Mine To Protect (Mine #6) (10 page)

“Two million fucking dollars…” Zoe heard the whisper distantly. It was almost…giddy.

She cracked open her eyes, but she just saw fire. Flames rolling. She coughed and her whole body ached. She was trapped—her legs and lower body were beneath some heavy chunks of wood. The stairs? The bannister?

Someone grabbed her wrist. Held tight. Tight enough that she thought the bone might break. And then she was being dragged by that punishing grip on her wrist, yanked out from beneath the chunks of wood. She tried to turn her head and see who’d grabbed her. “Vic…”

“He’s dead. Not going to save you this time.”

The voice was familiar, but it was hard to hear the male clearly because the flames were crackling and roaring. Heat lanced across her skin. Had he said…

Victor is dead?

“No.” Her legs kicked out. He was dragging her by the right hand and her left flew up and yanked at his fingers. “Let me go!” Victor couldn’t be dead. He was wrong. She’d heard wrong. Victor was fine. Victor was—

Lying a few feet away. His eyes were closed. His body still. Blood slid from a wound on his forehead. “
Victor!”

A gun pressed to her cheek. “Stop your damn screaming.” Her gaze jumped to the man who held that gun. Even before she saw his face, she knew who he was. His voice had clicked. He had clicked.

Roy was holding his gun on her. Roy was glaring at her. And Roy…

“I can kill you here, but I need you alive—if I’m going to get
her,
then I need you alive.” He grunted. “Plus, there’s talk of a freaking bonus…I like bonuses.” He hauled Zoe to her feet, but kept the gun shoved against her cheek. “So play nicely, and I won’t let this bullet blast through your pretty face right here and now.”

Her gaze darted frantically around the burning building. The second floor was a wreck. Flames were rushing everywhere. Soon the bottom floor would be engulfed, too. She needed to get Victor out.
He’s not dead. He’s not.
The smoke was thickening around her, and her lungs hurt even as her eyes burned.

“Come on.” Roy wrenched her toward the door.

No, no, if she left, Victor
would
die. Zoe couldn’t let that happen.

She also didn’t want a bullet blasting through her cheekbone. Roy hauled her toward the door. Another cop gone bad. Two million dollars could do that, though. Two million dollars could make a good man lose his soul.

Roy eased his grip on her when he went to open the front door. He had to be careful because the handle had to be freaking hot. He moved the gun away from her face. A few inches, that was all she needed. A few…

She slammed her elbow back into him, then she whirled around to face him. She kicked the gun out of his hand, then, for good measure, she kicked the bastard right in the face.

Blood flew from his nose.

That’s right, asshole. This showgirl’s legs aren’t just for dancing. Hope you liked that freaking high kick.

Roy let out a guttural roar, but she was already rushing past him, going back into the flames and racing toward Victor. There were two boards on top of him. One of the boards had just started to burn. She shoved both boards out of the way, ignoring the quick flash of pain in her hands. “Victor!” Zoe grabbed his shirt front and dragged him away from the wall. There were too many flames there.

She inched to safety slowly with him. The guy was solid muscle. A dead weight.
Not dead. He’s not dead. I can see his chest moving. He’s all right.

Victor let out a long, low groan.

“It’s okay,” Zoe said, coughing on the smoke. “We’re getting out.”

“No,
he’s
not.” Roy’s voice came from right behind her. His arms locked around her waist and he jerked her back. Then he lifted up his hand—he had another gun there, a smaller one.
A back-up gun? Don’t cops always carry back-ups on them?
And he aimed that gun down at Victor’s body. “He’s dying right here.”

“No!” The cry was torn from her. “I won’t fight. I’ll go with you, I swear. Just…don’t shoot!” Because Victor wasn’t trapped now. He was alive. He could get out. There was hope…

As long as he doesn’t have a bullet in his chest.

The roof gave a long groan. Her gaze shot up. She saw only flames…so much fire.

“It’s going to collapse! Shit, let’s
go!
” Roy yelled.

He yanked her back and Zoe knew he was going to shoot. Because Roy was still aiming at Victor. That bastard was going to kill Victor!

“No!” She threw her whole body against him. The bullet went wide, missing Victor.
Missing him.

