Maniacs (Depraved Sinners 4)

I bounce on my toes, my knees shaking with anticipation as my hand hovers over the gun in the back waistband of my pants.

Come on. Come on. Come on.

Anyone would think that a woman with a shitload of cash ready to burn would be able to afford an elevator fit for a queen. It’s not like we’re back in the early days where an elevator attendant would literally stand inside with you, closing gates and pulling a chain to bring us up and down.

What feels like a million years later, the elevator dings, and I curse it to hell. It’s the softest ding I’ve ever heard, but right now it sounds like a fucking wrecking ball smashing through the walls.

The door opens, and I hastily get in before turning around and slamming my hand over the close door button, all too aware that there could have been someone waiting for me inside.

I scan the buttons. There are two upper levels which would lead to the bedrooms and living suites, the current level I’m on, and then the training room below. My brows furrow and I shake my head. There has to be something more. Some way to get down to Gia’s cells below.

I spin around, taking in every corner of the elevator when I find a single black button on the wall. It’s much smaller than the other buttons and mostly hidden by the interior design of the elevator. My finger retracts, nerves pulsing through me. There’s a good chance that button lets off some kind of alarm and will screw me over in the worst way, but what do I have to lose? I’m not leaving this place without Levi, and it won’t be long until the boys are storming in here to save my stupid ass.

Letting out a shaky breath, my finger strikes out, hitting the button with a fierce determination.

The elevator starts moving down, and I grip my gun, certain that if I’m right and the door opens to Gia’s hidden cells, there will be guards lying in wait, and I’m going to be ready. I hold the gun out in front of me, my finger hovering over the trigger.

The further the elevator descends, the more my stomach fills with unease, but the second the soft ding sounds through the small metal box and the door slides open, every bit of hesitation dissolves within me.

Three guards stand inside the darkened room, one looking my way, his brows furrowed while the other two keep their stares on whatever the fuck they’re doing.

My gun rings out.

A bullet plunges deep into the first guard’s chest as I move like lightning, sprinting forward and adjusting my arm to the right before they get a chance to react. Their sharp gazes whip toward me, their eyes wide with fear as the gun sings out again. BANG! BANG!

One bullet pierces through the closer guard’s skull, sending him flailing backward, while the other collides with the further guard’s shoulder. He cries out, and I take another shot—BANG! My arm flinches with the powerful shot, but I keep moving forward, watching as he falls, one bullet in his shoulder, the other straight through his chest.

I don’t stop to make sure they’re dead because the second I look down at them and see them as humans bleeding out on the ground, I’ll break. My conscience will come up and crush me, and I can’t afford that right now. All that matters is racing around the corner and finding the man I’ve been desperate to see for the past three days.

My feet move like lightning, rushing across the dark flooring, barely touching the ground. I race around the corner and into a wide-open room with black walls and chains hanging from bars across the ceiling, and right there in the center of the room is the reason I’m here.

I pull myself to a stop, my greedy gaze sailing over every inch of his body, taking in the angry whip marks across his wide chest. He looks strong but exhausted. His chest rises with heavy breaths, and I don’t doubt that every movement kills him just a little bit more.

“Well, well,” I mutter, a wicked grin spreading across my face. The relief is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. “If it isn’t my favorite DeAngelis.”

A relieved sigh escapes through Levi’s lips as he slowly raises his head to meet my eyes, and the pain I see reflected in his is nearly enough to drop me to my knees. “You better not let Marcus hear you utter those words.”

I race toward him, my desperation knowing no bounds. “You’ve got it all wrong,” I tell him, scanning over his binds and trying to figure out how the hell to get him out of here. It won’t be long until someone finds me on the camera feed and decides to do something about it. After all, those gunshots couldn’t have gone unnoticed. “If I tell him you’re my favorite, then he might just spend the rest of his life trying to convince me otherwise … and the sex when that man is on a mission. Daaaaamn. That might just be the best idea I’ve ever had.”

Levi shakes his head, a small smile playing on his lips, but his exhaustion is quickly catching up to him. “Get me the fuck out of here, babe,” he mutters, pulling against the chains as he glances around the room. “Where are the boys?”

My lips twist into a cringe and I let out a shaky breath. “You see, here’s the thing…”

Levi fixes me with a hard stare, the look in his eyes making my words fall away. “What the fuck did you do?”

26

“Can you bitch at me later?” I question, meeting Levi’s dark eyes. “Now really isn’t the best time. We have to get out of here.”

“No shit,” he mutters. “You snuck all the way in here and decided to let off four fucking gunshots at the very last moment. Are you trying to get every last guard down here?”

“Would you have preferred that I took on all three of those guards with my bare hands?” I question, searching around for some kind of release for the chains.

Levi smirks. “Why not? I’ve seen you take on three men plenty of times and you’ve never had an issue handling yourself. In fact—”

I give him a blank stare. “Seriously? Sex jokes right now?”

His brows bounce, and despite the agony tearing through his body, he’s doing everything he can to keep in good spirits. “Whoever said that being held captive was supposed to be boring?” he questions. “Though, I’m not going to lie, I’m surprised to see you, little one. Imagine all the fun we could have down here together.”