Page 112 of Knot The Only Onee

The shots ceased, and Mike frantically looked around the warehouse, sweat trickling down his forehead. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, then gestured with his gun toward the now silent area. "Go see what's going on," he told two of the goons, and they scuttled off like good little soldiers.

That left Mike and four other men.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins, helping clear whatever poison Mike infected me with from my system. My vision cleared, and my movements were less sluggish.

I twisted and tugged at my bonds in earnest, feeling the ropes start to loosen just the slightest bit.

Grunts and a thud preceded another long bout of silence.

Mike sent two more men off to investigate and then whirled around toward me. I kept my body still, tilting my chin up to face off with him instead of cowering.

He was a piece of shit. I wouldn't bow or break before him.

I wasn't sure where this newfound strength was coming from, but the anxiety was gone.

"You bitch," he snarled, spittle flying from his lips as he spoke. "Who did you bring here? Your pathetic mates? The assholes from KDC?" He threw his head back and laughed. "Don't you know, this is bigger than just me? They'll never win. Like a hydra, when you destroy one head, another will pop up in its place."

"Did you take your villain speeches from Marvel movies? Because that’s already been done, and look what happened to them." I narrowed my eyes, not giving him an inch.

"I'll show you, you fucking cunt." His hand wrapped around my upper arm, and he dragged me to my feet. He whirled me around in front of him, his front to my back. The barrel of his gun dug into my temple. "Come one step closer, and I'll blow her brains out."

My gaze searched the dim lighting of the warehouse, but the light above still disoriented me.

"Aldridge, you don't want to do that." I didn't recognize the voice, but it was soothing yet deep and authoritative.

The gun against my temple shook slightly but pressed in harder. "Oh, I think I do. So why don't you take a few steps back before my finger accidentally squeezes the trigger."

My legs trembled as Mike slowly started backing away from the shadowy figure. The last two bodyguards had disappeared. I wasn't sure whether they'd gone to other areas of the warehouse or were taken out.

I had to focus on my brother and hope his finger didn't shake too much for the gun to go off in his hand.

"It's over. Police are already surrounding the building, and the dungeons are being cleared. It's over." For every step we took backward, the shadow stepped forward.

I wondered if this may be the mysterious Jonathan the guys had mentioned.

"It's never over." Mike's voice shook, and I knew he was panicking. The gun wobbled against me, and his body behind me was hot and shaky.

The world came into focus as the too-bright light was knocked out, and I was finally able to see my surroundings again. Jonathan was alone in the vast emptiness of the warehouse, a gun poised at his side but not aimed in our direction. There were several shelves along the perimeter of the space, organized into rows, but the rest of the space was bare.

I noticed Jonathan's gaze flicker to something behind us. It was barely noticeable and only lasted a fraction of a second, but my instincts told me someone was approaching us from behind.

"Mike, you have to see he's right." I swallowed harshly. "It's over. Why don't you just give up so you have a chance to live."

I didn't see any scenario in which Mike would actually come out of this warehouse alive. If Jonathan didn't kill him, then my mates would.

"Bullsh—"

I squeaked in surprise as Jonathan lunged forward and grabbed me as another man jerked Mike back. The gun clattered to the floor, and a dark cowboy boot kicked it away.

Wait a second. I recognized that pair of boots.

It was Noah.

A whimper caught in my throat as a hint of his scent pierced through my nostrils, still burning from the chemicals.

"Switch ya?" Noah asked as he kneeled on Mike's back to keep him pinned to the ground.

Jonathan helped me sit up and used a knife he had tucked into his back pocket to slice the rope from my wrists before wincing and climbing to his feet. "With pleasure. I'll get him into custody. Her wrists look pretty chewed up. May need to get the ambulance to check them out."