Page 85 of F*ck Steal Kill

“Holland would never forgive me for that. We go together or not at all.”

I sucked in a breath, biting through the pain. I wasn’t in good shape, but if it was push through or let him keep torturing me, then I knew what I had to do.

“I can do it. Um, we need something to tie around my leg.”

“Right. Here, let me untie you. I don’t know how much time we have until they return, so we gotta be fast.”

“Rip part of my shirt off to use as a bandage, and use my belt to stop the blood flow before you pull the knife,” I advised.

Joy did as I instructed, giving me something else to focus on. She untied my feet, but the ones on my hands were too tight, and we’d need the knife to cut them loose.

Once she had all the parts in place, I counted off for her to pull the knife free. “One, two… Ahhh,” I yelled, biting my tongue to stop the noise as she pressed the cloth against the wound and tied the strand she’d torn off in quick succession. Joy was all business as she moved, cutting my hands free a second later.

Tingles spread through my limbs as blood rushed to them. With the knife in one hand, she helped me stand, my legs wobbling as I pressed down on them. It didn’t help that I’d been sitting in one position for who knew how long.

Hobbling along, I pushed through the pins and needles as they ran up my leg and followed her to the door. She gave me a look like she was asking if this was what I really wanted to do, and I nodded.

I knew it was a risk, and we’d likely be shot if found, but I couldn’t take the chance of being here any longer. I would rather die on my feet running than be strapped to a chair as a madman tortured me.

“It’s go time, Max-a-million.”

Taking a deep breath, I swallowed the scream that wanted to escape and followed Joy into the dark hallway, praying I’d see the people I loved again. I’d even let Quentin wrap me in bubble wrap if it meant I got to be with them.

I just had to make it back. I had to.

CHAPTER 29

HOLLAND

Watching Quentin fall apart made my own panic subside, and the baller part of me took control. I could do this. I could be the strength we both needed.

Lacey was just as freaked out, guilt radiating off her. I knew there must have been nothing she could’ve done, but until we had Joy back, she wouldn’t be able to hear it.

A calm sense of control washed over me, pushing the fear and panic to the back. My mind whirled as I put together a plan. This was what I was good at. My big brain could sort through information quickly, and I used that to my advantage as I listed all the areas of crisis we currently had.

First, we needed to tend to Lukas.

Pulling out my phone, I sent a message to Phantasm, letting him know what had happened with Joy and Max and asking him to send a doctor to our location. There was a whole network of people who worked off the books, and he knew how to get a hold of them.

“Lace and Ava, keep pressure on the wound. The doc’s on their way. Do you need someone to trade out places with you, Lace?”

“No. I got this.” She made eye contact, letting me know she meant it. I watched as she took a deep breath, taking comfort in my calm, no-nonsense demeanor. Kissing her head, I walked over to the men.

Quentin was trashing the other room, and I’d need to deal with him, but first, I had to get Grady out of his shell shock. He was just as pale as Lukas, and I didn’t think he’d been shot. Using my hands to ensure none of the blood was his, I sighed in relief when there weren’t any wounds. He kept staring at the kid on the bed and the blood, and I had to guess he was having a flashback.

This probably wasn’t the best way to get him out of his head, but I didn’t have time to question myself.

Slapping his cheek, I watched as his glazed eyes returned online, his shocked expression fading as he noticed me.

“Snap out of it. The doc’s on his way. You need to call in the extra team. Get over your rivalry with them and do it. Call the big boss, too. We need all hands on deck, Grady. They have two of ours; we’re not going in silent this time. You got that?”

He swallowed, nodding as color returned to his cheeks. It seemed that once he had direction, he knew what to do. Grady pulled out his phone and immediately called someone, pacing in the corner while he spoke to them.

The knock at the door had us all freezing, but I figured it was the doctor, so I rushed over and checked, sighing when I spotted the familiar signal on their hand—an O with an X over it. It looked simple enough that no one questioned it, but it gave us all a way to identify we were allies.

“We’re having such good weather,” I said when I opened the door, the last test before I’d let them in.

“Much better than last week. Clear skies tomorrow, too,” they replied.

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