Page 74 of Trust in the Fallen

“Your guess is as good as mine. But I hope not.”

His eyes widen in surprise. “You don’t want them to?”

“I don’t want them to get hurt,” I correct him.

He watches me for long moments, almost like he’s seeing me for the first time. Every breath burns more than the last, and stars dance in my vision. The blood loss must be getting to me, but I can’t afford to pass out again, not when I’m here alone with Jason, and I might be able to see or hear something useful.

“Do you think they’ll come?” I ask. The silence is excruciating, and it makes it impossible for me to stay conscious. I need to keep him talking if I want to stay awake.

He nods. “I don’t know why they would bother, but I think they’re dumb enough to come for you.” He stands from his seat and approaches me.

As soon as his fingers wrap around my chin, nausea rolls over me. The thought of his touch would be enough to make me want to throw up the tiny breakfast my mother allowed me to have this morning, but the actual act is that much more revolting.

“I’m curious, Leighton. Did your whore pussy like having two men dote over it? You’ve always been hard to please so I’m curious to know if two cocks was enough to do it for you.”

I glare up at him, unable to do anything to escape him. “You never tried pleasing me. You only cared about getting your dick wet, you never cared if I came or not.”

His eyes flare with anger, and before I can think to flinch away, his fist hits my cheek so hard the chair rocks on two legs.

I try to keep it upright, knowing the landing will hurt like hell, but it’s to no avail. I crash to the freezing cold concrete. My shoulder jars painfully, and I can’t swallow the scream that claws its way up my throat. The impact takes my breath away, but it’s the kick that lands right in the stab wound that makes darkness fall across my vision.

I fight for consciousness. Fight through the agony. But after the third kick, I can’t handle it anymore, and I succumb to the stars in my vision.

The last thing I see as I drift into the darkness is Wyatt’s blue eyes and one of Elias’s rare smiles. The ones I could have grown old looking at and still dream of every night.

CHAPTERSIXTY-FOUR

ELIAS

The car ride feels longer than any fucking trip across the bridge I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve lived in the city my entire life.

Bishop sits in the driver’s seat while Wyatt and Kovu are in the car behind us. Crew is running point from the compound because we’re all too aware of the fact this is probably a trap, and we can’t take every member of the Legion with us.

Kaos went on ahead on his bike and will travel the last mile on foot to cause a distraction.

We went over the plan so many times there should be no possible way anything could go wrong. But you don’t work in this industry for as long as I have and not know shit almost never goes to plan, but the stakes have never felt quite so high before.

Bishop parks the car a few blocks from the warehouse and waits for Kovu to bring the car behind us to a stop.

We climb from the cars and meet between them, but none of us rush to say anything. We have a fair idea of the radius the police commissioner has set up, with cops no less, to keep his daughter captive, but the Legion’s guys got into position a little over an hour ago, so there’s a chance things have changed.

“You ready for this?” Kovu smiles. He looks like a kid in a candy store, and that’s exactly what this will be for him. He loves the kill. The blood. The devastation. He fucking lives for this shit. And usually we do, too. But not when Leighton is on the line. Not when we have no idea if she’s okay or not because even after nine hours, we still haven’t been able to get a visual on her past the grainy footage of them carrying her lifeless body into the warehouse.

The street we’re on is quiet, almost too quiet, but then this area always is on the weekends. The only work happening is normally criminal, and we know how to keep quiet so we don’t get caught.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” The words fall from my mouth before I can actually consider what they mean. Am I ready for what we might see when we get into that warehouse? They’ve had her for hours, more than enough time to hurt her, and it’s become abundantly clear they don’t care about keeping her alive.

Wyatt meets my eye and gives me a small nod. He’s been quiet since we left the church, and I don’t blame him. Generally, he feels things more deeply than I do, but the only exception to that rule is our angel.

When it comes to Leighton I feel just as deeply, I’m just as close to the edge, and if shit goes south, I’ll be just as broken.

I tug my gun from my waistband and check it’s loaded before shoving it back into place. My trigger finger is itching with the need to kill those who dared to take our angel from us.

In the distance a loud explosion sounds, and seconds later the ground beneath our feet rumbles. Looks like it’s go time.

Bishop shakes his head and lets out a sigh. “I didn’t give him enough explosives to make that much noise.”

Kovu smirks. “But I did.”

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