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Lucas shouts at the man, ordering him to let me go. The brute swears at Lucas and pulls me closer against his sweaty body. I know he’ll never let me go, and if he gets any more nervous, he may pull the trigger by accident and shoot me in the head.
The only solution I can think of on the spot is to whip back my head in the hopes that I’ll break his nose or, at the very least, startle the oaf. So, that’s what I do. I throw back my head as fast and hard as I can. The pain from connecting the man’s hard head hurts like hell, but he is startled and lets go of my hair.
I drop to the floor so that I’m out of his reach. At the same time, Lucas fires a shot that sends the brute stumbling backward. He lands on the floor next to the bed. He isn’t moving. Is he dead? Am I safe?
I’m not going to wait around to find out. Lucas is next to me in a flash. He pulls me to my feet, gives me a quick once over to ensure that I’m not wounded in any way, then grabs me in a bear hug.
I have no words. I’m crying like a baby.
“Come, my love. Let’s get you out of here,” Lucas says, letting me go.
“Maria!” I yell. “Where’s Maria?”
“I’m here,” I hear my friend calling from the corner of the room.
“Come, Maria. Let’s go.”
“Stay close, Emily,” Lucas says, moving his body in front of mine.
Oh, I intend to. In fact, I may never leave your side again!
“Andreas!” Lucas yells at the top of his lungs. “I found them!”
Andreas appears in the doorway.
“I’ll get Eddie to clear a path,” he says from the doorway.
Andreas takes Maria’s hand and keeps her close to protect her from the chaos surrounding us. We move very slowly out of the room and into the hallway. We step over bodies and navigate through a maze of passages until we’re finally outside.
Lucas and Andreas escort Maria and me safely to an idling car.
“Quickly! Get in. Stay down,” Lucas instructs us.
Lucas jumps out of the car. I shout after him, begging for him to come back. But he’s gone.
27
LUCAS
Emily looks so vulnerable. All I want to do is hold her in my arms, as close to my chest as possible. But now is not the time. I have to make sure that we’re out of danger first. Emily is screaming for me to get back into the car, but there’s something I have to take care of before I leave. Damon!
The slimy bastard leaped at his chance to break free from Andreas and me as soon as the shooting started. He even tried to stab me with a knife he found on the floor inside the house, but I was too quick for him. I punched him hard, and he fell to the ground. I have to find the little rat and teach him a final lesson.
I return to the spot where he lay when I punched his lights out. He’s gone. Damn it! There’s no way I’ll rest until Damon is no longer a threat to Emily. I know his sort. He’s a vindictive scumbag.
“Eddie. Where’s Damon?”
“I don’t know, Boss.”
“Well, find him!”
Eddie nods and disappears. Damon is the only man who knows what’s happened here tonight. I have to silence him if we’re going to get across the border without the authorities hunting us down like dogs.
A sharp pain in my bicep spins me around. What the hell? It’s Damon. He’s standing behind me with the face of a madman. He’s holding up a knife.
“Come on, Lucchese,” he spits, “let’s see what you’re made of.”
“You pathetic little guttersnipe! You think you can kill me? Okay, let’s play,” I say.