All he did was smile.
Chapter Forty-One
One of the Mercer twins had Keiko. Her hair was wrapped around his fist, and he was dragging her from the terrace.
No!
Mace was on his feet and running for her before he could think. All he could see was Keiko. He had to get to her. He had to save her from the Mercers. He’d heard rumors about what they did to their captives. Rumors that had made his stomach turn. They liked to play with knives. They liked to cut and slice until there was nothing left of the person in front of them.
And now they had his woman.
Look out! the bat shouted in his head.
But it was too late. The second twin attacked from the side, hitting Mace with the force of a truck. He crashed to the hard, tiled floor and felt something snap in his side. His rib was well and truly broken now.
He struggled to his feet, facing the twin in front of him but keeping an eye on the other brother as he dragged Keiko from the terrace.
Do something! he shouted at the bat.
Save mine, the bat agreed.
What the tiny creature could achieve, Mace didn’t know, but he was all the backup they had. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the bat swoop at the twin holding their mate. He didn’t see what happened next, because a fist shot out of nowhere and hit his face. He shook his head to clear it and then charged his attacker. His only thought was to eliminate the enemy and get to Keiko.
He rained blows on the Mercer twin, but the man danced around him. Taking the punishment in a way that made it clear he was used to it. Mace kicked out. Aiming for Mercer’s knee. Hoping to break it and bring him down. The twin twisted away, taking the blow on his calf instead.
An outraged screech drew their attention. The bat had clawed at the other brother, attempting to take out his eyes. Mace grinned at the sight of blood running down his face and swung back to strike the twin in front of him. The blow hit true. Catching Mercer on the jaw, sending him reeling backward.
Any other man would have fallen. Not this one. He shook off the blow and charged. Mace fought back, but part of his attention was fixed firmly on the scuffle in the corner of the terrace. The bat had attacked again, taking a swipe from the twin but injuring the man’s face in the process.
For a second, the bat’s dizziness and weakness were also Mace’s, and his opponent took advantage of his disorientation, hitting him with a roundhouse kick to the chest. It happened too fast to stop, and the force of the kick propelled his broken ribs straight into his lung.
He staggered back. Unable to breathe
. Bleeding internally.
Dying.
Because there was no way he could get the help he needed before it was too late.
The broken edge of the terrace wall, where his grenades had caused damage, hit the back of his knees. His opponent watched him, waiting for his next move, knowing that one kick couldn’t fell a man his size. Not realizing that the kick had killed him. For one long, heavy second, Mace wondered why Mercer didn’t follow up on the kick. Why didn’t he come in close and finish him off?
It wasn’t important. His opponent wasn’t important. All that mattered was Keiko. Was she safe? Had she gotten free? How was he going to save her now that he was dying? Now that he couldn’t even save himself.
His eyes found hers over the carnage on the terrace. Her Mercer twin had released his hold on her hair to wipe the blood from his face. Her eyes went wide when they connected with his. Her lips fell open as though to call to him. And then, he saw panic register on her face. Panic for him. Only Keiko would feel fear for him when she was in so much danger.
He swayed against the crumbled wall. It was getting harder to breathe now. Dizziness was stealing his sense of reality, and it seemed as though the world around him was becoming weightless. Or maybe it was him. He kept his eyes on the woman he loved. She was his lifeline, and he wanted her face to be the last thing he saw before it all went black.
She was so fucking beautiful. Too beautiful for him. Too clean. Too perfect. It was right that he wouldn’t have a chance with her. Men like him didn’t get to touch beauty like Keiko Sato. A beauty that was soul deep.
“No!” she screamed. At least he thought she did. He was focused on the perfect shape of her lips and saw the word ripped from them.
“Live.” Mace wanted to shout it to her. Maybe he did. But it could have been a whisper.
No! Not die! The imperial command was pushed into his brain.
Sorry, rat face. I don’t have a choice.
He kept his eyes glued to Keiko. Nothing but death could make him look away now. If he couldn’t have her, couldn’t touch her, he would take what he could get—the image of her imprinted on his soul. He would fill his being with her. Drink her in. While he still could.