Claire
“Yourfatherisdead!He's going to kill us all!” Ju screamed. Her feminine voice broke with her terror. There was a moment of silent shock in which no one reacted. Then, finally, her words sunk in, and Daniel forgot all about me. The knife cut deeper into my neck, drawing a gasp he didn't hear. It burned like hell but wasn't enough to be immediately life-threatening. He let go of me, turning toward Ju with blind fury lighting his eyes.
He kicked her hard, his foot connecting with the soft organs of her stomach. She cried as she fell back, but before she hit the ground, his fist connected with her cheek. “You stupid bitch!” he shouted, then kicked her once more, “I’ll deal with you later.”
Though it only lasted a moment, he was off balance and not thinking clearly through his rage. As a result, he left a gap between himself and me. Mila watched with angry, unafraid eyes. Mason charged toward us, to separate us from Daniel quickly but not quickly enough.
Daniel stood between the two of us, blocking Mason's approach. I stared at my attacker with his outstretched blade. There was no doubt about his intentions as he smiled at me—the dainty cut on my neck was just a warm-up.
Before his blade sunk into my flesh, Mila launched herself off the ground. Fierce determination clouded her expression despite her bound hands. She slammed her body into him with all the force she could muster and absolutely no grace. Daniel's face contorted in shock before hitting the ground harder than Ju had. Mila took them both clean off their feet.
The next moment, Mason dropped a ceramic vase over Daniel's head. Mila rolled out of the way just as Mason threw himself at Daniel. The knife was still in Daniel's hands when Mason fell on top of him. He threw punch after punch with no consideration for his safety. My heart leaped into my throat.
Tears slipped down my cheeks as terror I had never known coursed through me. I almost died a gruesome death, had horrible, scary shit happen to me, and all of it meant nothing compared to this. Splashes of blood flying from the fighting men filled me with unbearable dread. Sounds of masculine battle filled the air, some grunts of pain, some of aggression. A few strikes later, the knife skittered across the floor, landing by my feet.
I picked it up out of sheer reflex. The whole thing was coated in blood. The sticky feeling of the handle ripped a sob from my throat. My gaze drifted to the scene in front of me where Mason lay flat on his back, whatever force that kept him fighting fading from him with the most recent stab wound.
Daniel looked like shit, also flat on his back. His face was beaten, bloody, and bruised in a way you wouldn't expect from someone with a knife to defend himself, but Mason fought like hell for us. Daniel took a minute to clear his head, maybe shaking loose the pain or the confusion from being repeatedly punched.
That reprieve didn't last long. Daniel pulled himself up onto his knees, looking around for the knife. He flashed me an evil smile as he decided to forgo the knife and finish this with his own hands.
Mila and Ju both lay on the ground, neither of them in any condition to fight. Mila was actually starting to sit up, but she wasn't in any shape to repeat her efforts. There was no one coming to help us, and Dan's men surrounded this entire place. When Mason failed, they were going to die.Masonwould die. I would die too. And somehow, my own death was of no importance to me while I considered my options.
I never wanted to be a killer, but that mattered so little in this life I chose with Mason. Although all I ever wanted from my life was quiet, books, and perhaps the unselfish love of my parents, I was starting to realize life isn’t so much about having what you want as it is about wanting what you have. This life was what I had,allI had. Maybe there was more after it, but I wasn’t planning on finding out today.
I didn't want to meet a man who set my life and blood on fire, brought me out of my shell, and turned everything upside down. I never wanted to love a killer, yet I was doing all those things. I never wanted to kill, and I spent months hating and blaming myself for the murders committed by another.
As I stood with my purpose firmly planted, I saw more clearly than I ever that I had been faultless in Charles' crimes. It is strange how actually intending to murder someone made that so startlingly clear. Daniel's hands wrapped around Mason's neck. He smiled cruelly down at him.
The knife was small but sharp. There was no guarantee a stab would kill him.
I took one step, two, and then three. Mason was lax, still conscious, but too weak to lift his hands as I raised the knife. His face was beat red and blue around his lips, and when his eyes caught mine, and I could have sworn they screamedI love you!
I love you too,I answered Mason silently as I plunged the blade into the side of Daniel's neck. It was harder than I thought it would be, not because of some precious thoughts of my soul or morality but because flesh and sinew were tougher than I imagined. It made a sick wet sound as I pushed my weight into it, ensuring I cut him deep enough.
Daniel flicked his gaze toward me, unable to turn his head in my direction. Dying hands released Mason and reached out to grab me. I held the knife tightly as I jumped back to avoid his grasp. The movement caused an awfulschluckas the blade slipped free of his neck. He looked at me in shock as the waterfall of blood poured over Mason. Then his eyes went blank.
Relief coursed through me fast and hot until I looked down at Mason. I reached behind my head, ripping the gag out of my mouth and taking clumps of my hair with it. He gave me one last look of pride before his eyes closed.
“Oh fuck no!” I screamed, “You are not leaving me now!” I pushed Dan off of him with all my strength. Not giving a shit, I accidentally plunged the knife into the side of his corpse. He thumped uselessly to the ground beside us. Well, not useless. He killed David Sharp for us.
Mason’s wounds bled heavily, but it wasn’t puddled beneath him. That gave me enough strength to turn away from him temporarily. I pulled the knife out of Daniel once more before I turned to Mila. She was already working to a sitting position and groaning at the pain.
“Hold still,” I commanded as I cut her free and removed her gag.
“Thank you, Claire,” she said meaningfully as she rubbed her jaw.
“Don't thank me yet. We're not out of here.” I ran back to Mason to apply pressure to his wounds. There were so many I wasn't sure where to start. “Call an ambulance. Please,” I begged Mila as I ripped open the buttons on Mason's shirt to see the myriad of slices. None of them looked too deep, but I couldn't be sure. I held the only one bleeding enough to worry me seriously.
Mila ran to the phone hanging on the wall and dialed nine-one-one. I listened to her ask for an ambulance for a stabbing victim as I tried to think critically about what to do next.
“Mila, there’s an army out there. I don’t know how to get through them,” I looked out the window, seeing lines of men and vehicles with guns prepared to end our lives.
“Maybe there’s another way out of here.”
Chapter 27
Mason