Page 103 of The Curse Defiers

“No! I came after you!” He watched the limo drive away and then looked down at my torn collar. His eyes hardened as he clenched his fists at his sides. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

His gaze drifted to my still red arms. “You don’t look fine. Why did you run after them? What happened?”

“I’mfine, and I got some answers.” My voice quivered on the last word, and I started to break apart, but I pushed down my panic. “She said they have him.”

“You actually talked to her? What else did she say?”

I tried to step around him, but he blocked my path. “I’m not telling you a goddamned thing. How doesthatfeel?” I shouted, shoving his chest with the heels of my hands, the phone she gave me still in my grip. “Now get out of my way.”

He stood his ground. “Why’d she let you go?”

I gritted my teeth, anger surging through my veins. I latched onto it because I couldn’t let myself think of the worst-case scenario. “Get out of my way, Collin.Now. I have to find David.”

He studied me for several seconds before stepping to the side. I took off sprinting, but he easily fell in step beside me. “We have to stick together, Ellie. You need to tell me what you found out.”

I shook my head, worried that I’d burst into tears if I tried talking. There was little chance that David was still in that building—after all, she’d flat out told me that he wasn’t—but I had to make sure before I let myself accept it.

I skidded to a halt in front of the glass door to the front office, grunting in frustration when the door wouldn’t open for me. Out of breath, I leaned over my legs and sucked in lungfuls of air, willing myself not to cry. “I have to get into this damned building.” But when I scanned the street for something that would break the glass, I came up empty.

Collin had stopped next to me, but he took off down the road and rounded the corner while I continued to futilely pull on the door. David surely had a jack in the back of his car, but he had the keys. I pounded my fists on the glass in frustration.

“You’ve got quite the temper, but I don’t think that’s going to get it open,” Collin called out. He came back into sight with a crowbar in his hand. “This will come in handy all the way around. Step back.”

I took several steps away and he swung the steel rod at the door without any hesitation, creating a hole that fractured the entire pane but left the glass in the frame. Several quick taps knocked the shards to the floor.

As far as I knew, Collin never carried weapons—other than the crowbar currently in his hand—but I wasn’t about to go in there unarmed. Not after Saturday night. I grabbed the bar out of his hand and strode toward David’s car as I shoved the phone I held into my pocket.

“Ellie. What are you doing?” he called after me.

I swung the bar into the driver-side window, but it bounced off.

“Ellie! Now’s not the time to have a fit.”

Ignoring him, I jerked the bar back and swung it two more times before the glass in the window shattered and fell onto the seat. I tossed the crowbar onto the pavement in front of Collin. While he bent down to retrieve it, I reached into the car and popped the trunk.

“Ellie.”

I stomped around the back of the car and lifted the lid, then pulled out the sword.

“What the fuck is that and what do you think you’re going to do with it?” Collin asked as we headed back to the office, a hard edge in his voice.

My gaze hardened. “Protecting myself.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed with that thing.”

“Thisthingsaved my life two nights ago, so I’ll take my chances.”

He looked doubtful but kept his opinion to himself as he ducked under the door handle, the only barrier to the now gaping doorway. “We don’t have long, so let’s hurry.”

I followed, after glancing down the street to make sure no one had noticed us, even though it was too late for that. Luckily, the area was completely deserted. I only hoped no one in the flooring showroom was watching.

We stood in the small foyer, the keypad on the secured door mocking us. “Will your crowbar get us through that door too?” I asked, some of my anger fading.

“Why? Eager to try your new toy?” he asked with a sneer.

“Shut the fuck up, Collin.” I was ready to kick someone’s ass and if Collin wanted to volunteer for the position, more power to him.

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