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By some miracle, I managed to get to my feet with Craig's help. I noted the number of bodies and the damage to the manor as I pressed a hand to my stomach wound. We'd survived, for now. The sound of a gunshot pulled my eyes to Joey. He had his .22 aimed down the hall toward Victoria's rooms.

"Looks like he was the last one." Joey said with a shrug before turning toward me. "Fuck, Rich, you look bad. We need to get you to Harrison right now."

"I'll be fine." I gritted out. "Right now, we need to find Az and our girl."

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Az

"Shouldn't you guys be, I don't know, planning or something? Going to this charity dinner seems like a bad idea, considering the circumstances." Victoria said, picking at the material of the dress she held in her hand.

"I won't sugarcoat it for you, Princess. We can't trust Rinaldo, but he did promise us time. The only thing skipping the charity dinner is going to do is make it harder for you when the dust settles and you get back to work. We can enjoy tonight and go right back to worrying about Rinaldo tomorrow, I promise." I replied.

"I'm going to have a hard time enjoying anything, knowing that he's breathing down our necks." She sighed, gathering up the dress and moving into the bathroom.

"I'm sure one of us can find a way to distract you if it's too difficult to get your mind off him." I chuckled, leaning against the wall while I waited for her to change.

"Not at an event for achildren'scharity, pervert." She called out from the bathroom, but I could hear the laughter in her voice.

We fell into a short, amiable silence as she shuffled around in the en suite, getting ready. I checked my watch after a while and sighed.

"Princess, we're going to be late if you don't hurry up in there."

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Az-hole. I'm coming." She said, stepping out of the bathroom.

The moment she entered the room, my breath caught in my throat, and I was transfixed. Her hair was gathered artfully, pulled away from her face, and accentuated her neck. She'd opted for a lighter make-up style that only served to enhance her already stunning features. But the dress… took my breath away. Shifting from a soft dusty pink to a deep black, it flattered every curve. The modest slit that rose to her knee, the keyhole at her neckline, and the plunging back gave the dress an allure to compliment the elegance.

As much as I was eager for us to try to enjoy the night out while we had the chance, I couldn't help but feel possessive, knowing I'd have to resist the urge to pluck out the eyes of other men who might let their gaze linger too long. A sentiment I was sure we'd all share once we left the room.

Victoria's eyes met mine, and a playful smile tugged at her lips as she caught me staring. "You see something you like?" She asked, doing a little spin, her voice laced with amusement.

"Absolutely," I replied hungrily. My phone went off, interrupting the moment, and I cursed as I fished it out of my pocket.

Joey:911

"Shit," I hissed, striding toward Victoria's sitting room.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She asked, following close behind me.

"There's trouble, I don't know what, but it's serious." I replied, ducking down and yanking a gun free from where it had been taped to the underside of a chair.

"Christ, you guys really did stash guns everywhere." She muttered. "How long has there been a gun in my rooms?"

"A while." I shrugged as I turned to face her. "Listen, I need you to stay close behind me. We're going to make a break for the panic room, so you're safe while me and the others deal with whatever the hell is going on. Do you understand?"

Her eyes widened, but she nodded.

"Good. Stay close."

I turned and moved toward the door to the hallway. As quietly as I could, I turned the handle and opened it just enough to poke my head out. Light glinted off the barrel of a gun from the doorway to Rich's office. I didn't have to wait long before someone I recognized as a Jackal foot soldier stepped into the hall, his back to me.

I jerked my head back into the room and quietly closed the door. "Fuck. We can't go that way."

"What do we do, Az?" Victoria's voice trembled.

"You're going to stay put while I clear the hall." I answered, strolling to the other chair in the room and freeing the second gun we'd hidden in her sitting room.

Before I could close the distance between us, the power went out. Peeking into her bedroom, I let out a relieved breath at the lack of light from the outside. If someone was out there, they were far enough away not to set off the solar-powered motion lights. It would give me time to clear a path.