Still holding Catriona by the hair, Finch lifted his weapon. Unable to speak, Catriona struggled, but it only made Finch more excited. Liam heard Helen laugh behind him, spurring her brother on, taunting him to kill the woman.
Liam tried to push himself up, but Helen grabbed his hair before slamming him to the ground, one foot on his back, preventing him from helping his angel.
“Catriona!” Her name on his lips was mixed with the explosion of the weapon being fired. Liam fought the feet keeping him down, his heart bleeding at the realization Catriona was dead.
However, when a body fell beside him, he realized the gun had been fired from behind him, and that it was Helen who’d fallen, lifeless beside him.
Liam rolled away, scrambling up as Finch roared in fury. Catriona was still alive and when he looked back, Liam saw Cary holding Helen’s gun. It was like being sucker punched. How was the boy here?
Sam was slowly coming back to his senses and inched away, dazed, and trying to understand what had just happened.
At that moment, time sped up, and Liam reacted. Finch threw Catriona away and she fell hard on the floor. He knew that was his moment to attack. Muscles bunching, he launched himself forward and tackled Finch and they tumbled over the desk.
Hands behind his back, Liam knew he didn’t have an opening, but he wouldn’t allow Finch the opportunity to shoot Cary. With luck, even if he died, Cary had a chance to free Sam, therefore saving Catriona.
The fight was over quickly as Finch never let go of his weapon, pointing it at Liam’s head. “I don’t think any lesson would get through your thick skull. Let’s see if a bullet will.”
“Leave him alone!”
Finch looked away at the woman’s voice. Catriona had removed the tape from her lips, and Finch’s smile faltered when he realized what she intended to do. The top of the white tower had been opened and she held a taser in her hand.
Liam gasped when she moved and pressed the taser to the tower. There was a sudden electrical explosion, sparks blinding them all. He heard Cary cry out, and Sam shouting. Quickly, smoke engulfed the room, and all Liam could see, when he was finally able to open his eyes, was Catriona’s hand a few feet from him.
“Liam!” Sam was there, cutting at the tape. Liam crawled to Catriona, and he was almost by her side when the tape finally fell away. Cary was already close.
“Where’s Finch?”
“Gone. He took off during the explosion.”
He should have been relieved, but Catriona was unconscious and that broke him in two. Cary was openly crying.
“She’s dead, he killed her.”
With trembling fingers, Liam touched her throat and wept when he fell the faint flutter of a heartbeat, inconsistent, but still there.
“She’s alive, but we need to get her to the hospital, now!”
Liam took her in his arms and, with Cary keeping close and Sam leading the way, started running, begging her to hang on, and praying to whoever was listening, to protect the angel in his arms.
