Safe at Last (Slow Burn 3)

Ari closed her eyes and the doors slowly and soundlessly opened, just enough so they could each fit through. She disappeared within, Beau nearly glued to her backside. Dane was hot on Beau’s heels and the others quickly followed. Anna-Grace was herded forward, she and Wade positioned between Isaac and Capshaw.

Sweat beaded and rolled down Anna-Grace’s back as she concentrated on stepping around all the debris on the floor. The closer they got to where Eliza was being held, the more overpowering the thoughts broadcasting from her tormentors sounded in Anna-Grace’s head.

Silently she urged Ari to hurry. Anna-Grace’s pulse ratcheted up in response to the captors’ own. They were preparing for the kill. Her stomach clenched and nausea welled, forcing her to swallow. They were relishing the idea of dismembering her while she was still alive.

She cupped a hand over her mouth and held it firmly there, afraid she was going to throw up at the horrific images that flashed through the men’s minds. Each had his own idea or rather fantasy of how it should go down. No one wanted her end to be quick and merciful. She had embarrassed them by proving stronger than they could have possibly imagined and now they wanted revenge.

Ari turned her head, staring directly at Anna-Grace, obviously picking up on the sudden tension emanating from her. Her eyes glowed with an eerie light, growing brighter as she summoned her powers for the fight for Eliza’s life. Then, as if understanding the depth of Anna-Grace’s distress and knowing every second counted now, she turned and sprinted toward the back of the warehouse.

The DSS men took off after her, no longer caring whether they made a sound or not. Ari skidded to a halt and then gunfire erupted. Anna-Grace’s heart nearly exploded. She could no longer make sense of the thought patterns because they were all panicked and none made sense. All she could translate was their fear. That had to be a good thing. They wouldn’t be afraid if they thought they had the upper hand.

Anna-Grace ran toward Ari, determined that the other woman wouldn’t be vulnerable while she wielded her powers like a warrior of old. Wade made a grab for Anna-Grace’s arm, but she wrenched free, needing to see for herself that Eliza was alive.

And then suddenly she was flattened. Not by Wade but by Dane. His much bigger and heavier body covered her completely, pinning her to the floor.

“Do not distract her,” Dane barked in her ear. “She is safe, but you are an open target. And she can’t protect Eliza and herself if she has you to worry about too.”

Anna-Grace tilted her gaze upward as much as was possible with a boulder on top of her. She sucked in her breath, staring in awe at the force of nature that was Ari.

It was as though a tornado had struck the warehouse, only there was no debris flying around. Only men.

Screaming, shrieking, terrified men. Men who’d terrorized an innocent woman.

Anna-Grace watched in awe as one by one, the men were thrown high up against the walls, seemingly glued to them. They struggled against invisible bonds but to no avail. Nothing else in the area was disturbed. No flying debris that could accidentally injure them. In fact, it looked as though no one had even been here.

Where was Eliza? Try as she might, Anna-Grace couldn’t angle herself to see the entire area. What if they’d been too late? But no. Wait. There were no thoughts of satisfaction. No glee that the others were too late to save Eliza. There was only fear and rage . . .

Anna-Grace’s pulse sped up. It was hard to breathe beneath Dane’s weight but he hadn’t moved. Fear was foremost in the minds of the men pinned against the walls. But a very close second was fury over being thwarted.

They hadn’t killed Eliza yet!

“She’s alive,” Anna-Grace whispered up to Dane. “They’re pissed because they didn’t kill her in time.”

It might have been her imagination, but it seemed as though Dane sagged in relief, weighting her down even more.

“Thank God,” he said in a nearly inaudible voice.

Beau stood and immediately shouted orders. “As they drop one by one, make damn sure they’re restrained and pose no threat. Ari can’t withstand this for long.”

Anna-Grace glanced anxiously up at Ari and caught her breath. Blood trickled from Ari’s nose and ears and her brow was furrowed in obvious pain. Dane quickly rolled off Anna-Grace and bounded to his feet. Caleb issued a harsh command for Ramie to stay back and then he too rushed toward where the men were suspended in the air.

Now free, Anna-Grace scrambled up, her sole objective to get to Eliza. With the men incapacitated and the DSS agents ready to subdue them, someone had to see to Eliza.

Anna-Grace’s heart thumped forcefully as she darted to the far corner where Eliza lay, still as death. Panic surged in her chest. What if they’d been too late? What if she’d died before her captors’ macabre plans had even been carried out?

She stumbled and nearly fell and then let herself pitch forward so that she hovered over Eliza’s body. Eliza was so very pale and for a moment it appeared as though she wasn’t breathing.

Fear and grief formed a hard knot in her throat as she slipped her arm underneath Eliza’s shoulders and lifted slightly, hugging the other woman to her chest.

“Don’t die, Eliza,” Anna-Grace choked out. “You’re safe now. I swear it. Please don’t die. You have to be okay. You’re stronger than they are. You can’t let them win. You can’t.”

There. There it was. The softest whisper of breath on Anna-Grace’s neck. She sagged in relief and both women collapsed onto the floor. A low moan escaped Eliza’s lips and then her eyelids fluttered weakly, but she clearly lacked the strength to open them fully and keep them that way.

“You’re okay now,” Anna-Grace whispered. “We’re here to get you out. They’ll pay for what they did to you. And me. And Ari. They won’t hurt anyone ever again.”

Anna-Grace knew she could very well not be stating truth. She didn’t know what brand of justice DSS adhered to when it was personal. If simply turned over to the police and the justice system, they could end up going free.

The savage thought crossed her mind that she hoped they’d just kill them all. And then she was shocked to her bones that such a thought had crossed her mind. Yet she still didn’t recant. They didn’t deserve to live. Evil needed to die.

So absorbed in Eliza’s well-being, Anna-Grace never saw it coming. But one moment Eliza was in her arms, cradled protectively, and the next Anna-Grace was painfully wrenched away, a strong arm wrapped around her neck. His strength was bruising and she struggled to breathe. He yanked her upward and backed toward the corner so there was no threat to him from behind.