“As far as I was concerned, that was one too many dots to easily connect, and I wagered it would be something that would pop up on Nasa's all knowing tracking software. Hence, the distraction and the added bonus of you delivering my message. Is that everything he's got?”
Nasa held his arms up while Dillon made a big show of patting him down.
“That's it.”
“Good. Your turn, Duchess. Try anything, and I'll put a bullet through the back of Nasa's head.”
Dillon glared over Nasa's shoulder at Ghost, staring the guy down while she pulled her Colt out of her leggings, the gravity knife from between her breasts, two extra clips of ammo from another pocket at her low back, a ring on her index finger that Nasa hadn't realized was any sort of weapon, and the necklace from around her throat.
“Anything else?” Ghost chortled, like the fucker was actually impressed.
Dillon opened her mouth to answer, frowned, and then reached into her bra to pull out a yellow canister of pepper spray.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Nasa found himself on the verge of smiling to see everything she'd managed to conceal on her person.
She added the pepper spray to the pile, and firmly said, “Unless you want me to try and fit a hundred and eighty pounds of pissed-off dog in the sink, no, there's nothing else.”
“I'll accept your reassurance that she'll remain right where she is,” Ghost answered, and Dillon pointed to the floor without looking away from the maniac holding them at gunpoint.
With an unhappy grumble, Elka dropped to her belly. “Good enough. Just out of curiosity, have you ever utilized her training as an attack dog?”
Nasa watched Dillon give a slow, nasty little smile. “Recently, as it happens. Two strange, dirty guys who smelled like the ass end of a feral hog came to my home after you did, and I used Elka to help me take them down. She ripped one guy's throat out, and I shot the other one in the chest.”
Nasa hadn't wanted to advertise her involvement in killing two fully patched in Leviathans, but too late now. In the mirrors, Nasa saw Ghost narrow his eyes even as the corners of his mouth kicked up.
“Strange, I recently received an anonymous delivery. Two black leather cuts, one seriously bloodied and torn, the other one with a hole right through the charter logo on the front left side.”
“I'm sorry for your loss,” Dillon answered coldly. “After all that shit you did to get me to Austin, why send more guys to chase us down the highway in broad daylight, shooting at us the whole way?”
Ghost rolled his eyes lazily. “I assure you, that was not my idea. As I said, I was away, and my former second-in-command fell back on Wexler's bad habits.
"He regretted the decision to undertake that task on his own, and because of him, I've had to alter several plans that would have greatly benefited all of us. Unfortunately, my Leviathans aren't known for their patience or their intelligence.”
Nasa could attest to that.
“That's all the time I have for storytelling. It's time to go. Walk backward to me, Nasa.”
Dillon grabbed onto his cut with both hands before Nasa could take a step, holding on to keep him in place while glaring furiously at Ghost.
“If I don't get my man back alive and in one piece, I will spend the rest of my days working with Perdition to hunt you down. When we find you, I'll help them skin you alive.”
Even though she hadn't yet said the words back to him, Nasa felt the heat of her love like a fire in his soul. If he went down today, Nasa would die knowing he'd attained the ultimate reward.
Dillon's trust and the ferocity of her love.
Ghost gave a short bark of what might have been laughter. “Just for that, your man is going to cuff you to the grab bar in the handicap stall. Catch, Nasa.”
He twisted to snatch the pair of cuffs out of the air, feeling a lick of momentary relief to know Dillon would be out of shooting range inside the stall.
Unless Ghost had full metal jacketed rounds, the bullets wouldn't penetrate the stall doors. She'd be safe in there. Well, safer.
She glared up at him when Nasa nodded, crowding her back with his body to make her move. “It's okay. Just... don't sit on the toilet again.”
“Seriously?” Dillon hissed as he took her hand and cinched the cold metal around her wrist. It burned holes in his heart, worrying whether she might have a panic attack or regress to the moment of her trauma when she'd been slapped in cuffs and thrown into a dark pit of despair.
Right now, he couldn't allow the remorse he felt to stop him from doing whatever he had to.
“I'm sorry.” The clang of metal on metal made Dillon flinch, and if she got out of this without suffering anything fatal, Nasa planned to do some serious groveling.
There was no guarantee Ghost would stay true to his word. No promise Nasa would be able to come back up here and let Dillon out of the cuffs himself.
“This'll be over soon, I promise. I love you.”
He meant to comfort her, but if anything, it only angered her further. Her tiger eyes practically spat lava at him, but neither of them got the opportunity to speak because Ghost rapped the stall behind Nasa.
“Back off so I can see for myself the cuffs are tight.”
“There's not a chance in hell I'm giving you a direct line of sight.” Nasa snarled, turning to glare over his shoulder at Ghost, purposefully putting his hands on either side of the stall door. “I want her as far away from you as possible. I cinched them tight enough. She can't get out.”
“You expect me to take your word?” Ghost asked with a hint of incredulity.
“Not
