“I don’t fucking think so,” Marcus growled behind Zander. “The only thing that will be forgotten is your miserable life.”
I had no idea where Marcus had come from. The elevator didn’t open, the door to the stairway was shut, but he was here. He was alive.
Relief made tears spring to my eyes. It also distracted me, and I gasped as Zander spun and yanked me in front of him, using me as a shield, wrapping his hand around my neck to keep me in place.
“Get your disgusting hands off her.”
Zander dragged me closer, the scent of him washing over me. I swallowed in revulsion as the overpowering stench of heavy spice and bitter lemon hit me. If evil had a smell, it was that. Cloying, unpleasant, and iniquitous. I twisted, trying to get away, and he tightened his grip, making me whimper in pain as his fingernails dug into my skin. He pressed his gun to my head, the cold metal burrowing into my skin.
“I wondered when you would arrive. I was hoping soon so I could let her watch you die.”
“I’m here now. And I’m going to end you. You will never touch her again. Ever.”
Zander shook his head. “Such brave words. I had heard so many rumors of the Hidden Justice.” He smiled coldly. “How overstated they were. A few men, easily overtaken by brains and a plan. A simple plan you would never think of.” He tapped his forehead. “Simple and brilliant. Arrive early. Take the girl. Kill you all. You didn’t expect me, so you weren’t ready.” He shook his head, false pity saturating his words. “What a shame.”
“Oh, I have a plan,” Marcus assured him, his gaze never wavering. “And it’s even simpler. Kill you.”
Zander’s evil laugh made me want to throw up. The ice cream I had eaten earlier turned sour in my stomach, making it ache. There was a malevolent air around him. It saturated everything. His face, his voice, his very presence. It radiated and made me physically ill. The mere thought of him even closer to me was abhorrent.
“How did you get in here anyway?” Marcus asked, looking calm.
“Everyone has a weakness. I found his.” He indicated Leo. “I made his wife call him. I made sure he came to me. Then once he knew I had no problem killing her if he refused, he agreed to help me.”
“And his reward was this?” Marcus crouched, touching Leo’s neck. “He’s barely breathing.”
“That was his punishment for saying no the first time.”
“And the rest of my men?”
“Because they were in my way. I’m not certain they’re all quite dead yet. You interrupted my fun.”
Marcus stood, his hatred evident in his glare. “You sick fuck. I’m going to enjoy killing you.”
“And you call me delusional.”
I tried to twist out of his grip, to give Marcus the chance to shoot him, but Zander’s hold on my neck tightened to the point I could barely breathe. His fingers dug into my skin, his grip hard and painful, exactly the way I knew his touch would be. I felt his nails break the skin, the warm feel of my blood welling under his hold. I struggled against it, hating the feeling. I gasped for air, making Marcus angrier.
“Get your hands off her.”
“She needs to get used to it. The collar I will keep her in until she breaks will be much tighter.”
Fear and bravery combined inside me. I knew I had to fight—to risk everything if I wanted to live. I lifted my foot, stomping on Zander’s instep. It jolted him enough he released me, although when I tried to run, he pushed me, sending me to the floor. I cried out as my head glanced off the hard surface of the counter, and I sank to the floor, the room spinning. I fought against it. I wasn’t letting him win.
I had too much to lose.
Chapter Fourteen
Marcus
I was distracted seeing Missy fall, and my aim was off. Zander’s bullets found purchase—one in my shoulder, the other in my chest. I gritted my teeth at the pain radiating in my torso. The force of the shots sent me down, and Zander rushed across the room, pushing me onto my back, his face ugly and twisted.
Zander straddled me, bending low to push his fist over top of the bloody hole on my shoulder and pressing down hard. The pain was red-hot and agonizing, and I couldn’t help the groan that escaped.
“How the mighty have fallen. The hero of the hour about to die,” he tsked. He bent lower as if telling me a secret, pressing his gun to my head. “Tell me, do you want to fuck every woman you save?”
“Only her,” I snarled. “And I did. Many times. It was my name she moaned. The only one she ever will moan.”