I stared into her eyes, filled with fright. Could she see me? Did she recognize my eyes through the ski mask?
I wanted to tell her to trust me, but I couldn’t. Her fear is what made it believable to everyone who watched us.
I couldn’t risk Ariella fighting me. I needed to demand Hazel to come with me too. It was the only way to save them. Hopefully, Ariella would understand and forgive me when she saw it was me beneath the mask.
I tossed her over my shoulder and grabbed Hazel’s arm, thrusting her up onto her feet.
“Let me go!” Ariella shrieked. She was strong for her tiny frame, her fists landing blow after blow at my lower back. Truthfully, it didn’t hurt. The vest did a decent job of shielding me from her assault. Had she discovered who was beneath the mask?
I needed to sound convincing. I had to get us past the other armed men. “Shut it, or I put a bullet in both of your heads!”
Hazel was the least of all to fight me. Her body limp, but my grip on her arm made sure that she didn’t slip from my grasp.
I stalked with them back the way we came, past the hostages, including two men on my right in suits, legs spread out, seated on the floor. Our eyes locked.Franco Ivanov.
I whisked the girls past the throes of people.
“Where are you taking them?” another male voice answered. He stood twenty feet away, masked and armed.
“Put me down,” Ariella grunted. She continued to pound against my back, but her motions felt less forceful. Was it for show, or had she felt defeated?
“For some filthy fun. I thought I’d teach them each a lesson for disobeying us.” Bile rose to my throat. I wanted to vomit.
The masked man scoffed and turned on his heel, not entirely interested in me or my plans.
I carried them down the hall, turned, and shoved Hazel into Mason’s arms.
Mason held up a finger to his lips to be quiet. He grabbed Hazel’s hand and whisked her down the corridor, out the direction we came in.
“I won’t let you!” Ariella continued to fight me. With her head bent down, she’d failed to see Mason helping Hazel. “Fight him!” she shouted to Hazel.
I kept my pace, falling behind Mason and Hazel as they jogged down the hall for the entrance that we’d come in from.
I wanted to tell Ariella that it was me, but I couldn’t risk anyone discovering us. What if another masked man caught up with us, or worse, Jayden had freed himself?