Suddenly, Wreck grabs Logan from behind, pulls him off and delivers a violent knee under his chin. Logan falls unconscious onto his back. Wreck adds several brutal kicks to his head for good measure. I sit up, gazing at them, my thoughts still cloudy.
“Damn it, Kris,” I sigh, wiping blood from my lips. “He was mine.”
“Sorry,” Wreck says sheepishly. “I couldn’t help myself.”
He motions me to follow him. I scramble to my feet, feeling frustrated that Wreck interrupted my fight.
Maxine, Tanya and the group of racers wait for us outside. I look around anxiously, but still see no guards.
“You and Tanya should take them to the trucks,” Wreck says to Maxine. He turns to face me, grinning. “Let’s go pay my uncle a visit.”
I return his smile.
CHAPTER 40
The guards are still busy subduing the fire, so we don’t run into anybody on our way back to the mansion. I feel nervous, remembering the night I tried to free Amy. The thought is sickening. The skin on my neck begins to crawl. I’m worried that I may lose Wreck tonight. He’s Prince Christopher and needed to liberate the servants so I might fulfill my destiny. I have to make sure he returns to the village safe and sound. So for the rest of the night at least, I’m his bodyguard.
It’s dark inside the mansion, but the hall is filled with Samuel’s servants. The explosion must have woke everybody. We push through the crowd of startled house maids and cleaners, my eyes searching for the girl with scars on her face. I don’t see her anywhere. Nobody tries to stop us. I wonder what’s going on inside Wreck’s head. How must it feel to come back to the place where you grew up and was once happy and loved? How must it feel to return to the very place where your parents and sisters were brutally killed?
Four armed guards descend the staircase, heading toward the door. They don’t notice us right away. Wreck charges into the closest one, punching him in the head and reaching for his gun. I freeze for a moment, my thoughts racing, then hurl myself toward the guard nearest to me. I stick my knife deeply into his chest. His legs give and he collapses, pressing a hand against his wound. I hear a gunshot as something hits me in the stomach. The force knocks me onto my back, with the full realization that I’ve been shot. I see no blood, so the vest must have stopped the bullet. The people out in the hall begin to scream and run outside in a panic. I scramble to my feet, looking around in confusion. Three guards now lie motionless on the floor. I know I killed one of them. Wreck is wrestling with a fourth guard. He’s on his back and the guy is trying to point the gun at his head. Yelling, I rush toward them, grabbing the guard by the hair and jerking his head back. I cut his throat. Wreck pushes him off and rises to his feet, breathing hard, wiping blood off his face. I stagger back, my head spinning. I feel like I’m going to faint.
Pull yourself together, I tell myself. You did the right thing. You can’t let anybody hurt Kris. You must protect him.
I exhale slowly, forcing away my dizziness.
We collect the guns from the deceased, and ascend the staircase to the second floor. Wreck takes the lead, checking each room along the way. A group of frightened house maids run past. Wreck kicks the last door and we hear gunshots. He instantly returns fire, running into the room. I follow, stepping over two guards he’s just killed. It all feels surreal. Samuel now stands in front of us holding a gun, a crazed look in his eyes. Wreck shoots his gun hand. Samuel groans as his weapon drops to the floor. Wreck moves in, grabs his shirt and slams him against a wall. Samuel doesn’t even appear to be trying to resist. Wreck punches him in the face, knocking him down, and sits on top of him. I remain in the doorway, watching in case more guards arrive.
“Remember the boy you tried to kill six years ago?” Wreck asks, sneering, staring into Samuel’s eyes. “Well, that kid grew up.”
“No, please,” Samuel utters, holding up his bleeding hand.
Wreck smashes his head into the floor. He takes Samuel’s knife from his waistband and places the blade to his uncle’s face.
“Right after I finish killing you, I’m going to pay a visit to your beloved wife and daughter,” he whispers into his uncle’s ear. “I’ll show them the same mercy as you did my family. You can be sure they will suffer before they die.”
He laughs, smashing his uncle’s head against the floor once more. He presses the blade deeper into Samuel’s chin, causing a nasty cut. I have a flashback of Gabriel threatening me with his knife, and the memory makes me shiver.
“No, please don’t hurt my family,” Samuel winces. “They’re innocent. They don’t have anything to do with the past.”
“I don’t give a damn. I’m gonna have a lot of fun with them tonight. You can know that.”
Samuel shakes his head, begging Wreck to spare his family. Grinning, Wreck stabs him in the stomach and slowly twists the blade. His uncle