She and Roy were on the floor. He had his gun pointed at her now.

“You are such a fucking bitch,” he swore. “No wonder he wants you dead.”

She smiled at him. “Maybe…but you’re about to die, too.”

The roof wasn’t just groaning any longer. It seemed to be screaming. Fire rained down on them. Down, down…

Before the flames could hit them, Roy slammed his gun into the side of her head.

***

“You weigh…a freaking ton.”

Victor’s eyes opened at the low, grunting voice. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust his gaze to the darkness around him.

Darkness…

Flames?

“What the hell?” Victor lurched upright and found himself sitting on the pavement just outside of what looked like a freaking inferno.

“For the record,” Cain muttered as he dropped down beside Victor, his breath heaving out. “I just saved your ass. That means you’ll owe me. Big. And I will want payback.”

Victor’s gaze was on the burning building, not that cop asshole. A building he’d been inside…with Zoe. They’d been on the lower floor. An explosion had sent him hurtling across the room and—

Victor leapt to his feet and started running toward the flames.

“Stop that!” Cain shouted. “Stop that shit!” He tackled Victor.

They went down hard, rolling across the pavement. When the cop tried to hold Victor down, he drove his fist right at Cain’s jaw. Cain flew back.

“Zoe is in there!” Victor bellowed when Cain tried to come at him again. “Get the fuck out of my way!”

“She’s not!” Cain shook his head. “Listen to me.
Listen!
She’s not in there! I saw Roy carrying her out. She’s gone.”

Gone?
He swiped the dripping blood from his eyes even as he felt a dull throbbing near the top of his forehead. “What the hell do you mean?”

“I mean…” Cain gestured toward the fire. “Your lady isn’t dead in there, okay? So calm down. She’s alive.” His hands fell and his face turned pensive. “Or she was…I think she was.”

Victor grabbed him and shook the guy as hard as he could.

“He was carrying her out! Jesus! Stop! Or I will head butt you in your already bleeding head!”

Victor stopped, but only so he could glare at Cain. “You saw her being taken…and you didn’t save her?” He wanted to rip the cop apart.

“I was busy dragging
your
ass out of the fire, you ungrateful bastard.”

Victor shoved him away. “She was the priority! You save
her!
”

“Yeah, well, I’m getting she’s the big fucking deal in your life and all…”

Victor threw a punch at him.

Cain dodged it, barely. “Would you stop that shit? I woke up, dragged my ass out from the pile of debris and
fire
, and I saw her trying to save
you.
”

Victor stilled.

“She was dragging you. Doing her best to get you out of that place. Roy came up behind her. I was yelling but the flames were so loud neither one of them heard me.”

The flames were a roar right then.

“I thought he was going to help her.” Cain gave a grim shake of his head. “Then he grabbed her and he aimed his gun at
you.
”

“He didn’t shoot me,” Victor said. His body ached, he had some burns, but no bullet holes.

“Because
she
made the bullet go wide. I was trying to find a way through the flames to help her, but then Roy slammed his gun into the side of her head.”

Even though the fire was raging, Victor suddenly felt ice cold. “He’s a dead man.”

“He carried her out. I fought the flames and got
you out.”
Cain turned around, glancing down the empty street. “He had split ass by the time I got out here. He took her. The guy betrayed us all. He was supposed to be on my team.”

“I know that feeling.” Victor pulled out his phone, but the thing had melted. “The bounty on her head is two million. Are you really that shocked that Roy would flip for that much money?”

“He was a good cop. I worked with him and Michelle for years. He’s never been on the take before. He’s been solid.” Cain had pulled out his phone, too, only to reveal that it was smashed and nearly just as melted as Victor’s.

Hell. “He’s not solid any longer.” Victor turned away from the fire and started walking down the street. “He’s a soon to be dead man.”
Roy has hurt her. He hurt my Zoe.
In the distance, sirens screamed. Someone had finally noticed the giant ball of flames shooting into the sky. About time. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were shaking. Rage beat in his blood, a dark fury that he’d never felt before.

And fueling that fury?

Fear.

I have to find her. She has to stay alive.

