Page 7 of Taming Seraphine

“Don’t activate anything until you see us approaching the car,” I mutter.

“Us?” he asks.

“Later.”

Pulling my mask over my face, I turn to the girl, who shrinks away and points at the screen. Frustration wells in my chest, but I keep the impatience out of my voice. “You can tell me who that man is on the road.”

Her trembling fingers meet mine for an instant before her knees buckle. I scoop her into my arms, snatch the backpack containing the information needed to free my cousin, Roman, and sprint across the basement.

In a few minutes, Miko will detonate a bomb at the other side of the property, and all hell will break loose.

TWO

SERAPHINE

My arm shifts, setting off an explosion of pain that forces my eyes open. The man races through the house, clutching me like the spoils of war, passing tall windows I’ve never seen in all the years this place has been my prison.

Each of his rapid movements aggravates my bruises from whatever havoc the twins wracked on my body after they shot me with the tranquilizer gun. The man told me they were dead, but the enemy of my enemy has always been a fickle friend. My limbs are still too sluggish, too heavy from the effects of the drugs to break free, so I’ll let him take me… For now.

Outside, a blast of fresh air hits my nostrils, lingering with the coppery tang of blood that always coats my sinuses. The morning sun bathes the mansion’s exterior in pale light, but even that makes my eyes sting. I squeeze my eyes shut, my mind too foggy to remember the last time they let me out to kill. Or at all.

My head pounds with each footfall that hits the gravel, making me shudder.

I’m finally getting to leave the basement, but what about Gabriel?

If what the man said about killing Dad and the twins was true, then who’s going to take care of my brother? Without my missions to pay for his upkeep, the people holding him will either put a bullet through his head or leave him to rot.

“Now, Miko,” the man says, his sharp voice cutting through my thoughts.

A heartbeat later, the air fills with an ear-shattering boom. I flinch, and the man picks up speed.

Gunshots ring through the air, accelerating my frantic pulse. My eyes snap open to find him racing us through a row of trees with a canopy so overgrown and thick that they block out the morning light.

Even though gunfire echoes from far away, it’s only a matter of time before Dad’s guards realize what’s happening and track us to this side of the grounds.

I turn my head in the direction the man is headed, finding an armored truck with its side door open. It’s the kind of vehicle used for collecting cash from banks. Inside is a red-haired boy about my age who stares at us through wide eyes.

His gaze locks on mine. “Who’s that?—”

“Get in front and drive,” the man growls.

Another explosion sounds from the direction of the mansion. The man shoves me into the truck and I land on its cold metal floor. Before I can take in my surroundings, the door slams shut, and the vehicle lurches forward. I roll across the floor and bash my head against something hard.

“Shit,” the man says as I’m dragged into unconsciousness.

* * *

The drone of male voices pulls me back to awareness. I lie on my side atop a smooth surface, my nostrils filled with the mingled scents of metal and polished wood.

Warm hands pull my hair off the back of my neck, making me stiffen. The touch is pleasant, seeming to chase away my darkest thoughts, even though the drugs have left me with a blistering migraine, made worse by hitting my head.

I crack open an eye and take in the sight of a wooden bench surrounded by guns hanging on pegboards. Strangely, there’s a sack of cat litter on the floor.

Playing dead, I tune into their conversation. The man who pulled me out of the basement is called Leroi. Next to him is Miko, the red-haired boy from the van. From the way he talks, he knows a hell of a lot about computers and remote devices. Their gazes are so fixed on my collar that they haven’t even noticed I’m awake.

“So, where did you find her?” Miko asks.

“Can you disable the collar or not?” Leroi snaps.

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