With the stooges leaving the room, I had a matter of moments to make my next move. The pain throughout my body was dizzying, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me alert and on the move.

I knew what I had to do if I wanted to live.

The goons were hired men, low on the totem pole because Ivan didn’t have the reach his brother did or the resources. They weren’t shot callers and the way they acted, it was obvious they had zero authority to make any decisions about taking out anyone, especially me. There was no doubt in my mind they were checking in with Ivan for instructions. Melanie sat up in the bed crying. It annoyed the fuck out of me. We didn’t have time for her to break down right now.

“Melanie, get over here,” I ordered, biting back the pain from my injuries. “I need you to untie me.”

She kept sobbing, ignoring me. We didn’t have time for her to break down now. I hated weak women, and she was only pushing the limits of my patience with every tear she shed. Get with the program, we had one shot to make it out of here. Riley did his part which had the men off their game and distracted, now Melanie needed to do hers.

“Melanie, is crying getting you free?” I harshly barked at her. “You can cry later, I’ll even make sure you get tissues, but right now you gotta put your big girl panties on.”

That got her attention. She swallowed hard before moving off the bed with her huge belly and came to me. I felt her hands tremble as she struggled with the restraints. I needed her to find a way to chill out and focus.

“Gotta calm down, Mel. You’re the one to save us all right now. I know you can do this. Be strong for the baby,” I tried encourage her.

She blew out a breath and got back to the task. I could sense her body trembling behind me as she continued to struggle. She was losing the battle in her mind to remain in control. It felt like forever but was really just seconds as she freed my arms. She stood and extended her hands to me to help me up. I shook my head as I struggled to focus my vision. My body was shutting down from the loss of blood.

“I can get up, just give me a sec. You don’t need the pressure of my weight.” She was too far in her pregnancy to help me get up. My weight and injuries would only put her and her unborn baby more at risk. The situation was already far too stressful with as close to her due date as she was. I didn’t want anything to tip her over the edge and her body start contractions.

I looked around the room trying to find something to use for protection. It was empty. Standing, I let out a groan from the pain as my leg had started bleeding again. Every move I made was agony. The adrenaline wasn’t enough to override my pain receptors anymore. I was going to crash soon and needed to get us out of here first.

We heard the shuffling of feet coming upstairs, so I had to think fast. Climbing on the bed, I quickly unscrewed the light bulb. It was the only thing in the room I could see to make a weapon. My fingers burned at the heat on the glass, but I kept at my task. Jumping off the bed, pain radiated up my leg as I purposely dropped the bulb and let it break on the floor.

Picking up the part used to screw the bulb in, I readied myself. The door opened, and short stooge entered first. As soon as he turned to me, I rushed him and pushed the broken glass into his neck, hitting the jugular.

I got fucking lucky.

As he grabbed at his neck, choking on his blood, I took his gun aiming at the man following in behind him who had his gun out and aimed not at me but Melanie. Without hesitation, I released the safety and fired. The bullet hit his forehead as I fired a second round to his chest. He didn’t even have a chance to move his finger to the trigger of his weapon to get a shot off.

Melanie screamed behind me, over and over she let out a blood curling yells.

The third man never came in. I waited. I listened as the blood from the two men pooled around my boots. Taking a moment, I checked the clip in the handgun to make sure it was full minus the two I unloaded in the middle stooge.

“Mel, you gotta get your shit under control,” I told her as I continued to access the situation and keep my ears tuned into the rest of the space for the other man. “We gotta move, and I need you focused.”

She fought to take deep breaths. Then when she wasn’t as loud, I took her by the hand and started to lead the way out of the room. Stopping at the man I shot, I grabbed his gun and phone before I continued to guide Melanie from the space. Her feet made a squishy sound with every step as her slippers had soaked up the blood and were leaving a trail.

I couldn’t worry about this right now. I needed to make a call, find a car, and get the fuck out of here.

Using the dead man’s phone, I dialed the phone number to the cabin. I needed to make sure Laurel and Ellen Sue were safe until I could get someone to them.

Laurel answered, breathing heavy like she ran to the phone, “Hello?”

“Angel,” I spoke as a calm washed over me hearing her voice. I wanted nothing more than to listen to her voice every day for the rest of my life, but right now, I had to keep her safe for this to even be possible. “Give the phone to Ellen Sue.”

“Where the hell are you?” she fired back at me. I didn’t have time for this. “You’re obviously not dead, but you will be once I get my hands on you.” That fight of hers was something I loved, but now wasn’t the moment for this.

I blew out an exasperated breath. “I’m fine, but I need to talk to Ellen Sue, now.”

She didn’t say another word, most likely mad as hell at me which was fine. I could deal with that later. This second, I needed her safe, and Ellen Sue would know what to do. “Yello,” Ellen Sue answered calmly.

“Lock it down and go to the safe room. I can’t explain right now. Under no circumstances do you allow her to leave the room nor do you go out, Ellen Sue. Understand?”

“Yes, I’ve got it.” She paused. I listened as the loud buzzer went off once; she was activating the shutters that would barricade them in. Unless the house was set on fire, no one and nothing would penetrate the walls. If the house caught fire, only the top would burn because Ellen Sue would take Laurel downstairs to the underground bunker that was certified fireproof.

No expense was spared and nothing was unprepared. Laurel would be safe. I took a deep breath. Next step was to get someone on the way to find my ass while I got Melanie somewhere safer than here.

“We’ll be downstairs.” Ellen Sue hung up the phone, and I made the second call to Dane.

“Anderson,” he answered, not recognizing the number.

“Dane, it’s Pax.” I felt my shirt saturate in wetness again where my shoulder was bleeding. The movements had caused the wound to bleed again. When they crushed my leg it began bleeding as well so the more I moved the more blood I lost. I was getting lightheaded, and I knew my health was in jeopardy.

“Where the fuck are you?” he clipped at me. “We got an alarm on Mel’s shit. It went off, so I hacked the security feed Petrov put in. Watched them take you. We’ve been trying to track it but lost them on a backroad.”

“Find me,” I clipped out. “Look for smoke, we’ll be within a two-mile radius of that.”

Those were the last words I could get out while biting back the pain. I knew I wouldn’t make it far from the house. But I also knew Dane had every resource available to him on the hunt so someone would be close. On a hobble, I managed to get Melanie and I out of the house. I snagged a set of car keys on the counter as we walked to the garage.

Using the gas can I found, I poured the shit all over. Raising the bay door, I looked out to see a Chevy truck that the clicker on the keychain made light up. Pulling out my smokes, I put the cigarette to my lips and used the Zippo that never let any of us down to light it.

“Head to the truck,” I instructed Melanie. She didn’t ask questions and took off as fast as she could with her very pregnant belly. When she was safely tucked away, I had a long pull off the cigarette before tossing it over my shoulder and into the gasoline.

On a quick clip, half dragging my injured leg, I reached the truck. Climbing in, I yelled out my pain as I cranked the truck and pulled off down the driveway.

I was losing blood. Too much, too fast, and I felt the shock settling in.

I was fucked.

Thoroughly fucked.

Finding a dirt road not far from where we were, I pulled off and found a place to park the black truck. We didn’t blend in, but we didn’t stick out either.

I was dizzy, couldn’t focus. The darkness was winning as I blinked, fighting for consciousness.

Laurel was safe. Dane would find us. I kept telling myself that as I was losing the battle.

“Paxton,” Melanie said my name over and over. “Stay with me.”

I could only groan.

“Dane’s coming,” I whispered before everything went black.