He grabs me by the throat.Instant panic.I strike him again and again, but half the time I miss, and when I do make contact, I must not be hitting him hard enough.My vision goes hazy and gray at the edges.
I hit him as hard as I can, the statue heavy in my hand, thudding into whatever part of Uriel I can reach.
Suddenly, his weight disappears.I’m lighter than air, floating, as I continue swinging behind me.My arm aches with the effort, but I refuse to stop.
A new weight settles over me.A comforting, familiar scent penetrates my panic and I go still.
“Danica, it’s me—Danica, baby.It’s Edmund.”
* * *
Troy
I don’t spare a glance for the dead man on the floor.Killing him was easy—I jammed my knife into the side of his neck while our girl smacked the shit out of him.
Blood pools over the cement floor, soaking into the hem of Dani’s wedding gown.
She struggles against Edmund until his arms band around her and he speaks.“Danica, it’s me—Danica, baby.It’s Edmund.”
“Edmund?”She turns around, her shoulders and arms shaking, her gray eyes wide with leftover terror.
“Let me hold you, princess.”He keeps his arms loose around her.“Please.”
She throws her arms around him, squeezing.
I don’t care that the doorway is crowded with Sergey’s men, and Dmitri is shoving his way through them.I step forward and hold her, too.
“Troy.Edmund.”She sobs in our arms.“You’re here.”
Finally.The world isn’t so dark anymore.We found her, we have her back in our arms.
“Uriel Vorsong,” Sergey’s man mutters, kicking the dead guy.
I’ve never heard of him.
“And who’s the other dead guy?”someone else asks.
Dani raises her head.Tears streak down her cheeks.“That’s…that’s Kellen.”
She shares a few details of what happened as we shepherd her out of the warehouse.Mostly, though, she’s quiet while we wait for the police to arrive.One of Sergey’s men volunteers to take the fall for knifing Uriel Vorsong in the neck.He cites the Aseyevs’ debt to the Laytons because Edmund saved Sergey’s life.I accept the offer.I don’t want any more involvement with the police than necessary.
When the police and two ambulances arrive, they herd us toward the center of the parking lot, away from the building.
Dani covers her mouth with her hands when two stretchers leave the building.
Two detectives approach.
“Miss Montrose.”The male detective raises his eyebrows.“You again?”
I want to step forward and knock some compassion into him, but Dani just smiles.“Trust me, I’ll happily let you have a turn with the next murderer terrorizing the city.”
He has the sense to look embarrassed.“Sorry, Miss Montrose.Let’s talk about what happened.”
Edmund and I hover nearby while Dani gives her statement.
“Please keep it short.”Edmund steps in after a few minutes.“As you can see, Danica is exhausted.She’s been through quite an ordeal and I’d like to bring her home soon.”
“Understood,” the first detective says.
