Page 10 of Stone (Claimed and Protected #3)

There were no other soldiers guarding the doorway, but I knew better than to think we were in the clear.

The three of us moved to the entrance, ready to rush in together.

I gave the nod and we moved inside. As I’d expected, another soldier remained inside the room guarding Dani, the barrel of his handgun placed against her temple.

Another flash of memory almost became debilitating, the nightmare of a single mission haunting me to this day. I shook it off, allowing the anger and bitterness to take its place. Now wasn’t time to reminisce. I had to get her out of here.

The shock of recognition drove a stake through my heart. Instantly, her eyes were filled with tears, which she blinked away.

I was so fucking torn for a few seconds I couldn’t think straight.

Kage was forced to push against me as a reminder we weren’t out of the woods yet. Her expression was full of tension and fear. Seeing the bruise on her face nearly tore me apart. She was shaking, shifting in the chair until the asshole growled for her to stop moving.

“You came,” she managed.

“Course I did,” I told her and moved further inside, taking my time doing so. Kage and Maddox flanked my sides, moving further away.

“ Posez votre arme ,” I ordered the man in French, telling him to put the gun down.

He snickered, barely giving me a look.

Dani shifted, her lower lip quivering as the asshole shoved the metal into her head. Rage instantly tore through me. I watched him carefully. The fucker had nothing to lose at this point, but knew we did.

The moment his finger holding the trigger twitched, I reacted without thinking and without hesitation.

I pulled the trigger.

As his body slumped to the floor, she yelped and began struggling with the bindings.

In two long strides, I was by her side. “It’s okay, Dani. I’m here. You’re safe now.” I grabbed my knife, immediately cutting the rope holding her wrists together. As I moved to her ankles, which had been secured to the legs of the metal chair, she sucked in her breath.

“How? Why are you here?”

Her voice cracked as she gave way to her emotions.

“Shhh… Just breathe for me. We need to get out of here.” As soon as I’d untied her, I gathered her into my arms and helped her stand.

She clung to me, sobbing openly against my chest.

I lifted my head, nodding to both my buddies as a thank you. Without them, I couldn’t have done this.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” She pushed away, darting her eyes back and forth.

Being able to touch her was incredible. I cupped both sides of her face, lowering my head until our lips were almost touching.

While she remained shaking, she managed to roll her arms over my shoulders, pulling both our bodies and our lips together. The kiss was sweet, gentle even though desire roared through me like a freight train. I dared to dart my tongue inside her mouth, needing the closeness as much as she did.

“Ahem. I hate to break up the reunion, but we need to get the fuck out of here. By now, our friends know the building was compromised.” Maddox was the voice of reason.

I pulled away, rubbing my thumb across her cheek. “You’re right. Are you okay to walk?”

“I’m fine. The bastards couldn’t break me.”

Her voice was the same. The same melodic lilt. The same strength. I wrapped my arm around her as we made our way toward the doorway.

This time, Kage took the lead.

She was weak, still clinging to me and it was slow going getting down the stairs. By the time we did, all four of us sensed we were no longer alone.

“Fuck!” Maddox hissed as the sound of boots hitting the cement echoed in the expansive space. They were coming through the main entrance, leaving us to head out the same way we’d gotten in.

“Come on. We need to hurry.” While I continued holding Dani, the urgency in my voice transfixed her. She broke away, taking off running with us.

We weaved our way through the corridors until we reached the opening.

The fuckers were right behind us.

“Get Dani to safety!” I called. She gripped my arm just before Maddox pushed her ahead.

I hovered at the entrance, waiting until the first new wave of volunteers came into my line of sight. I sprayed the area with bullets, watching as one after another dropped. After reloading, I waited for three seconds before rushing deep into the tunnel.

Kage dropped back, running backwards for a little while as we made our way through the elaborate tunnels. “Where the fuck are the others?”

“I don’t know.” I stopped long enough to listen. As the footsteps of Maddox and Dani faded into the distance, I walked toward the building to try to determine what I was hearing.

“What is it?” he asked from behind me.

I cocked my head and almost instantly my skin began to crawl. “They’re trying to flush us out.”

The popping sounds gave way to a roar.

“Ah, fuck. The building was wired. Run!” Kage yelled and the two of us took off running.

The roar increased, the sound almost deafening. We caught up with the others and I instantly swept Dani over my shoulder.

“What the fuck?” Maddox called out.

“Fire in the hole.”

The popping sounds continued, dust from the cement ceiling powdering down all around us. Soon, there were chunks of concrete. And the roar increased.

We raced forward, the rush of adrenaline powering me onward. Dani remained remarkably calm, but I could feel her anxiety. I could also feel the electricity between us.

“Don’t look back, buddy,” Kage called. “You won’t like what you see.”

I sensed Dani lifting her head. “No. No! Run!”

She didn’t need to tell me twice. I put everything I had into sprinting the last hundred yards, bolting up from the enclosure and lunging forward by several feet.

The powerful explosion as the flames hit the cool air knocked us to the ground. I covered her immediately, holding her head down and wrapping one leg over her entire body.

She remained shaking like a leaf under me, her soft cries reminiscent of ones that had haunted me for years after leaving Virginia.

The fire continued to roar, but as with some combustible fires of that nature, the air was sucked from its power. I lifted my head, studying the area. Some foliage was burning, but not enough to worry about. The entire scene was chaotic, but we were alive.

“Well, that was fucking fun,” Kage snorted.

I eased my weight from Dani, both of us gasping for air. “Are you okay?”

“I am now.”

As I pulled her into my arms, Maddox clapped me on the back.

She was safe and in my arms, but at this point, I had no way of knowing what or if it would mean anything.