Page 128 of Blood and Thorns

“Volatiles inside are unknown,” he signed, his facespotted with blood. “Three were armed around the building, but I’ve taken care of them.”

“The backup team are five minutes out,” Caden replied, keeping to sign. “Including cleanup.”

I nodded, my body relaxing at the thought of violence. With a heavy foot I kicked the door, taking a shot at the man guarding the entrance. He took my bullet in his vest, the momentum turning him to the side before Caden was able to place one in his skull. I moved forward, the scent of blood thickening the air.

“Get off me!” Arabella cried, her voice pulling me forward until I came to the living room. Her father was unmoving in the armchair while she fought against Graves’s grip on the three-seat sofa opposite.

I lifted my gun, but there wasn’t a clear shot. Fuck.

“Stop fighting me, baby,” Graves grunted, trying to keep her held against him even as she fought.

Arabella scratched and bit, a feral cat trying to get free before he backhanded her hard enough that she fell to the floor, her hair creating a curtain over her face. Lifting a boot, he pressed it against her head, keeping her pinned.

“When we get home, I’m going to fucking–” His eyes widened when he spotted me in the doorway, his arm lifting as he took his shot.

Arabella screamed, but the bullet went wide, hitting the doorframe to splinter the wood.

I didn’t even flinch, simply stepping forward as Graves’s arm wavered, shaking. It had been a while since he’d used a gun, evident in the lack of confidence. Most people felt powerful when holding a weapon, but Graves held himself differently, his shoulders tight and his eyes bloodshot as he reached down and pulled Arabella up by her hair, using her as a shield.

“Where’s your mask, Beast?” He spat the name, liftinghis gun to hold it to her head. “Or do you not wear it when you murder old men?”

I glanced at Morris, who was clearly dead. “What do you want, Detective?” I asked, hearing a scuffle behind. Either my reinforcements had arrived, or Lang and Cade were dealing with more of Graves’s men.

Except Graves didn’t have any fucking men. He wasn’t acting under any official authority, and he sure as hell wasn’t backed by law enforcement. So who the fuck did they belong to?

“You took everything from me,” he snarled, tugging Arabella’s hair to expose her throat. “You took my friend, my reputation, and now my fucking wife! I’m finally going to give you everything you deserve.”

Arabella winced, but she remained calm. Her breathing even and her eyes calm when they met mine.

Good girl.

“So why are you pointing the gun at her and not me?”

Graves frowned for a moment, his teeth clenching as he turned it towards me. He popped another shot, the bullet skimming across my arm with a burn before Arabella reached for it. Another shot, the silencer muffling the sound into a whispered hiss.

Arabella let out a gasp, and panic seared through my chest as I rushed forward. The force of the bullet caused Graves to spin, blood coating them both.

I pulled Arabella back, her hands covered in red.

Graves choked, looking down at the growing red stain on his lower stomach before he turned and ran. I didn’t bother going after him, not when Ara was frozen, her eyes a little dazed and lips parted.

“Are you hurt?” I pressed my fingers against her body, sweeping over everywhere I could to find an injury. “Ara?”

“Your arm.” She blinked up at me, reaching over to where the bullet had grazed.

“It’s fine.” I cupped her jaw, but she simply frowned at her father.

“Did you do it?” she asked, the question hollow as if she’d resigned herself to the answer. “Did you kill him?”

“No.”

She swallowed, her tears falling silently when she returned her attention to me. But she wasn’t sad. No, she was angry. Furious. Her fire burning bright with a fierceness my demons revelled in.

Glancing to the side, I turned to find Caden and Langdon there, a man bleeding from a headwound on his knees before them, a gag shoved into his mouth and his arms bound.

Langdon flicked at his lighter, expression excited as he took in the bodies. His eyes collided with mine, silently asking for permission.

I grabbed Arabella’s hand, tugging her to my side. “Do it.”