Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
The way he commanded it and the worry of what it implied scared me so much I whimpered. “I’d prefer to stand.”
“This isn’t about what you want.”
He shoved me backward, and because my hands were bound in front of me, I went down with nothing to break the fall except for his hands. He eased me down onto the mattress while I gasped and struggled. There was no time to recover, either. He stepped over me, putting a foot on either side of my hips, then dropped on top of me so I was trapped beneath his full weight.
I swung at him, but he grabbed the plastic tie and wrenched my hands above my head. It was easy for him.
“Don’t do this. If you fight, I’m going to win.”
It didn’t matter; I’d fight anyway. All the way until the very end. “You’ve already lost,” I spat out. “Your men brought me to you, instead of Laurel.”
At the sound of my sister’s name, one hand tightened painfully on my neck and his nostrils flared. He looked utterly furious as he glared down, the center of his pupils like black holes. My heart ground to a halt and ice flash-froze my body.
He looked like he wanted to murder me.
But he blinked and took a long, deep breath.
Then, another. Calm washed away his murderous expression, a few seconds at a time, until a slow, evil smile dawned across his lips. The hand around my neck loosened so it was no longer clenching but merely resting there. Less dangerous, but still threatening and possessive.
“Kara.” His voice scolded like I should know better. “My men weren’t supposed to bring me anyone else. They came for you.”
23
SHAWN
My muscles refused to respond. They’d solidified into stone when the hood had descended over Kara’s head. My brewery was burning. At least one of my employees was dead. I had nothing, no control. I was fucking powerless as the men dragged Kara stumbling away.
The nothingness receded. Blinding anger and fury flooded into the empty space where I welcomed it, using it to force myself back into action.
I bolted to Jason, who’d already drawn the Glock pistol usually concealed inside his suit. His hardened expression didn’t change when it focused on me. The years of law enforcement training must have kicked in, and he came to his feet, his gaze assessing the lawn for any potential threat.
“Are you going to just stand there?” I lashed out in German. Every second Kara was out of my sight . . .
My brother’s gaze found Markus. “Take L and get out of the city,” he ordered then slammed his mouth against his wife’s in a hurried kiss.
“Ich liebe dich,” she said. “Go!”
And finally, my brother strode toward the burning trucks and the hole between them that the gunman had dragged Kara through. He didn’t say a damn thing when I kept up with him step for step. There wasn’t time for it, anyway—
A rough, strong hand grabbed at the center of my shirt and yanked me to a stop. “This could be a fucking trap,” he barked. “Stay behind me.”
He released me with a shove that was so hard it almost sat me down in the grass, but I kept my footing. Because it was dangerous going through the opening. He leveled his gun at the center and stalked toward it, vanishing in the smoke.
No gunfire sounded.
“Clear,” he shouted.
It was blisteringly hot, and the smell of burning rubber choked me. The air was so thick I felt like I had to fight against it to move forward. There was no point keeping my eyes open. They were burning, and it was pitch black in the fog. I covered my mouth with a hand to quiet the desperate urge to cough, ducked my head, and barreled through. I came out the other side, my eyes watering and searching wildly for my brother.
There was a blur of movement heading for the parking lot. My brother’s plan was to get to his BMW as fast as possible, and I was going to have to fucking hurry or else I’d be left behind. Pavement gritted under my shoes as I skidded to a stop at the passenger door and jumped in.
Tires squealed as we flew backward out of the space and then launched forward, tearing for the main gate.
Up in the distance, two pairs of taillights streaked past the security booth. No one stopped them. The gate was wide open. One pair of lights swung right, quickly followed by the other as the gunmen left the brewery and sped off.
“Fucking drive!” I yelled over the roaring engine.
The SUV wasn’t as fast as my Audi. I wanted to lean over and slam my foot on top of his, but I suspected the pedal was already down as far as it would go. The taillights grew smaller as we neared the gate.