Ghost and I look at each other for a split second, and then we’re jumping forward, knocking motherfuckers out of the way like bowling pins until we can see what has happened.
Cezar’s head has left his shoulders, and Ruby is down. Jesus H. Christ. From the hole in her heart, she isn’t getting up.
My head turns to see a big, black, masked man lowering his gun, the one used to kill Ruby.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. They would have all heard that single gunshot outside. I position myself toward Ghost, all eyes are on the two dead bodies on the ground and slide it out and check the screen.
Hazard: ?
I risk speaking into the microphone attached to the inside of my ruffled collar. “Ruby dead. Cezar dead.” I clearly mutter.
My phone silently vibrates again.
Hazard: Fuck! Countdown starts. Place gonna blow at 9:22
And that’s how quickly the current can change.
I show Ghost the message. He’s wearing a watch, Boxer would have clued him in. We hit the stopwatch button.
I have no time to acknowledge the ache in my chest for not being able to save Ruby or question why Ghost popped up as an attendee, because I know the answer to that. Boxer needed to be sure Whisper got out.
Ghost nudges me to pay attention.
The fucker is standing over Ruby’s body looking down at her. He pays Cezar no mind and then looks up at all of us, surveying the room. “Everybody remain calm. You have nothing to fear. My name’s Filip, and I’m now in charge. Unfortunately, your host for the evening won’t be able to carry on his duties.” This British dick is talking like nothing has happened. “This is very unfortunate and not part of tonight’s plans. I apologize you had to all witness his death.” No mention of Rose’s death.
Where is Whisper in all this?
“If you would like to get yourself refreshments from the table to your right while we clean this up for you, then we will resume tonight’s events.”
Is this fucker for real?
There is nervous shuffling of feet, but they start to head off to the table just as gunfire can be heard coming from outside.
Filip abandons the great room and darts toward the noise, weapon raised. This is a clear indication to the high-rollers that everything isn’t under control and they all make a run for it, stampeding all over the place. The pennies have dropped, and they don’t want to be caught in the crossfire.
The main doors smash open and shit gets real. The high-rollers are looking for anywhere to escape in their panic. They think this is a police raid and they will be caught up in it.
We trip as many as we can, watching them go down in a tangled heap. Ghost and I start taking them down as a team. He’s grabbed one in each hand by the collar, and I whip their masks off before he smashes their heads together like he’s a human rock crusher, knocking them out and dropping them.
I’ve already grabbed two more, rinse and repeat.
Four down.
The remaining tangled mess on the floor is making sense of their limbs and scrambling to their feet. My fist is clenched and I take another one down with a throat punch, which has the high-roller wheezing and falling to the floor again. I bend down, flick his mask off, and give him a nighty-night fist to the face, and his lights are out.
Ghost is charging after the last one left fleeing this room. I yell out to him to carry on searching for Whisper, when I see the girl’s head on the table. Fuck! The five littering the floor are forgotten. My cane has rolled over to one of the snow-globed women, and I scoop it up and keep walking until I get to the table.
Whisper is staring up at the ceiling, her eyes unblinking wearing garish makeup and her fucking lips are sealed together. I hold my breath, unsure if she is even alive.
The gunshots and fighting are now just washed out murmurs to the drums beating in my head.
Christ! Please be alive.
Am I too late?
I sweep the food and flowers away from her chest, baring her naked breasts to me, the scar on her left shoulder a reminder. “Whisper. Can you hear me?” I watch her chest and can see slight movement. But are my eyes playing tricks on me? I tear my glove off, remove the blade I’m carrying and gently nick the ribbon until her lips are free. I lick my fingers, and hold them to her parted lips, waiting for the air to hit them. I feel a tingle.
“Whisper, honey, I’m going to lift you off this table and take you somewhere safe.” I barely hear the moan in reply from her parted lips. A tear slides down her cheek when she slowly blinks as if it is a real effort.
