Theo reacted instantly, shoving off the sofa and covering Ginny with his body. He rolled them until she was behind the sofa, and then he jumped up to lunge for the door.
Plasma sailed into his chest. He ignored the pain, tackling two males into the hallway. Witches. Damn fucking fire-throwing witches. Both dressed in combat gear, already hurtling fire at him. He punched one guy right under the jaw, shattering it into pieces he could feel with his knuckles. The male went limp, knocked out. Theo back-flipped onto his feet, bounced once, and kicked the other guy in the temple.
The guy went down and just as quickly leaped up, head into Theo’s gut. The force threw them both into the wall, denting the hard wood.
Two more men ran by them and into the dingy room.
Damn it. Ginny wasn’t covered. Theo slammed his elbows down on his attacker’s shoulders, dropping the guy to the ground. Then he punched with an uppercut, and the witch fell back onto his shoulders. Blue flames poured down his arms. He threw fire.
Shit.
Theo jumped to the side. The plasma ball hit the wall with a loud thud, and flames licked up the wood. Fire burned his arm, but he skidded on his knees, already punching for the witch’s face. Blood arced, but he kept punching, ignoring the return hits, until the guy finally stopped moving.
“Asshole.” Theo shoved to his feet and turned for the crappy room. The fire was spreading, and smoke filled the hallway. The alarms started blaring, and the sprinkler system ignited. Water streamed down, making the flames hiss. The smoke clogged his way. He shoved through it to see Ginny struggling between two men as they dragged her toward the door.
“Throw some fire, woman,” Theo roared, pissed beyond belief.
The three paused, mouths agape. It would’ve been comical if he hadn’t been so furious.
Ginny yanked free of one male and pivoted to punch the other in the eye. The guy reared back and slapped her across the face. Hard. The sound echoed even through the fire, alarm, and spraying water. Her head flew to the side with water matting her hair.
Theo lost his fucking mind.
With a roar that would’ve done a demon proud, he lunged for the guy, grabbing him around the neck and lifting. Fury and adrenaline giving him strength, Theo swung around and threw the bastard toward the wide window. The witch hit dead center and crashed through. He shrieked as he began pummeling toward the ground eight floors below.
Ginny turned toward Theo, her eyes wide with shock. “Oh my God. That was thick glass.”
The other witch moved fast and grabbed her, yanking her against his chest with his arm banded around her throat. She clawed at his forearm, her eyes filling with tears.
“Let her go.” Theo advanced through the smoke and spraying water toward the two.
“No.” The witch tried to pull her toward the door. “I have a job to do.”
“Why her?” Theo took another step, brushing soot out of his eyes.
The guy kept moving. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”
So the men were just hired guns. It figured Ginny had more than one enemy out there, considering she was a thief. Theo couldn’t have been her first mark. “I’ve already killed your buddy and knocked out the other two.”
“Wasn’t my buddy, and he’s probably not dead,” the guy returned, his eyes wild.
True. The witch had certainly hit the ground by now. He might not be dead, but he wouldn’t be attempting any kidnappings for quite some time. Theo jerked his head toward Ginny, noting how pale she’d become. “What’s she worth, anyway?”
“Twenty-five million.” The guy studied him. “Considering you’ve taken out my team, want to split it?” Soot and water mangled through the guy’s long blond hair, but his dark eyes were clear. Smart and calculating.
Ginny struggled against him, making little choking noises.
Theo paused and concentrated on her. “You can’t create fire.” She should’ve burned the shit out of the guy by now. Wait a minute. He focused back on the blond guy. “Did you know that? That she couldn’t create fire?”
“No. I figured if she started to burn me, I’d just choke her out,” the guy said congenially, as if chatting with a friend. “So. Do we have a deal or not?”
Theo paused, as if considering.
Ginny gasped. “Seriously? You’re honestly thinking of making a deal?” Her voice came out a little squeaky. Soot marred her forehead, and a bruise was already forming on her left cheekbone where the asshole had hit her. “Theo?”
“Where’s the file you stole from me?” he asked, stopping three feet away from the duo.
Her eyes bugged. “Are you jesting?”
He lifted a shoulder.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
The guy blanched. “Hey, we have to get out of here. Fast.”
Theo nodded. “Seriously, Ginny. Can’t you fight at all?”
“I hit you in the eye,” she said, a little color filling her face. “It’s been a long day.” Her lips trembled, and she renewed her struggles, pushing back and obviously trying to toss the guy over her head. It wasn’t even close as a contest. Strength-wise, she appeared tapped.
“What’s wrong with you?” Theo murmured. Even though the guy was much larger, she was a witch and should at least have some moves. But she appeared as helpless as a human female. Would she really push her charade of helplessness in a situation like this? His gut churned. Either she was that dishonest…or there was something wrong with her. “Fight him.”
“I’m trying.” Tears filled her eyes, and damn if they didn’t look real.
Men’s shouts echoed up from the stairwell.
