Page 41 of Dublin Charmer

I move toward the door, feigning an attempt to go for the hall and he shifts to block my exit. His fingers graze my arm but his window for retreating and getting help is rapidly dwindling as the sedative takes hold.

“Fuck.” He drops to one knee and then falls forward to brace both palms on the floor.

Good enough. I sprint past him into the hallway, my heart soaring at the possibility of freedom. The victory is short-lived.

The first door I try is locked.

So is the second.

And the third.

I race down the corridor, yanking frantically at each handle. Nothing gives.

At each end of the hallway stands a heavy security door with digital keypads. Six digits? Sixteen? I have no idea, and no equipment to crack them. My stomach sinks—I was afraid of this.

I’m out of my cell room, but I’m still trapped, just in a bigger cage.

“Okay, Plan B.” I return to the cell and find Finn lying collapsed on his side, breathing heavily. I drag him to the mattress, struggling under his weight. “Sucks to be drugged and helpless, doesn’t it, pretty boy?”

“I’m sorry, Nyx. I needed ye away from Gravely.”

He’s blinking up at me with those brilliant green eyes and my defenses crack a little more.

“Yer too good. I was protecting my family.”

“So was I!” The words tear out of me with more force than I intended, but who the hell cares. It’s not like he’ll remember any of this anyway. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I need to get back to my life and fix whatever damage has been doneby him bringing me here. “Finn, tell me the combination of the keypad.”

He shakes his head. “We can help ye get Gio back. Tag already agreed. Sean has an army.”

My mind stalls out on that. There’s no way. They just want to keep me away from Billy and out of their business. But I want to believe him. The sting of tears burning behind my eyes catches me by surprise, but I can’t trust it.

Gio and I have been alone so long, I don’t believe in the promises of other people. There’s only him and me. That’s all that matters.

“Why are ye crying?” His glazed gaze is locked on me, and I hate it. I hate how when he looks at me, I feel it deep in my soul.

I wipe my face roughly. “What do you want from me?”

“I told ye. Stop infiltrating our systems.” His head lolls slightly. “Yer too talented for that brutal thug.”

“What choice do I have?”

“We’ll help get yer brother back. Whatever Billy’s paying…we’ll double it.”

His eyelids flutter and I stare at him, stunned. “That’s it? No retaliation for helping him? No blackmail? No threats?”

“Not the way we do things...”

The syringe lies empty on the floor, and guilt twists in my stomach. Maybe I’ve misjudged these people. Or maybe this is just another game.

Either way, I’ve just made everything worse because whatever they were offering is off the table now that I’ve attacked and drugged Finn.

“What’s the code for the keypad on the door, Finn?”

He shakes his head, pursing his lips.

“Don’t fight it. You know you want to tell me. Just give me the code and you’ll feel better.”

“I won’t,” he hisses. “I don’t want ye to go.”