Page 20 of Up in a Blaze (Polished P & P #4)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

HENRI

B laze was hiding somewhere around here.

That was all that ran through my mind as we boarded the large cargo ship.

More armed masked men greeted the ones with us when we stepped onto the deck.

While the driver stayed back to talk, one of the boat’s men joined our group as Greg shoved Sawyer and me forward.

“Move,” Greg snapped.

I clutched Sawyer’s hand tightly in mine as we made our way through the passageways the cargo containers made on the ship. The containers towered over us with two high, and there were so many of them, intimidatingly so.

Blaze was here. He’d save us.

We wouldn’t be on here for long.

Everything would be all right.

Just breathe.

Mon amour will be growling at me in no time.

God, how I wished it was now.

He was going to be huffing and puffing at me like a dragon for being taken in the first place, but I would allow it because his words would be out of fear. He could spew fire all over me as long as he stayed safe in return, and that included staying out of jail.

“Left. Hurry up,” Greg snarled, shoving at my back again. I stumbled forward, and if it wasn’t for Sawyer, I would have fallen.

I clenched my teeth, glaring over my shoulder at him. He smirked.

We stepped into an open square area with containers surrounding it, except where we had walked through. It was like a little courtyard. My stomach dropped when I saw two other armed masked men standing near one of the cargo doors.

“Stop,” Greg ordered.

The boat crew watched us as their friend stepped forward with keys to unlock the large red door. He pulled both sides open for Greg to push Sawyer and me in.

I turned to see Greg grinning. “Enjoy your life, faggots.” He turned and walked away with the men he’d come with, leaving only the boat crew behind. Three of them, and they were going to lock us in.

The door started to close, but someone from deep within the container called out with an Australian accent, “Hey, hi, hello. Can I use the toilet, pretty please? I really need to go, and I don’t want to pee in here.

” A young woman approached. I moved Sawyer out of the way.

He pressed up against the inside wall, and I stood in front of him.

The woman looked grimy with long, matted dark hair, big eyes, yet she was still smiling.

“Stop. No break,” one guy barked, pointing a gun at her. “Stay back.”

Another woman and man stepped out of the shadows from within, coming up behind her.

The woman who spoke thumbed over her shoulder to the others. “I know it’s early for a toilet break, but we really gotta go. We’ll be good.”

Before he could respond, she was in motion.

In one fluid move, her arm shot out, grabbing his wrist. With a twist of her body, she spun him around, using his momentum against him. Her foot slammed into his back, sending him stumbling straight into the man and woman behind her.

They were ready.

In a blur, they disarmed him—one wrenching the weapon from his hands, the other tackling him to the ground. He didn’t even have time to shout before he was pinned.

The small woman—faster than anyone had a right to be—was already moving. Like a streak of lightning, she charged the two remaining guards.

“Stop! I’ll shoot,” one of them shouted, panic edging his voice.

She didn’t break stride. She sprang at him, climbing his body like a jungle gym—one foot on his thigh, the other on his chest. Then her leg snapped around his neck, and with a powerful arch of her back, she flipped him off his feet and drove him into the metal floor.

He hit the ground hard, choking and flailing as her leg cinched tighter around his throat like a vise.

The last man took a step forward, gun trembling.

She looked up at him, expression unreadable. “I don’t want to shoot you,” she said, breath calm, voice steady. “Drop your weapon.”

“Get off him! Stand down!” he barked back, his finger tightening on the trigger.

The man trapped beneath her thrashed wildly—clawing, slapping at her thigh, his face reddening. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t so much as blink.

“I said drop it,” she repeated, her voice colder now.

She let out a soft, almost regretful sigh. Then, without a word, she pressed her palm against her own leg, tightening the chokehold. The man beneath her bucked once… then went still.

Unconscious or worse.

In the same motion, she reached down and retrieved his blade, yanking it free from the sheath at his hip. With barely a flick of her wrist, the knife spun through the air and sank into the final man’s hand.

He screamed, the gun dropping from his grip as he clutched his bleeding palm.

“Stay still, please,” she said, rising fluidly to her feet with the unconscious man’s gun in her hand trained on the only threat left. “Cal, take his weapon and watch him.”

The man nodded and moved quickly, stepping over the fallen guard as he obeyed.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Over and over, shots were fired, and screams started from deeper within the container.

The badass woman’s face pinched with panic. “We need to leave. Cal, Jenny, round everyone up.”

“Wait,” I called. Taking Sawyer’s hand, I rushed to her. “That will be my family. My man, he was here hiding with the Diamond MC and?—”

“Get the fuck outta here. The Diamond MC? I’ve heard of them. I overheard my dad talking about our club doing a favor for yours.”

I gaped. “Romania?”

She smiled. “Rommy for short. Oh wow, oh wow, is that why you guys are here? Did Dad call in a favor to help me? Aww, that’s the sweetest thing.”

“Oui, chéri. Our family was already here to help everyone when Sawyer and I, Henri”—I touched my chest—“were taken.”

“I like your accent. French, right? I’ve always wanted to learn it.” She smacked her palm to her forehead. “But now’s not the time to talk about it. Will your guys be easy to notice?”

“Oui, they won’t wear masks and will have the biker vests on. Except my man, Blaze, he’s a really big man and probably the one going crazy on the kidnappers.”