“They’re coming. We have to go and meet my secondary team on floor two.” The guy started dragging her toward the door. “I have two more men waiting for us, and they’ll head this way if we don’t hurry. Let’s get out of here.”
Theo nodded. “Okay. I’ll take point.” He ignored Ginny’s gasp and started for the door, turning at the last second and punching the guy in the temple.
The guy fell back, and Theo followed him, nailing him directly in the throat.
Ginny sagged against the wall.
Theo grabbed her hand and her suitcase. “I hope you’re as good in that dress as you act. We’re taking the fire escape.” All but dragging her, he hustled through the disaster of the hotel room for the far windows.
She grasped her laptop bag on the way, stumbling next to him. One of her sparkly shoes fell off, and she kept going, kicking off the other one. They looked slippery, so it was probably a good call. “We’re eight floors up,” she gasped through the smoke and streaming water.
“I know,” he said grimly. “You can explain what the fuck is going on with you on the way down.” If the humans or the other witches didn’t catch them first.
* * * *
Ginny gathered her skirts the best she could and followed Theo down the hard metal fire escape. Snow and ice covered the metal, and a cold December wind blew hard against them. He’d gone first, no doubt preparing to catch her if she fell. The man had no clue how close she was to actually fainting. Really fainting. Her ears rang, and her entire body ached from her attempts to fight.
Tears gathered in her eyes from the damn unfairness of it all, and she angrily batted them away.
“Hurry, honey,” Theo said from below her, gracefully going backward down the zillion steps.
Honey. He’d called her honey. And he’d kicked some serious witch butt when defending her. The idea warmed her entire chest, and she tried to ignore the feeling. They were enemies, and she had to remember that fact. If he won, she lost. So she’d have to figure a way out of this mess.
Once they were on the ground.
She swallowed and looked straight ahead at the worn brick. Staying at old and seedy hotels had advantages…mainly outdoor fire escapes. Her foot missed a rung, and she slipped. “Theo,” she gasped, just as she fell.
He caught her around the waist on a landing. “Damn it.” Grabbing her skirt, he ripped it across the bottom, leaving her legs bare from the knees down. “There. That should—” He paused and looked down at her ankle. “What the hell?”
“No time.” She grabbed a rung and started heading down, ignoring the diamond and gold spiked ankle bracelet. The sirens sounded closer, and blue and red swirling lights cut through the darkness of the night. A firetruck rolled by the main street, and shouting voices echoed from up above.
Adrenaline gave her strength, and without the skirt hampering her, she quickly made it to the litter-covered street.
Theo jumped next to her and swung her up in his arms, turning and hurrying away from the emergency vehicles. Somehow he kept hold of her suitcase.
She jostled against his chest, clutching her laptop bag. “What are you doing?”
“Your feet are bare. There’s glass and who knows what else on the ground.” He wasn’t even breathing heavily.
She tried to remain stiff in his arms, but her body relaxed right into his warmth. Theo was all muscled male strength around her, and for the first time in far too long, she felt safe. For the moment. Wrapping her arm around his neck to help him keep his balance, she gave in to temptation and rested her face against his neck.
They were both soaking wet and covered in soot, but somehow, he smelled good. Wild and masculine, with a hint of something spicy. His heart beat steadily against her chest, and she shut her eyes. Just for the second. Pretending that she was safe and belonged with him. For years, she’d fought her own battles, even while pretending to be helpless. While she was more than capable of taking care of herself, under normal circumstances, she had no problem being saved by somebody who cared for her.
It was too late to save her.
More importantly, Theo Reese didn’t care for her. He saw her as the manipulative bitch who’d broken his brother’s heart, and as a thief who could harm his family. “I didn’t really hurt Jared, you know,” she said softly, her lips moving against his warm skin.
Theo stiffened but kept moving through darkened alleys. “Yes, you did.”
Her stomach ached. “He didn’t love me. Not really. He loved the idea of how strong I made him feel back a million years ago.”
“Maybe,” Theo allowed.
She sighed. “If he’d really loved me, no way would he have let me mate somebody else. You know that.” In fact, Jared had used his hurt ego to become a pirate on the open seas, which he’d truly loved. “Right?”
“There’s truth to that,” Theo said, his mouth next to her temple. “He’s happy now, and that’s all that matters. He found the right mate for him, without question.”
“So stop being mad at me.” She hated how needy she sounded, but fighting just took too much out of her. “Please.”
“Give me the file back and we’ll talk about it,” he said, making another turn in the dark night. The sirens and sounds of the crowd slowly disappeared. Snow started falling, mixing with the soot covering them both.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her body beginning to shut down.
He slipped on the ice and quickly regained his footing, not slowing in the slightest. “I have a car around the next block.”
She couldn’t get into a vehicle with him, but her body was done. “I can’t get you what you want, Theo. I’m so very sorry,” she mumbled into his neck, finally giving in and relaxing completely against him.
“Then you’re about to have a pretty rough night, sweetheart.” His tone was all determination with more than a hint of threat.