He kept walking down that street.

I need her.

***

She hurt.

It felt like a hammer had slammed into her head. Over and over again.

Zoe cracked open one eye. Then the other. She tried to move her body, but found she was tied, hand and foot, as she lay in a sagging bed. Frantic, she looked around her—saw the yellowed walls, the faded furniture. Broken blinds were over the lone window.

Another no-tell motel. Why do I keep winding up in these places?

Sunlight poured onto the bed—and her. Bright light that told her a whole lot of time had passed since the fire.

The door opened. A brown motel room door.

Zoe tried to speak when she saw Roy standing there, but a gag was in her mouth. A rough, nasty-tasting cloth that had been shoved into her mouth and tied behind her head—she could feel the knot pressing back there from the cloth.

With a long sigh, Roy shut the door. Then he leaned back against it, staring at her. “Stop looking at me like that,” he said, actually sounding offended. “It’s not like I’m a bad guy.”

Victor. Had Victor gotten out of the fire?
Frantic mumbles came from behind her gag.

“It’s not even the two million that tempted me. I mean, I wouldn’t turn you over just for that. I’m not a monster.”

Victor! Where was Victor?

“It’s for her.” He took a few steps forward, moving closer to the bed. “I can’t let Michelle die.” His clothes were covered in ash. “I know I can get her back. If I offer you up, then he’ll give Michelle back to me. He’ll make the trade.”

She shook her head.

“You’re just not worth what she is, not to me.”

He really loves Michelle. That part wasn’t an act.

“So I’m getting her out, and if you have to die for that to happen, well, then it just fucking happens.”

Her frantic mumbles sounded once more.

“I don’t want to have to knock you out again,” he said. “I don’t like hurting women.”

What?

“So just stay quiet until I can figure out how to work the trade, all right? The motel is deserted this time of day, anyway. You’re not going to get some big rescue.” He ran a hand over his face. “No one is coming for you. Let’s just try to make this as painless as possible.”

He was insane. She wasn’t about to make her death easy.

“I’m going to shower.” He turned away. “I smell like fire.” Roy yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor. Then the guy just—left her. He went into the bathroom, shut the door, and the roar of water reached her ears.

Victor. I have to find Victor.

She waited just a moment, trying to give Roy time to actually get his sorry ass into the shower.
That way, he’s less likely to hear what I’m about to do.
She counted in her head, and when she got to one hundred…Zoe rolled. She rolled her body right off that bed and she hit the floor with a hard thump.

Her gaze jerked toward the bathroom door. Still shut. The water was still pounding down. Good sign.

She twisted her body, contorting easily. Did Roy have any idea how many dance and gymnastics classes that she’d taken over the years? It was all too easy for her to drag her bound hands under her ass and then around her now up-drawn knees. Soon her bound hands were yanking at the gag, getting that thing out of her mouth. She licked her lips, moved her swollen tongue, and then she tried to figure out her next move.

Cut the ropes. Find something to cut these damn ropes so I can get free.

Only no weapon was around. Then fine, screw it, she’d get out of there still bound. She was
not
going to be in that room when the guy came out of the bathroom. She had to take small, mincing steps with her feet bound, but Zoe slowly made her way to the door. One step. Another. Closer and closer.

But fear beat at her every moment. Not fear for herself. For Victor. Had he gotten out of the fire?

What if he hadn’t? What if Victor had died in those flames? Died hours ago while she’d been knocked out and tied up in that bed? What if he was gone?

I’m not ready for that. I’m not ready to lose him.

Hell, no, she wasn’t.

Zoe was almost at the door. Almost there.

The shower turned off.

Oh, God…

***

“Which fucking room is his?” Victor demanded as he slammed his fist down on the counter in front of the front desk clerk.

The guy flinched and his shaking fingers typed faster on the computer keyboard.

“Easy,” Cain muttered.

Easy? There was nothing
easy
about the way he felt right now. The firefighters and the cops had finally gotten to them, and then they’d launched an all-points bulletin for Roy.

Only that shit hadn’t been enough. And Victor hadn’t wanted to just sit on his ass while Zoe was possibly being killed. So he’d called in favors and gotten more tech help.