Page 41 of Echoes of Danger
I don’t let him finish. What is it with the bad guys always wanting to fucking talk?
Twisting my upper torso, I grab his gun and aim for the man who has been sneaking closer and closer to Delphi’s door. Without thought, I pull the trigger. Not bothering to see if I hit my target, because I have no doubt that I did, I toss my elbow back and meet the face of Paston.
“Damnit,” he yells. “My nose.”
Before I have a chance to turn around and place a bullet in his head, I’m tackled to the ground by multiple men.
“He’s fuckin’ huge, boss,” someone says as I toss bodies off of me one by one. But it’s almost never-ending.
The gravel digs into my back as I twist, elbowing the closest guy hard enough to hear a crack. Someone curses and staggers back, but two more take his place. They’re trying to hold me down, to smother me under sheer numbers, but they didn’t expect a fight. Hell, they didn’t expectme.
“Get off me!” I roar, grabbing a fistful of one guy’s jacket and slamming him into another, creating a domino effect. They fall back, stumbling, and for a split second, I catch my breath.
But Paston’s laughing through his bloodied nose, holding his hand to his face as he staggers back. “You’re not going to win, Steel,” he sneers. “Doesn’t matter how many you take down. You’re outnumbered.”
I lock eyes with Delphi through the window, her face pale but fierce. “Run,” I grit out, voice low but firm. “When you get the chance, you run. Don’t look back.”
Her gaze flickers, torn, but she gives me the slightest nod.
I focus back on the bastards around me. “You think numbers are going to stop me?” I growl. “You don’t know a damn thing.”
With a surge, I lunge forward, using the element of surprise to shove the closest man off balance and break through the small opening they’ve left around me. I’m a few steps away when two more grab my shoulders, hauling me back.
“Hold him!” Paston yells, wiping the blood from his face. “Make sure he doesn’t move.”
One of them pulls a knife, the blade catching the glint of fading sunlight. I dodge to the side, yanking my shoulder free from his grip, and aim a solid punch to his gut. He doubles over, gasping, and I barely have time to register the next set of hands grabbing for me before I swing again.
Delphi’s hand pushes open the door on the other side, and she slides out of the car, trying to stay low. But Paston sees her and snarls, “Get the woman!”
“RUN,” I scream.
“Bitch,” someone yells. “She stabbed me in the ass cheek.”
“Get off him,” Delphi yells. “You’re killing him. Please, stop.”
She’s trying to protect me.
I can’t let that happen. I summon every last ounce of strength, forcing my way through the onslaught, shoving men aside like weights on a punching bag. But there’s too many, a wall of them between me and Delphi.
A slight sting hits my neck, and seconds later, I’m out.
Chapter Thirteen
Delphi Mae
Ismooth back Steel’s hair as I glare at the man called Paston.
“He better not be dead,” I growl.
“Just sleeping,” Paston smiles. “He’ll be awake and ready for war in about an hour.”
“What do you want from us?”
I can feel the three small incisions on my abdomen bleeding, and the pain in my side is almost unbearable.
“I simply want you to sit here and rest for the next three days,” Paston says. “Your life after those three days all depends on the man you love.”
“Jacob? Leave him alone.”