“What are you hoping to achieve here?” I tried again. My gaze remained firm as I waited for him to answer. Apparently safe passage was one of his aims, but surely he didn’t expect to get on to that ship.
“Your father underestimated you.” Accusation carried his voice to me, filling me with a moment of pride that my dad being a piece of shit hadn’t let me down. “He has no loyalty.”
A derisive exhale burst out before I said, “You think?” Amusement lifted my words. “Yet you chose to get in bed with him.” I gave the barest shake of my head. “It was clear you were smart, kept low and out of Thatch’s path for so long, yet here you are….”
Narrowed eyes shot my way. “Here I am?”
The question was there, intended or not. “Brent’s killing the bastard as we speak. Not quite sure what Brent’s next move will be, but I don’t think it will be to carry on with his plan to support this clusterfuck.”
My finger begged to twitch. It would, but it wasn’t quite time.
Finally a real reaction he couldn’t hide as my words settled over him. The tension in his jaw set off dipped brows, where two lines formed between them. With a shift of his body as he became rigid, there was a widening of space between him and my niece. Barely two inches, but it would help.
A car’s roaring engine made itself known. The reaction from Lentwood was all I needed. Whoever the occupants of the SUV were, Lentwood wasn’t expecting them. A shadow, a flicker of uncertainty, was the prelude to “Seventeen” passing my lips, and my shot ringing out in almost perfect sync with Lucas’s.
Before the number passed my lips, the round in the chamber already surging to life, my hand was out, reaching for Lucinda. The moment the bullet hit Lentwood square between the eyes, just as his eyes returned to me and away from the direction of the unannounced engine, my grip on Lucinda tightened and I hauled her to safety. I angled around, putting her out of harm’s way as my gun held steady. The metal in his brain would incapacitate but not kill. As far as I was concerned, it was time to call in Durrant.
Thatch.
The squeal of tires and his following shout pierced the air. I needed to get to him. A sniff had me finally glancing away from the two forms slumped over in the helicopter. Lucinda’s head was buried against my chest as she clung to me like a koala. Shudders wracked her body. My heart lurched, understanding her fear. I felt it all too closely. When I’d first spotted her next to Lentwood, I hadn’t had the time for anything beyond reacting and neutralizing the situation. Now, with her terror pulsing through her, the reality of how close I’d come to losing her too had me lowering my gun, tucking it away, and folding her into my arms.
I breathed her in, hushed her as best as I could before finally risking a glance at Lucas. The human pilot was dead, and Lentwood cuffed. It would take a while before he woke. Though, after today’s events as well as the years of torture he’d committed and lives he’d taken, I wasn’t sure if he’d ever be given the opportunity.
“You go. I’ll call this in.” Lucas placed a finger to his ear to direct Kent before saying, “Comms are down.” A sneer followed before he pulled out his phone to call Kent. Worry edged into my gut that somehow these guys had been savvy enough to cut our communication. That was my cue. With a pounding heart, I turned and took the steps needed to get off the roof. To get to Thatch. Comms down was not good.
With still no idea of what I’d find on the lower levels or what had taken place, I loosened one hand from my niece and rearmed myself. Through the door and heading down the steps, I paused at the heavy pounding of footsteps.
“Let me the fuck go. I need to get to that damn roof.” An “oomph” and a heavy thud followed Thatch’s growled words.
“Christ, calm down. I heard at least a couple of shots.” This voice I vaguely recognised. “The chopper hasn’t started back up either.”
Thatch’s growl erupted. I reacted to the sound by charging down the steps and dashing across the hallway. There was no way I could call out and make my presence known, not until I had eyes on the situation and had made sure Lucinda was safe.
The growling stopped, no doubt at the sound of my descent.
“Callen.” It seemed Thatch had no such concerns. A grin pulled across my mouth. It meant he was safe.
Down the last flight of stairs I went. My gaze fell on Thatch, whose eyes were already locked in my direction. Relief surged through me, caressing every inch of my skin, my limbs, my heart. He was safe. Then my eyes narrowed on the hands gripping him—one on his bicep, the other on his chest.
The growl tore from my throat, feral and instinctive. Immediately, the blond released him, his hands pulling up in the air, his gesture placating. The grin on his face though would have given me pause if it wasn’t for the surprise and concern flickered in Thatch’s gaze when his eyes landed on my niece. They roamed a moment before landing on me. I offered a reassuring smile and slight nod, trying to let him know she was okay.
The barest of moments later, heat pressed against me.
Air filled my lungs as I also inhaled Thatch’s sent. He was safe, and holding on to both me and Lucinda, his face pressed against my neck. The closeness, the touch, the complete sense of rightness flowed through me, relaxing my muscles, and in response, Lucinda’s soft sobs calmed, her shuddering abating.
Thatch leaned back. He spared me