She laughed. “Cool, cool. I’m gonna go see how things are traveling. See if they need help.” She checked the gun for bullets. “How about you all stay here and watch these idiots?” She kicked out at the guard on the ground. “He’s still out. Good. I’ll bring your guy back?”

She was like an energetic puppy.

“Oh, oui. Thank you.”

“You got it.” She turned to the other two, who were now armed and standing over the ship crew and smiled.

“We’re getting out of here. Yay!” After that, she took off running.

At least Blaze and the brothers already knew what she looked like from the photo her family sent.

I hadn’t seen it because I didn’t think I would be here in this situation.

Facing Sawyer, I cupped his cheeks. “Are you all right?”

He threw his arms around me and hugged me. “T-Thank you, Henri.”

“Anything for you, chéri.”

When I heard the hostages from within move closer, I turned us to face about fifty others. I gasped. Sawyer pulled his face out of my chest to see.

He breathed, “Oh my God.”

I looked at the man, Cal, who had helped Rommy. “Will Rommy be all right?” She could obviously handle herself, but there were a lot more people out there.

He smirked from where he stood with a gun pointed down at the enemy. “Yeah. She’ll be fine. She’s been waiting for this day to come. Kept training in the small quarters here to stay strong.”

Thank God.

Then I called, “Is anyone hurt?”

Another attractive, small woman stepped forward. “Physically… maybe dehydrated, hungry, and dirty, but mentally….” She shrugged. “It’ll take a while.”

Someone else moved closer, and in another Australian accent, they asked, “Is it really your family out there fighting to save us?”

I curled Sawyer under my arm and into my side. “Oui. They will make sure we are all safe before coming to get us.”

Murmurs started, some began crying, and there were many looks of relief.

We all waited and listened, and finally, the noise beyond stopped. I shifted Sawyer and I around to watch the gap between the containers.

A few moments later, I heard, “Don’t worry, big man, he’s just down here. Once you see he’s fine, you can settle down.”

“Hot damn, you’re just as big as Blaze, aren’t you?” She cackled and skipped through first. She turned back and waved her hand our way. “See, all safe.”

A scowling Blaze, who was covered in blood, stomped through. Thankfully none of the splatters seemed to be coming from within his body. Behind him was a scowling Loyal and a concerned Quake, and both were just as messy. But Rommy didn’t have a drop on her.

Blaze stopped. His gaze ran over every inch of me, pausing on my cheek. His jaw clenched.

“So,” Rommy drew out. “Is this standoff normal?”

Quake snorted. “Give them a moment.”

“Mon amour?”

His jaw clenched again, but he unlocked it to order, “Here. Now.”

My heart stumbled, but I grinned and took off running. He needed me to calm him down and didn’t want to get close to the victims in case they were scared of him. He wouldn’t say that, but I knew how my beast thought.

When I jumped, he caught me and wrapped me up in his big arms, burying his face into the crook of my neck and inhaling deeply.

I pressed my lips to his temple and closed my eyes as I rubbed at his shoulders and back. “I’m here, mon amour. I’m fine. Promise. You can yell all you like later. Just know I am okay because you saved me.”

He shuddered, squeezing tighter for a moment before letting off the pressure to draw in another breath of me.

“Aww, they’re so cute together. Don’t you think?”

Quake coughed and hesitantly said, “Ah, yeah.”

She laughed. “You’re cute too,” she added.

Opening my eyes, I saw Quake blushing before he turned around and said, “I’m goin’ to check on the brothers.”

Rommy watched him go with a big grin and interest in her gaze.

Until she blinked, clapped, and placed all her attention on the others.

“Right, who wants to get out of here? I really gotta call my dad soon before he shits kittens. The tech guy said they messaged him I was found and safe, but he’ll want to hear my voice.

” She waved her hand again toward the exit.

“Let’s go, people. Time’s wasting. We need food and water and definitely showers.

Huh, maybe that’s why that guy ran off quickly.

” She lifted her arm and smelled under her armpit, then screwed up her nose.

“Yeah, that’s rank.” She moved up behind Blaze.

“Hey, big man. Just gonna put my hands on your waist and help you step to the side so people can get past. You just keep breathing in your man and calming down.” She glanced up at me, as if checking for approval. When I nodded, she did as she said.

People filed by while I cooed some more at my man.

“Kid, you coming?” Rommy called.

She was talking to Sawyer, who stood by the containers watching Blaze and me. Loyal hovered close behind Sawyer with his hand gripping the back of Sawyer’s neck. Sawyer had his arms wrapped around his waist while Loyal said something quiet that made Sawyer nod.

Only he didn’t move.

“Well, let’s go, mate. I’ve got a phone call to make.”

With a kiss to Blaze’s temple, I threaded my fingers into his hair and tugged his face out of my shoulder. When I had his eyes, I told him, “We need to move, mon amour. You can keep holding me, but I want to get Sawyer home to his brother.”

He grunted, then barked, “Kid.” I felt one of his hands move off my ass, and I glanced down to see he held it out to Sawyer.

My heart swelled.

My big, beautiful beast.

“Go on,” Loyal said, dropping his hold.

Sawyer rushed over and took Blaze’s hand, and together, we followed Rommy out as she talked about wanting to eat a hamburger and chips. “Wait, you guys call them fries, right? I can’t believe I’m in America. You know, I’ve never been, but I’ve always wanted to.”

The woman was something else. She wormed her way into your heart instantly, and I already wanted to know more about her.

But first, I needed to place all my attention on my man.