierce scowl, my conscience niggling at me. I can’t just leave them to die. They’re fighting back in their own way. They deserve a chance at freedom. When River tries to pull me along, I grab the doorframe and call out to her. “You need to call the cops. Get—”

“Banks owns the cops.” She rolls her eyes, crossing her arms with a huff. “They’ve either beaten them, blackmailed them, or killed them to get them out of the way before putting their own people in the department.”

I cut through all the bullshit and hatred and get right to the point. “There is a massive bomb under the house that’s set to explode in about twelve minutes.”

The woman snaps to attention at my words, her severe expression sharpening at the possibility of escape.

“I need you to gather the rest of the women and get out.” A couple more of the girls in the room gather closer, some so painfully young that I battle the impulse to castrate all men. I grit my teeth and push forward. “My men are creating a distraction. We’re going after Banks and his men. Use that time to get to town. Get everyone to shelter and don’t come out until it’s safe.”

I don’t get a chance to say more before River drags me down the hall. The closer we get to the door, the louder the sounds of battle. Therat-a-tat-tatof gunfire in the distance has me increasing my steps until I’m practically dragging River along.

I swear, if my men get themselves killed, I’ll bring them back just so I can murder them myself.

Chapter Twenty-nine

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