It was dark, and I couldn’t see the large shadow that came toward us until the moonlight hit him just as he stopped in front of Kai.
Fear and recognition slammed into me.
Jacob.
He had waterboarded me again and again without mercy when I was held captive. He tortured me without pity, and he looked stone cold now.
“I don’t like changing plans,” Jacob said to Alfonzo. “It causes mistakes.”
Kai kept his eyes on Jacob. “Raul’s right hand man. I thought you were dead.”
“So does everyone.” Jacob nodded to Raven. “You’ve travelled a great distance for one girl, she doesn’t look worth it.”
“Where are the other girls?”
“Here. Awaiting shipment.”
I was about ten feet away, and I noticed the tension in Kai go from zero to a hundred within seconds. Something wasn’t right. “Georgie,” I whispered. “Georgie.” I nudged her with my shoulder, and she moaned. Kai, Jacob, and Alfonzo’s attention were on one another. “Georgie.”
It happened so fast, Jacob pulled a gun, turned, and shot Alfonzo in the head.
Alfonzo dropped to the ground.
Kai never moved a muscle, instead he looked even more casual as his hand went to Raven’s head, and he stroked her hair as if to soothe her.
“I told him, I don’t meet clients. He didn’t listen.”
“So that would make me a liability.” Kai sounded as if he didn’t care that Jacob had just killed Alfonzo and that he might be next.
I was holding my breath, waiting for the loud bang that would kill Kai. It didn’t matter to me if he died; Jacob was just as dangerous as any of them, but every dead man is one less to defend again.
“Your offer piqued my interest.” He thought about it for a second. “I require a base to bring the girls before auction. You can provide me with that.”
Kai’s hand stopped stroking Raven’s hair. “Who has been providing since Raul’s death?”
Jacob slipped his gun back into his belt. “No one. This is our first shipment in over a year. That guy Deck and his men have been all over us, and now, Alfonzo screwed up taking that one.” He nodded to Georgie. “I don’t make mistakes, Kai. I’m careful. Alfonzo wasn’t.”
“Oh, but you made a mistake, Jacob.”
I could only see a side profile of Jacob, but his face suddenly flashed with a moment of surprise, and then he dove and rolled just as Kai threw a knife narrowly missing Jacob’s throat.
“Raven. Go to the girls,” Kai demanded, and then he was moving.
Jacob had disappeared behind a large piece of machinery.
I needed to get Georgie out of here.
Raven came and sat beside us, her features expressionless, but there was something in her eyes, a look of panic as she kept looking around the warehouse.
“Untie me, Raven.”
She ignored me, and I used a stronger voice. “Raven. Untie me now.”
That got her attention, but she still didn’t make a move to help. Fuck. “Kai will be angry if you don’t untie me and we get hurt. He’ll be angry you’ve lessened our value.”
I turned my back to her so she could untie the rope. I waited for what seemed like forever; then I heard a gunshot echo, and her hands were on my wrists. I was nearly hyperventilating, I was so anxious to get free. I wanted to scream at her to hurry up, but knew it wouldn’t do any good.
Finally, the rope slipped from my sore, raw skin, and I went for Georgie who was moaning and—what the hell?—smiling. Whatever they had given her, she was enjoying. I pulled her up under the armpits and started walking backwards dragging her toward the door.
I was halfway there when I saw him—Logan. I held in my sob, but kept pulling Georgie. He hid behind a conveyor belt, and he had a gun. I didn’t even know Logan knew how to shoot. But he had grown up with Raul, of course he did. I wanted to run to him, throw my arms around him. Cry. Tell him I loved him. I couldn’t do any of that as he shook his head, telling me no.
I glanced behind me and saw Jacob. He had Raven held in front of him and his gun pointed at me. I slowly lowered Georgie to the ground and turned to face him.
Kai appeared to the left of Jacob, he didn’t hold a gun but a knife, and it was held down by his side.
“Let her go.” Kai’s tone was furious. His eyes never left Jacob for a second, even when Raven whimpered as Jacob’s hold tightened.
“In seconds, I can shoot Sculpt’s woman and snap your slave’s neck.”
“Then do it,” Kai said.
I glanced over at Logan, but he was gone. I didn’t look for him. He wouldn’t leave me here. I knew he wouldn’t. No matter what he’d done when his father held a gun to my head, I knew Logan wouldn’t leave me. I trusted him.
Logan had always been my knight.
That’s when I saw Deck to the right of Jacob crouched behind a pile of barrels. He was motioning to Kai. It happened all at once. A gun went off, and I was thrown on the floor beside Georgie, the wind knocked out of me as a large body landed on top.
I smelled him; I felt the familiar length of him, and when I caught my breath, I said his name, “Logan.”
“Stay down.” He was covering my head with his hands, and I could hear the shuffling of feet and voices then the sound of a gun going off again.
I jerked.
Logan suddenly was flipping me over and looking down at me, his hands on either side of my cheeks. “Eme. God, baby.” Deck crouched beside Georgie, and Logan leaned down and kissed me—hard.
“You found us. How’s Georgie?” I asked, clinging to Logan and watching Deck inspect Georgie.
“High. But fine.” Deck held Georgie’s arm outstretched while he ran his finger over what I guessed was the needle mark.
“Heroin,” said Kai’s voice, and I jerked at the sound.
He was standing a few feet away, his arm around Raven’s waist, her head tucked into his chest.