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“So Warwastelling the truth,” Marks mutters for only me to hear. This is the man Warren said he’d gone to the Bourbon Street to deal with. I want to mutter right back,I told you so, but I keep it to myself for now.

“I’m going to give you matching ones.” Woods licks his lips, sending a shiver of fear through me. “Get something to tie them up. They’re staying, but you’re coming with me.” He motions to me with his gun.

“Shut up already. Sick of hearing your whimpers. Your mouth isn’t so big now, is it?” He turns his attention back to Cosima, who is continuing with whatever act she’s putting on.

“Buy us time,” Marks whispers again, her eyes letting me know she is also up to something.

I do exactly that. I begin to pretend I’m looking around the room for something to help this maniac tie my friends up.

“What the fuck is taking you so long?” Woods says after a few minutes, coming over to where I’m standing by the rack of clothes. “I’ll do it myself. Get back over there.” He gives me a shove back in Marks’ direction.

He rips an item off one of the racks, heading back over to Cosima.

“Stand up.” He nudges her with his foot. “And hands behind your back.” Cosima lifts her head.

“Last chance,” Cosima tells him. Woods lifts his fist to strike her again, but she’s quicker. I barely see the knife in her hand before it is jammed into his thigh. He screams, but he lifts the gun toward her. She twists the knife, her hand coming up to knock his arm with the gun. “Run!” Cosima shouts at the same time.

Before anyone can react, the lights go out, everything falling into darkness. I expect the emergency lights to come on, but they don’t. Marks grabs my hand, but another hand wraps around my upper arm, digging in.

“What the fuck is going on?” Woods shouts, yanking me to him. I let go of Marks’ hand, not sure what this man is going to do.

“That’s Z,” Cosima huffs. “I can’t go anywhere without him showing up.”

“Shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch!” My heart sinks when he fires the gun twice, making all of us scream. He presses the gun into my side. “Don’t get any ideas,” Woods says next to my ear. I nod. “Turn the lights on or I’ll shoot her.”

Tears start to spill down my cheeks in fear that Cosima or Marks might have been hit. “Do it! I swear I’ll kill her.” The lights flick back on. I blink, momentarily blinded by the light. When I finally focus, I see him. Warren is standing in the doorway, a gun pointed at Woods.

Woods shifts more behind me, pressing the gun into my side.

I’ve seen a lot of expressions on Warren’s face but nothing like the one he is wearing now. It is one of pure, unadulterated rage. I swear his eyes are even darker. He doesn’t blink, watching Woods’ every move.

I can’t control the tears that are streaming down my face, but seeing Warren has also brought a weird sense of calm to me. I know without a doubt that he’s not going to let anything bad happen to me.

“You’re a lucky man.” Warren's voice is ice cold. “If you’d have killed her, this would have been a lot worse.”

Woods opens his mouth to respond, but it’s too late. The gun isn’t loud. It’s not till Woods is dropping to the floor that I realize Warren shot him in the head.

“Motherfucker.” I spin around, not knowing who is there. “I thought you wanted him alive. You got blood all over me. I was about to grab him.” Ronan wipes his face with his arm. Where the hell did he come from? Ronan is the biggest built out of the three men; he shouldn’t be able to move so quickly and in the freaking dark. Everyone in the Marino family has their own set of skills, clearly.

“That shouldn’t be hot.” I hear Marks say it, but I’m not paying attention. Warren spins me around, lifting me off my feet.

“Tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m okay.” I cup his face in my hands. “I’m okay,” I repeat.

“Hey! I was going to buy that,” Cosima shouts at Ronan, who is wiping the blood off her with a piece of clothing.

Warren is ignoring everything, burying his face in my neck. I feel him take a deep breath, breathing me in. I wrap my arms around him.

Z comes storming into the room; he too has an expression on his face I’ve never seen before from him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He storms over to Cosima.

“You know, I think it all started when I was four and?—”

“Don’t!” he bellows, making all of us freeze. Cosima is even smart enough to shut her mouth. “You think everything is a fucking game and joke?” Z steps in closer. “And you wonder why we keep you in Europe.” Cosima flinches like he hit her. “Do you still think it’s funny? You think I haven’t put together what you were really up to?” He walks over to one of the racks, pushing it over, and then another. “This game you were playing?” No one utters a word, but Warren does lift his head. “Got nothing to say?” Cosima shakes her head no; I can tell she’s fighting tears.

"All right, that's enough," Ronan says, cutting in.