King Maker (King Maker 3)

I hit the floor on my back with a grunt, leaving Bailey’s attacker in the favorable position. I launched a fist at his face and he turned but not before I clipped his jaw.

He went sprawling over and I moved quickly to grab a fist full of his hair and used it to draw his head up and back into the floor.

Then I punched him again, my knuckles splitting as they hit bone, pummeling his nose into mincemeat if I had my choice.

Though he’d gone slack underneath me, I wasn’t done. I grabbed his hair, prepared to flip him and force him to eat the floor with his entire face.

Only the satisfying sounds of teeth breaking didn’t happen as Matt caught my arm. I could have easily broken loose. It was his words that penetrated my predatory brain.

“He’s done for and the cops are here.”

I let go of the bawbag and his head bounced once on the floor.

Then I let my attention focus on the bed where Bailey had been. Through my breaths, I could hear her quiet sobs until all hell broke loose.

Sirens screamed closer as I watched Turner scoop her up into his arms. I fisted my hands and the wounds on my knuckles woke up.

I got to my feet and followed them out into the night. I stood several feet away as an ambulance crew got out and helped Bailey onto a stretcher.

My mind went to what had happened to her. Were we too late? Had he already hurt her in ways I didn’t want to imagine?

I made the call.

“We got her.”

“Did you get him?” Griffin asked.

“I battered him up, the bawsack.”

“Aye,” he said. “You wallop him good?”

“I lamped him silly.”

“How’s the lass?” Griffin asked.

“I dinnae know.”

She was yards away with another man, but I didn’t say that. I promised him an update when I knew something.

The cold began to seep in as my adrenaline wore off. But I didn’t move until her eyes finally met mine.

When they did, she didn’t wave me over. Instead, she seemed to burrow deeper into Turner who was by her side, caressing her face. His lips moved, but I heard nothing but the rush of my blood as I warred within myself as to my next move. In the end, I took Matt’s advice and let her be. She didn’t need me.

A swell of emotions in my chest threatened to show. As soon as I took in a deep breath of the cool air, I was able to tamp them down. With nothing left to do, I headed back across the street toward the truck and my car. It was late enough that not many cars had passed by.

Inside the truck, I let the team give me a report. One of the key things I was told was that they’d checked to make sure there weren’t any nearby security cameras that would have caught our rescue mission.

When Matt stepped into the truck nearly an hour later, I understood the importance of that statement.

“This goes against everything I stand for,” Matt began. I didn’t like his tone and how he started this conversation. I wasn’t sure what he was going to say. “Because of your excessive force, they might investigate how we found Bailey. Either could be used against us. He could get off on a technicality.”

“No—” I barked.

Matt held up a hand. “I don’t have jurisdiction here.”

I knew differently.

“What about your FBI friends?”

His gaze narrowed. “Let’s go for a walk,” he demanded.

I followed him out, spoiling for another fight.

“What are you getting at?” Matt asked when we reached my car.

“Does your family know you work for the FBI?”

Bailey thought him a cop with the Chicago PD. But I knew Matt had been recruited in college during a sting on the sale of drugs through a fraternity. Technically, he hadn’t been an agent then. Soon after he’d helped close that case, he’d been fast-tracked to be one of the youngest agents.

“That’s not something you should know,” he said, his eyes boring into mine.

“Then use the leverage you have to make the charges stick, because if he gets off, he’s a dead man.”

Matt’s brows knit together. “Why are you even saying this to me? I should put you up on charges of attempted murder for even saying that.”

I waved him off.

“He knows something. He’s not the ring leader. Bailey’s still in danger.”

Eight

When the door crashed opened, a big blur of a man connected with my captor. I sucked in a breath, starved for oxygen. I had no time to process how I’d been found before my room was flooded with bodies.

A voice I hadn’t expected to hear sounded in my ear.

“Are you okay?”

Matt. What was he doing here?

I nodded as I continued to find my breath, coughing and sucking in air all at the same time.