Page 169 of Protecting Peyton

“Vlad, get him,” Lucifer growled as he towed me toward a door.

I resisted the monster as best I could, but I barely managed to slow him. If he got me to the car, it would be game over.

Baldy pulled a knife and rushed Zane.

Zane dodged and whirled, hitting the back of the big man’s head as he went past.

Vlad spewed Russian and lunged again.

Zane’s chop to his arm sent the knife to the ground, but he didn’t get far enough away.

Vlad wrapped beefy arms around my man and lifted him off the ground.

Lucifer laughed in my ear. “Now watch your boyfriend die.”

Vlad squeezed Zane tight.

Lucifer’s grip on me loosened. “He’ll break his ribs, then his back.”

I willed Zane to find a way out of the big man’s bearhug, and he did.

Zane brought both feet up and then kicked them down and back on Vlad’s knee.

The big Russian screamed and collapsed to the floor, allowing Zane to scramble. Two punches and a knee to the head put Vlad down, unconscious.

Keeping one arm around my neck, Lucifer dropped the knife and leaned down to pick up Zane’s gun.

I couldn’t let him get it and shoot my man. It couldn’t end like this, so I kicked at the gun. It was too far away and I missed, sending the knife sliding under a couch instead.

Zane picked up Yuri’s knife.

Lucifer grabbed up the gun I’d missed, and swung it toward my man.

Zane ran for us, but he was too far away.

This was it. By mistiming my kick at the gun, I’d doomed Zane.

At a dead run, Zane threw the knife.

It flew by me and into Lucifer.

With a scream, the gun fell from the monster’s hand, and he let go of me to cradle his injured shoulder. With the knife still embedded in his shoulder, blood oozed from between his fingers.

His evil eyes turned to me as I backed away. That was when I wanted to twist that knife. He deserved it, for Cassie, for Olivia, and all the rest. But before I could, Zane reached us.

“It’s over, asshole.” My man’s punch sent Lucifer staggering backwards.

Bang, bang. Bang, bang. Four shots rang out.

The monster who’d hunted me collapsed to the floor, hitting his head hard.

Blood oozed from his mouth as angry mismatched eyes stared at me, then closed.

My nightmare was finally over.

CHAPTER 39

Peyton