Page 51 of To Keep

“We had heat on our tail. We didn’t want to lead them to Skye.”

“Well, they’ve got her,” Galen said. He had to pause to keep his emotions in check. “I don’t know if she’s dead or alive.”

The way Petrov went overboard to kidnap her, sacrificing so many men, he’d smoke her the second he got his hands on her. Why keep her alive and risk losing her? The logical part of his brain said it was over, walk away. But his heart wouldn’t let go. She had to be alive, and if she was, he’d find her.

“We’ll meet and come up with a plan,” Kensington said.

“No, I’m tracking her cell. There’s no time.”

“You need backup. And Viko wants the girl safe. Send me the address.”

He could have used backup when all this was going down, but he couldn’t change what happened at this point. Galen shared the location on his phone, then dropped the cell onto the center console. He held the wheel with both hands, bringing the car past double the speed limit.

The ping stopped in the factory district on the edge of the city. It was desolate, no signs of civilization at this hour. He brought his car to a crawl, the headlights off and the windows opened as he scoured the area, listening for the slightest noise out of the ordinary.

He didn’t know if he was being watched, tracked, or hunted—and he didn’t care. If he was walking into a trap, he’d go down guns blazing. Right now, his only thought was saving Skye, getting her to safety.

His mind wandered. He imagined stupid things like what their kids would look like. Would they have flaming red hair like their mother? They’d never know what it felt like to be tossed and forgotten. Their kids would only know love.

Galen’s train of thought left him feeling empty. What could he offer Skye? A life of running? She deserved the white picket fence. Peace and security. Everything he’d dreamt for as a kid on the streets. After he saved her, he should push her away, force her to make a good life for herself. Any man would be better than him. But they’d never love her more.

Before he could spiral deeper into self-pity, he noticed the brief glow of a flashlight up ahead. He stopped the car and carefully stepped out, trying to be as quiet as possible. His body was strapped with a shitload of firepower. He reached across the passenger seat and slung the full auto over his shoulder.

As he jogged up along the sides of the buildings, keeping off the main road, the fucking cell went off, giving away his location and the element of surprise.

He cursed as he answered it. “What?”

“Don’t come looking for me,” Skye said. “It’s a trap!”

Immediately there were the sounds of a struggle on the line.

“Skye?Skye!”

“Naughty little girl. She didn’t manage to keep to the script. Very disappointing.”

That voice. He knew exactly who had his woman.

Galen began to run. When he got closer to the old factory where he’d seen the light, he slowed down. He held a handgun at his side. The dim lighting inside the next factory made it easy to see inside the broken-out windows. There were men inside. Assassins.

What game was this asshole playing?

He was tempted to throw a grenade inside when he spotted her. Skye was sitting in a wooden chair, her hands tied behind her back. She was surrounded. Without Slash and Kensington he was only one man against a dozen.

Galen took a breath and walked through the front doors. If they put so much effort into getting him there, he hoped they’d keep him and release Skye. She was innocent and had no part in any of this drama. He was a lot more valuable.

“Took you long enough,” Viko said.

He threw up his arms, a gun still in one hand. “Wasn’t expecting to be betrayed by my own boss.”

Viko chuckled. Every time he took a step one of his crew matched him, ensuring he was covered from every angle. Viko raised a hand to stop them.

“She’s valuable,” Viko said. “I’m going to use her as a bargaining chip.”

“No!” he said. “You’re not selling her to Petrov.”

“Who said anything about selling her?”

Galen made eye contact with Skye. She didn’t appear as scared as he expected, more likesorry. She had nothing to be sorry about. He’d fucked up, not her.

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