“Give it to my men.” The angel studied Shalimar’s dead body. I didn’t look her way. Instead I kept my focus on him, hoping this would be my savior. Besides looking at me when he asked my name, he hadn’t turned again.
He tilted his head to the side and studied something on Shalimar. With irritation, he asked, “You used a saw on a woman?”
“I…well, Misha said that…I should get the codes back…at all costs.” The Devil glanced around the room, as if looking for help, but all of his men had either been shot dead or were currently being dragged out the back of the house.
Shots sounded next.
Yes. Kill them, Angel. Kill them all!
The Angel looked at the Devil. “What’s your connection to Jean-Pierre?”
“H-he did this to my face.”
The Angel quirked his eyebrows. “But he didn’t kill you?”
“No.”
The Angel’s face held an edge. “I would’ve killed you.”
Silence bridged between them.
The Angel shrugged. “But then, that’s why they call me the Lion, and Jean-Pierre the butcher.”
Okay. Okay. This is the Lion. And… wait… is this a good thing or not? I don’t care. I would rather be with a lion than the devil any day.
The Angel turned to me. “I’m Kazimir. You’re coming with me right now.
Shaking, I picked up Uni and rose. “Okay.”
Kazimir glanced at Uni and then scowled at the Devil. “What is she doing? Did you give her something?”
“One of the men did. Not me.” The Devil looked more scared than I’d ever been. “I killed the guy, when I found out he did it. I’ve done my best to keep her safe and fed—”
“She smells like shit. Her face is scarred.” Kazimir spat out the words. “And she looks deranged, like she hasn’t slept or eaten in years. Now I don’t know much about Jean-Pierre’s taste in women, but I bet he wouldn’t lay with one that smelled this bad. He’s big on perfume.”
The Devil stood there with nothing to say.
Kazimir turned to a man on his right. “Tie up this Devil. I was going to kill him, but he may be a good bargaining chip with Jean-Pierre. Who knows what the Butcher would do to get his hands on him.”
The Devil shook his head. “Kazimir, p-please. I was following orders. Please, don’t give me to Jean-Pierre. I would rather you kill me now.”
No. Let me kill him.
Kazimir smiled. “Misha wouldn’t tell you to kidnap any women. He said get the codes. That was it. You’ll also have to come with us and explain to Jean-Pierre, that you did that to her face.” Kazimir scrunched his face in disgust, as he studied me. “Someone fix those cuts up. Why would someone cut that face?”
Others turned my way. One man had already grabbed bandages and was heading over. A second later, another man began cleaning it. I jumped a little as another reached for me, and then relaxed. I still couldn’t believe that I was free.
Was I free? Kind of.
I blinked, trying to get ahold of myself. Dead bodies lay, everywhere. I’d heard Aunt Celina’s voice. Shalimar had died with one arm. My face had been cut up. I had been seeing my old childhood unicorn. The Lion was here. Or was he an angel? He had wings and he was taking me. But I had no idea where he was taking me. All I knew was that I didn’t want to die.
Is this really happening?
“She’ll need stiches too. The bandages won’t be enough.” Another man stepped out of the shadows.
I jumped again.
Earlier, I hadn’t seen him enter.
Where the hell did he come from?
He was a black man with hazel eyes. Anger covered his face. When he spoke, I’d figured it would be a Russian accent. Instead, he sounded like he was from New York, or at least the East Coast. “Kazimir, I don’t care who we kill, just as long as we get Emily back.”
Kazimir’s face showed exhaustion and worry, for the first time since entering. “We’re close, Maxwell. One part is done. Now for the hard part.”
Kazimir walked to the window and stared out.
Maxwell followed. “I thought finding the flute player was the hard part.”
Who’s the flute player?
“No.” Kazimir glanced over his shoulder at me. “The hardest part will be exchanging this one for Emily.”
Me? Who’s Emily? What’s going on?
They’d bandaged my face and gave me a bottle of water. I sniffed the water before drinking it, not sure if it was more drugs or not. My throat and tongue had been so dry. I finished the bottle in seconds, and then coughed as my stomach twisted from the overload. I felt sicker than I’d ever been in my life. But I had hope that all of this would end.
I’m one step closer to Jean-Pierre and that’s all I need.
They led me to the limo where Kazimir, and the black man named Maxwell, sat in the back. One man led me to the seats across from them before leaving the limo.