His words send my feet moving but Jax pulls me back. “You know better,” he warns.
My teeth grind. He’s right. I do know better but what am I supposed to do when something like that is said?
“There’s only one way out from here,” Rory says breathlessly. “You two stay here and follow when they come out. We’ll go out another way and try to get to the exit before they do.”
“You two are coming with us,” Bastian tells Maddox and Dane. “Then you’re going to go check on your sister.”
“I’m not leaving Tori,” Dane growls. “You said Cara was safe. Well Tori isn’t and I’m not leaving without her.”
“You’re only going to be in the way, Dane,” Maddox whispers. “They know what they’re doing.”
“Do you fucking hear yourself,” he hisses. “My sister is being held by some psychopath and you want me to trust them to make sure she’s okay.” I suppose his idol worship of Sebastian has long evaporated.
“Then trust me. I’ll stay with them. You go.” I raise a brow at Maddox. Yes, he is a rich boy. Yes, he has been raised with CEOs and millionaires his entire life. But his father’s hands are far from clean. And neither are his. He went to New York to get away from all of it. He doesn’t think anyone knows that, but I do. I kept tabs on him after we sent him away from River City. I just wanted to make sure he stayed away from my sister.Today, I’m glad he didn’t. “We’ve got this, Maddox,” I tell him.
“It doesn’t matter who has this I’m not go -.” Dane’s words are cut short by a solid punch to the face from Bastian.
Maddox grits his teeth. “You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve gotten him to cooperate.”
“We don’t have time for that shit,” Bastian tells him with a smirk. He lifts Dane’s not so small bulk onto his own shoulders. “And you’re not staying either.”
“I know how to handle myself,” Maddox reminds him.
“This isn’t something you’re a part of,” Rory wheezes out.
“And Bastian needs more backup than you right now,” Maddox says, not backing down.
“He’s right,” Jax agrees. “I’ll go with you two. Rory you’re going to find some kind of help for yourself and I’ll stay with Bastian. Maddox can stay with Zane.”
Rory goes to argue, but Bastian is quick to cut him off. “Sounds like a solid plan. You need to get that handled before I have to explain to Layla why you bled out.”
Rory growls but they leave together while Maddox and I continue to stand on each side of the adjoining hallway to Rossi. I hand Maddox the other gun I have on me. He checks the clip and turns off the safety.
“How in the hell did you two find out about this?” I whisper as we wait on Rossi to come out of the room.
“Anonymous tip,” he tells me. “Dane got a weird text with pictures of Cara and Tori. Tori looked rough at the time. Her eyes were black. She had stitches in her lip.”
I grind my teeth. That was from the last fight. I want to ask him more, figure out where these pictures came from, but Rossi starts moving.
We plaster ourselves against the wall remaining silent. I peak around the corner to see Tori fighting against him. I’m guessing she may have been unconscious before but she’s not now. Her struggle is weak. She is wincing and panting at every breath.
They walk through the exit at the end of the hallway. Maddox and I take off to follow. We walk out the door just as Jax and Bastian step into view of DeLuca and Rossi.
“Now what?” DeLuca hisses.
Rossi turns to me with a wicked grin on his mouth. “You really are stupid,” he says looking at me. I follow his eyes as he looks up to the roof of the building. A guy is standing with a gun aimed downward. I follow the line of sight, my stomach clenching when I realize it’s aimed right at Tori.
Jax and Bastian see too. They look at me sympathetically because we really have no plan here. If we make a move, they kill her. If we don’t, they take her.
“Let her go,” I grit out. “She has nothing to do with any of this.”
“No. She doesn’t. But I’ve been dying to get into that hot body of hers. Bet she’s a fucking hellcat.” My fist clench at my sides.
Jax and Bastian look to me again. He’s baiting me. I know it. They know it.
“What the fuck do you want?” Bastian growls out.
“I want what was supposed to be mine from you and McCabe,” he shrugs. “And I want lover boy here to suffer a little more. Like I did when he stole Lacy from me.”
