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Touché. I lined him up and delivered another hefty kick to his crotch. With any luck, we’d prevented Lou from fathering mini versions of himself.

“Here, take this.” She held the gun out to me. “Do you know how to use it?”

“Better run me through it.” I ripped off my bloodstained T-shirt and pulled on the black cami, tugging it down in a futile attempt to cover my belly button.

Sage’s hands moved fast as she checked the weapon was loaded. Wow, she really knew her way around a pistol.

“No bullets.” She groaned, slamming the magazine back in. “Dammit. At least we’ve still got this.” She withdrew the handcuff key from her pocket and dropped it into my open palm.

I closed my fingers around it, struggling to figure out how we were all getting out of here.

She swept her shiny brunette tresses over her shoulders. “I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is, the boss doesn’t drink, so he’s still in play. He’s in his office with the door closed, although he could leave at any moment, so we have to hurry.” She reached for my hands and held them tight. “We need to get your man out of the basement. He’s on his own down there, but he’s in a bad way.”

A whimper came from my throat.

“Listen to me,” Sage said. “There’s good news, too.”

I nodded because I sure as hell could use some of that.

“The security cameras in here and in the basement are playing on a loop. If you can get to the basement and free Shep, no one will know. That key will work on his cuffs.”

I squeezed it in my palm before placing it in my pocket for safekeeping.

“And you’re not on your own,” she added. “If you need help on your way out, Brandon and I have you covered.”

We had help. Good. But I had no clue who Sage and this Brandon guy were, or why they were helping us. It didn’t matter. A thrill shot through me because we had a real chance of getting out of this place alive.

Then my heart faltered.

“My brother. Franky has him.”

She gave me a look filled with pity. “I saw him come in. Look, I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best to help him. You focus on getting your man free. We need him.”

Theyneeded him?

Sage fluffed my hair, bringing it around my face to conceal some of my wounds. Blood matted my dark blond waves in places. I hoped the low lighting in the club made it less obvious.

She gripped me by the shoulders. “Right, follow me. When we reach the basement door, it’s showtime. Good luck. Stay safe.”

I blinked fast, not sure I was ready for this, but determined as hell to do what I had to. “You too.”

Sage opened the door and checked both directions. She angled her head for me to follow.

My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to act casual on our way to the stairs. With sweaty palms, I clung to the balustrade, taking each step with care because my legs were numb from adrenaline.

I took in the room below. The scene had changed little since I’d arrived. The patrons were either focused on the women on stage or engaged in conversations at their booths. But as we reached the bottom of the stairs, one man charged for us.

He pulled up in front of Sage. “What the fuck do I gotta do to get a drink around here?” he said with hands on hips.

Sage didn’t miss a beat. “Sorry, Tony. Angelo asked me to show the new girl around. I’ll bring you your usual in a minute. On the house.”

“About fuckin’ time!”

That seemed to appease the rude jerk because he returned to a booth near the stage without giving us another look. I exhaled in relief.

We headed across the room and down a dark hallway. Sage stopped at a closed door and kept her back to it. She looked both ways as she scanned the length of the corridor.

“All clear. This is it. See you on the flip side, Cameron.”