I wanted that. If he did.
“I think Ciel would enjoy that just as much as you would. I think?—”
Her words cut off as a car screeched, mounting the curb in front of us. My training instantly kicked in. I pushed her behind me, skin prickling with danger. My hands closed around my guns, and I didn’t hesitate to fire on the men pouring from the car.
“Run!” I shouted, trying to block her from our attackers with my body. She took off down the sidewalk and back toward the penthouse. Her hands fumbled for her cell phone. The menrushed us, and I took out three of them before sprinting after her. Pedestrians looked on in horror, some frozen in fear, and some running away just as we were. I didn’t have time or desire to protect them. Leona was my priority.
“Wynn!” She screamed when another car almost hit her, blocking her path to escape. More men piled out.No. Too many. There were too many. I only had my two guns, and I’d already used more than half my ammo for cover fire and to take out the first group of assailants.
“Leona!” I fired at two men drawing close to her. They dropped, but two more took their place. One reached for her, blocking my shot, and my eyes went wide as she sank into her training, exactly as I had taught her. Her elbow slammed into one’s chin, dropping him to the ground. She kicked the next, disarming and disabling him. My heart leapt to my throat as I struggled to line up a shot that didn’t have a chance of hitting her.
A blinding white light split through my head.
I collapsed to one knee, my guns flying from my grip.
I blinked, trying to regain focus. Everything was hazy.
“Wynn!” she shouted again. Men grunted and yelled at how she scratched and kicked, but I couldn’t get my arms to work. I couldn’t get my head to focus.
Finally, I stumbled to my feet, pulling my knife from its sheath. I turned on my heel and plunged it into the neck of the man who attacked me. He was dead in an instant.
Where were my guns? It didn’t matter. They had her. Bile coated my throat as they carried her to the back of the car, the trunk open and waiting like the maw of a great beast.
“Leona. Wait.” My words came out garbled. One man turned as I stumbled close. I blocked his punch and drove the blade of my knife into his chest. He fell to his knees.
Another man turned. My fingers curled into my brass knuckles and my brain could hardly keep up as my fist slammed into his throat. There were too many. My movements were too slow. I couldn’t stop the next man’s weapon from rising. From firing. The bullet sank into my stomach.
I fell. My elbows scraped the asphalt. Everything was on fire.
My ears registered her screams cutting short before my eyes could catch up.
No. This couldn’t be happening.
The trunk slammed shut. The men disappeared into the cars. Tires screeched as they sped away.
My fingers braced against the concrete.
She was gone.
“Leona,” I groaned. My blood spilled on the street. “No.”
Tears pricked my eyes at the tight feeling in my chest. No, no, no. How could I have let this happen?
No.
With the last ounce of strength I had in my body, I pulled my phone from my pocket. The screen was shattered, but it still worked as I tapped Ciel’s name.
“Wynn?” His voice was thick with sleep.
I could only get two words out. My vision faded.
“She’s gone.”
The gaming mouse box lay abandoned in the middle of the street, half out of its bag, splattered in red.
58
LEONA
