“Tried that. She’s not answering. Find her.” JRad didn’t pause whatever he was doing, but there was an edge to his tone that Liam didn’t care for.
He exchanged a worried glance with Ace before they bolted for the elevator and hit the button ten thousand times in a row. “Fuck this. Stairs.”
They turned together and slammed the stairwell door open before taking the stairs three at a time up to the fourth floor. They charged down the hall and nearly smashed through the door. Scanning the apartment, there was no sign of the women.
Aarav stood there, gun drawn, pointed directly at their faces. Now Liam knew how Cash had felt knowing the sniper had them in his sights and didn’t miss. Ever.
“What the fuck is wrong with you two? Do you have a death wish?” Aarav put his gun back in his holster.
Until there was a shriek from the direction of the bathroom. Liam bellowed, “Ruby!”
Then he sprinted for the bathroom. This time he did kick in the door. The frame splintered and the doorknob stuck, pinning it open as he propelled it into the drywall. All he could see was red.
Everywhere.
Splatters on the floor, the sink, the shower, and all over Ruby’s porcelain skin.
Jesus fucking Christ.
His heart shattered and hope vanished. Whatever foolish thoughts he’d been having downstairs evaporated as every nightmare he’d had came true before his eyes. He’d taken responsibility for Ruby and Ace, and yet he’d failed them both. He had never deserved them, couldn’t protect them, and now he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
Ruby gawkedat the door as Liam charged through it as if he was racing into hell to face the devil himself. She’d never been afraid of him, not because of his size or his need for control, but in that moment, she realized how terrifying it would be to be his enemy.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Ruby gasped as Sola instinctively stepped in front of her, brandishing a razor as an impromptu weapon.
Damn. Living with a bunch of assassins had its moments.
Kennedy put her hands up and started talking in her soothing doctor voice. “Calm down, Liam. It’s fine. It’s just dye. We were helping Ruby with her hair and the bottle exploded.”
Ruby looked down at herself and the mess and realized what had happened. He’d thought…
Oh shit.
“Yeah, totally fine. So sorry about your bathroom, though. I’m not sure this white stone or the grout will ever be the same.” Ruby offered a wan smile.
Then she nearly had a heart attack when Liam’s knees buckled. He sank to the floor and braced his hands on the sloppy tiles, his back heaving. Kennedy rushed to his side and so did Ace. “Breathe, buddy. You’re fine. It’s okay. Everything’s good. Ruby is safe.”
Stunned, Ruby started toweling herself off. She’d buy him a new one to replace the definitely ruined terrycloth. But before she could kiss the shit out of him for caring so much, she was stopped in her tracks by Ace. He looked up and met her stare. “JRad needs you. The drive. It’s on.”
“Fuck nuggets!” She grabbed her phone and saw she had seventeen missed texts. She put her hand on Liam’s shoulder and squeezed before running out the door, Sola and Aarav right on her ass. “Sorry, Liam. Sorry!”
The whole ride down to the command center, all she could think of was the damage she’d unintentionally done. She groaned, feeling queasy. “Did you see the look on his face?”
“Not one I’d like to remember.” Sola rubbed her temple. “That’s gonna sting for a while.”
Aarav tried to help. “It’s not easy, what we do, and especially not when our loved ones are involved. He’ll come around.”
“I don’t know about that.” Ruby kept replaying Liam crashing to the bathroom floor over and over until the elevator doors opened and she had to concentrate on other things.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Lucas stared as she burst into the command center and flew to her seat.
JRad did a double take when he looked at her too. “You okay?”
“Unfortunate hair dye accident. Liam, though, he might not make it.” She clicked on the files JRad had already queued up for her and got to work. “He thought someone had offed me.”
“Oh fuck.” JRad groaned. “He was coming around, too.”
“You think?” Ruby wished she could sort it out, but the case required her undivided attention. She stripped as much information as she could as quickly as she could. Who knew how long it would be before the masked hacker realized she was tracking his every move?