I have only one job now. To make sure Katelyn and Buck get the hell out of here safely.
I know this place is guarded, but Buck is smart. He was a Navy SEAL, and he’s a crack shot. A sniper. He doesn’t have a gun on him, but he knows how to move stealthily.
I must depend on him. I have no other choice. The man hates me, and for good reason. But he’s a search-and-rescue guy, and if anyone can keep Katelyn safe, Buck can.
My job is to keep them out of harm’s way. If that means sacrificing my own life? I will do it without regret.
I follow them. As Buck and Katelyn move quietly, hiding in whatever shadows they can find, I move not so quietly.
If King’s going to find anyone, he’s going to find me.
I make noise going up the stairs. And I find no guard situated at the top. Good. That means Buck and Katelyn got out.
But also not good.
Something’s up.
I walk through the house, and I walk out the door.
No guards that I can see. They could be hidden. But if they were, they would stop me.
Something doesn’t make sense here.
And I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit—
I crumple to the ground, electric currents slashing through me. Damn! I try to scream out but I can’t, my vocal cords don’t work. My body shakes, and I have to piss. Really fucking have to piss.
Someone grabs me.
Harsh hands pull me to my feet while I continue to shake.
A few minutes later I gain control of my nerves once again, and I’m being dragged back into the house into a different room. This one has windows.
I try to assess the situation, but my body is still weak from the tase. Now what? How many men are there? My vision is blurred, but one is holding me up, forcing me forward.
Where are the others? I can’t tell. They’re everywhere, most likely, but I must take this chance. I need to give Buck and Katelyn more time.
I reach into my front pocket, grab the toilet tank tablet encased in toilet paper, and scrunch it hoping like hell I get enough chemical on my fingers to do some damage.
I’m looking at getting tased again, possibly even shot. This doesn’t matter. I have to do what I can. I have to give Buck and Katelyn more time to get the hell away from here.
My vision is still blurry, but I press my weight into the body holding me, knocking him off balance.
“For God’s sake, you son of a bitch,” a voice says. “What are you going to do next? Piss your pants?”
Piss my pants? And it dawns on me. He thinks I’m reacting to the taser.
Good. That’s good.
I say nothing, but I wait a few seconds, and then I push against him again, this time overpowering him and bringing us both to the ground. I’m on top of him, and I bring my hand to his face and press my fingers against one of his eyes.
“Shit!” He squeezes his eyes shut.
I quickly rub my fingers against the other one. And then I rise, my body still like jelly.
I grab his gun. Then I grab the taser as well. I don’t want to harm anyone, and the taser will help me with that. But I need the gun.
I don’t know how long this guy will be indisposed. He’s writhing on the ground, rubbing his eyes, wailing. I quickly stuff my hand in one of his pockets. Nothing. Then another. Bingo. I find a cell phone and grab it.
This way King won’t be able to communicate with him.
Now what? I don’t have anything to tie him up with—no rope or duct tape. I shove my hand back in my pocket, ready to give him more chemical in his eyes, but then I think better of it. I don’t know who else I’m going to have to overpower, so I need to save whatever chemicals I have. I could tase him, but that won’t last long. I could shoot him, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to harm anyone if I don’t have to.
I’ve done enough of that in my life.
I’m going to go out without killing anyone, if possible.
My own eye itches, but I don’t dare scratch it. My fingers are still full of chemicals, and I need my vision. It’s still not completely back from the tase, so I can’t compromise it.
“Where is he?” I ask the guy. “Where’s King?”
He doesn’t answer. He’s still screaming and wailing, and his eyes are shut, tears squeezing out of them.
“Answer me, asshole.” I stick the nose of the gun on his forehead.
“Please, please don’t.”
“Tell me.”
“You’re going to fucking blind me. Get me some water for my eyes.”
“You’re not in a position to be making demands. Now tell me. Where the fuck is King?”
“I… I don’t know. Upstairs I think.”
“And the others? The man and the woman? Did they get away?”
“What man and what woman?”
Good. He could be lying, but maybe he isn’t. Maybe Katelyn and Buck got away.
“I’m out of here,” I say.
“No! Wait! My eyes!”
I don’t respond. With the gun in my right hand, the taser in my left, I trudge back to the house.
I enter, find the stairs, and ascend as quietly as I can. I stop at the top of the landing and lean against the wall. I inhale deeply. Get with it, Luke. You can do this. Get control of your fucking body.
I open my eyes. Exhale.
Time’s up.
50
KATELYN
We’re ambushed before we leave the yard.
Damn it. Buck throws his body in front of mine. “Stay behind me,” he whispers.
“I can hold my own,” I tell him.
“They probably have guns, Katelyn. Are you bulletproof?”
“Are you?”
He says nothing.
A man grabs my wrists and duct tapes them together.
I lean closer to him lift my knee and—
He screams out as I kick him in the nuts.
Buck takes over then. He smashes my guy on the head and then executes some kind of kick to the other guy who was attempting to duct tape Buck’s wrists.
His wrists are still free. He grabs me and yells, “Run!”
I run.
I run.
I have no idea where I’m going, no idea if Buck is behind me. But I run. I’m Moonstone, and I run.
Until—
I cry out as someone tackles me to the ground.
“No!” I use all my strength to try to pry my wrists apart, but I cannot free myself.
“I ought to give you a lesson right here, bitch.” The voice comes from above me.
“Don’t you touch her!” Buck’s voice.
I’m on the ground, face down. My bound wrists underneath me, my shoulders aching.
They’re not dislocated again, but they’re in a really awkward position because of my bound wrists.
Swat!
Something comes down on my ass.
“That’s for running.”
Anger wells up in me. I am Moonstone, and I will fight. Using all my strength, I roll onto my back.
A man stands above me, and I quickly weave my feet around his ankles and bring him to the ground.
“Bitch!” He stands up and pulls me up by my bound wrists. “You’ll pay for that, whore.”
But he doesn’t scare me. I’ve taken more than this man even knows about.
Buck is standing a few feet away, his wrists now bound like mine. Another man has a gun to his back.