Ronan scoffed at his brother. “Put that thing down, and get out of my way. We had a deal. I’m taking the women and leaving.”
He took a step, maybe two. Malcolm moved, positioning himself between us and Ronan, lifting the gun higher.
“The deal has changed,” Malcolm growled.
Ronan lunged towards him. Malcolm started shooting. The impact of the bullets in the center of his chest stopped Ronan in his tracks, sending him tumbling backwards. Each round from the handgun hit him like a sledgehammer, pounding his midsection. He fell to the ground and lay there, motionless.
Malcolm lowered the pistol to his side.
Oh my God!
“Ronan!” Ainsley screamed, crying out at the top of her lungs. “Ronan!”
I was too shocked to make a sound. Malcolm’s brutality had no limits. It was one thing to shoot thugs, but it was something completely different to mow down your own flesh and blood. My entire body chilled as if coolant ran through my veins. I shivered while he turned and faced us.
“Now that my business is concluded,” he said, raising the pistol at me. “So are your lives.”
“No!” Ainsley screamed.
That sickening smile came to Malcolm’s face again. I couldn’t believe that was the last thing I would ever see. Suddenly, every light in the warehouse went out. I mean, it was nearly pitch black in there. I couldn’t see more than a foot or two in front of my face.
“What the hell is going on?” Malcolm yelled. “Get these goddamn lights back on, and do it now!”
But a response from his men never came. Instead, the next sound I heard was gunfire. Only, it wasn’t coming from Malcolm but from other parts of the warehouse.
Who is shooting whom?
I started to tug and yank against the ropes, jerking my body with violent intention, trying to get some slack in them. But the harder I tried, the tighter they seemed to get. While I struggled, another shot rang out, and then another.
I still couldn’t see anything, but I soon felt a presence. Malcolm grabbed me, crushing my arm in his hand.
“Ahhh!” I cried out.
Malcolm shook me. “Shut the fuck up! I bet this is your boyfriend’s handiwork, isn’t it? That fucking Dorian. Macho asshole.”
“If it is,” I snapped at him in defiance, “you can count the rest of your life in seconds.”
I never saw it coming, only felt the hot sting. A flash of white filled my eyes. Malcolm slapped me harder than I’ve ever been hit in my entire life. It was so forceful I felt like I might be sick.
Hearing the sound, Ainsley yelled. “Malcolm! You spineless worm! If you hit her, I swear you will regret it!”
While I bobbed in my chair, stunned from the blow, I felt him circle around behind me and start to loosen the ropes. Within seconds, he’d undone them, and they fell away. Malcolm immediately pushed the barrel of his gun into the back of my skull.
“If you try anything, it will be the last thing you ever do.”
The area where he’d struck me throbbed, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from fighting back.
“Go to hell! Do it already!”
“My pleasure…” Malcolm began, a sinister tone bellowing from him. “I’m going to enjoy this. Putting a bullet in your skull is almost as good as putting one in Dorian’s.”
“Not if I put a bullet in your skull first, you sleaze.”
“Dorian!” I screamed.
“Tempest, baby, just stay calm.”
“Light ‘em up!” Dorian yelled.
The lights in the warehouse flickered on, and I saw him standing in front of me, less than ten feet away. Holding a pistol in his hand, he had it aimed at Malcolm, who stood behind me. Seeing Dorian standing there gave me new courage. Pure instinct took over, and I swung my arm around, hitting Malcolm in the gut. It was a solid strike. I heard him exhale in pain, and I tumbled out of the chair, rolling to the ground.
“You bitch!” Malcolm coughed, trying to catch his breath. “I…”
I fell to the cold concrete with a thud. No sooner did it happen than the sound of a gun being fired at close range echoed throughout the warehouse. After, all I heard was the sound of a man screaming. Turning in the direction of it, I watched Malcolm tumbling to the ground.
I snapped my head towards Dorian. Several of his security team were running in our direction.
Dorian pointed at Ronan. “Check on him, now!”
He ran over to me, kneeling down and reaching for my arm. It felt so incredible to feel the touch of his hand on my skin again. Lifting me up with ease, Dorian yanked me into his hard midsection.
“Are you okay, baby? Are you hurt?”
I shook my head and flipped my hair away from my eyes. “No, no.”
From behind, Ainsley yelled. “Dorian! Look out!”
He pulled me out of the way. Malcolm lunged for his gun, but Dorian raced towards him, kicking it away at the last instant.
“Don’t move, fucker,” Dorian snarled.
While he kept an eye on Malcolm, I watched a couple of Dorian’s security team run over to Ainsley and untie her. Once she’d been set free, she thrashed the ropes off and sprinted over to Ronan, tears running down her face.
With his eyes still firmly locked on Malcolm, Dorian called out.
“How is he?”
One of the men knelt over Ronan’s body, examining him for several seconds.
“Fine, sir. Unconscious, breathing. Vest intact.”
Dorian chuckled. Turning his attention back to Malcolm, a huge smile came to his face. “Did you really think it would be that easy, shithead?”
Dorian’s bullet had found its way into Malcolm’s shoulder. The wound apparently wasn’t life-threatening. There was plenty of blood though -- a lot of it.
“Did you think it would be?” Malcolm began, looking up at Dorian through a dark, hooded gaze. “Shithead?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Dorian asked, taking a cautious step back.
Before Dorian could say another word, Malcolm curled his fingers inward and reached towards the center of his chest, grabbing his shirt in two fistfuls. As he ripped it open, buttons scattered, skidding across the concrete floor.
A vest full of explosives appeared in front of my eyes.
I staggered back.
“Everyone! Get out, go!” Dorian yelled.
Swiveling my head, I took a quick look around at Ainsley and Dorian’s security team. Just like me, they stood there, staring in slackjawed disbelief. Dorian didn’t hesitate, barking out his commands again.
“What did I say! I want all of you out of here, and I mean it!”
With his pistol still aimed at Malcolm, Dorian glanced towards his security guys.
“Take the women, take Ronan, and go! Even though they don’t deserve it, take Malcolm’s men also.”
“Dorian! No!” I cried out. “I’m not leaving!”
“Me either!” Ainsley screamed.
Dorian ignored us. Instead, he turned his attention to Malcolm again. He appeared to be growing more pale by the second, I guessed from the blood loss.
“I should have known you would take the coward’s way out,” Dorian began, clenching his jaw. “I don’t know why I didn’t see this coming. Fuck!”
Malcolm groped for the chair I’d sat in, steadying himself while he got to his feet. Blood dribbled from his wound, splattering on the cement flooring. All the while his eyes never left Dorian.