“Darlin’, it’s me, Edge.” I rip off my mask and hat to show her. “From the bar.” All she can respond with is a moan like she’s frightened and in great pain. I shuck off the rest of the costume revealing a black suit and white shirt underneath, so I can blend in with the sentinels if I needed to and not wanting to frighten her anymore than she already is. My weapons are now exposed. I quickly conceal them and clip the microphone inside the collar of my business shirt.
“Fuck, babe, what is it? I talk low into her hair. “It’s me. I came to rescue you as promised.” I pull out her ragdoll and hold it in front of her face. A tear rolls down her face in recognition, but no movement. “I don’t know what…” A bullet whizzes past me cutting off anything I have further to say, imbedding itself in the wall. I duck, pulling out my gun, watching the shooter’s next move.
“Step away from the girl motherfucker and put your hands in the air. That’s the only warning shot you’re getting.” He throws some handcuffs at my feet. “Put them on and you’ll walk out of here alive.” He keeps glancing at the two bodies on the ground near his feet. “What did you fucking do to Rose?” He chokes out in a European accent. Norwegian? Whisper said Mathias was Norwegian and he has a symbol on his right temple.
“Before I answer that, tear of your mask.” He does without hesitation and I see he’s got a symbol on his right temple. “We’re playing for the same team, Mathias.” I hold my hands above my head. I can’t afford the time for this conversation or risk a stray bullet hitting Whisper. “And I didn’t do anything. The female you know as Rose cut Cezar’s head clean off in front of everybody with that sword she’s still gripping, and then Filip-the-motherfucker shot her dead. All in the blink of an eye. I know who she is and her real name is Ruby Rose. No time to explain anything now.”
His eyes keep shooting to Ruby’s dead body. “What team would that be?” He’s unconvinced and I don’t even know if he heard everything I said, he looks lost.
I say Adam’s contact’s name which registers with him and he goes quiet. “Nicu is in here playing the same game as you.” From the look on his face this is news to him. “I gather you two haven’t had a chance to chat.” He shakes his head. “There’s a team of men with me to help get Whisper and the girls out safe. The other fuckers can rot. The gunshots you can hear are my people, and we aren’t fucking around. Now I wanna get Whisper off this table and to safety. If you are gonna stop me doing that, then we have ourselves a problem and I am gonna have to do something about it. I’m Edge and Whisper means a whole lot to me.”
I straighten up, my gun still in my hand, but I don’t need it. He’s holstering his weapon and hurrying to the table. He doesn’t seem to recognize my name.
I slide my arms under Whisper and try to lift her off the table. Her body contorts horribly, resisting my efforts, and a deeply wounded animal noise releases.
“She’s restrained to the table,” Mathias states the obvious.
Shit.
I gently lay her back and remove what’s covering each hand, expecting ankle and wrist straps. The Norwegian is at the foot of the table, sweeping food and flowers away from her feet. And then we both stare in horror. My eyes fly to her face. Her mouth is open more, and a horrible noise is gurgling up.
Her hands and feet have been nailed to the wooden table with long, narrow bolts, each at angles to enable her limbs to be laid flat. The scented flowers were to combat the metallic smell from her wounds.
“Jesus Christ!” we both shout in unison.
“There’s no way we can get these bolts out without hurting her.” Mathias looks around helplessly as he talks.
She whimpers in pain.
“What the fuck has he given her? Because it must be wearing off.” I am frantic with what we can do.
“She’s living inside a paralyzed hell.” He curses again under his breath. “Check Cezar’s body. He may have more of the drug on him.”
I don’t want to leave her side, but I get the fuck over there and start going through his costume pockets. There are two syringes.
I take no chances. I find the high-roller on the floor I throat punched and try to wake him up with a shake and a hard slap. When his groggy ass starts to come to, the Norwegian assisting by tipping a bottle of wine on his face to speed up the process. I raise my good foot, stomp down hard on his hand, and hear the snap of bone as he hollers like a baby. I jab the syringe into his neck and pump the juice into his veins.
One one-thousand.
Two one-thousand.
He’s no longer hollering or moving, and his eyes are staring off into some happy place as if his body is paralyzed and no pain is being felt.
Good enough for me.
I hurry back over to Whisper. “Honey, I know you don’t want this, but it will make you feel nothing until I can get you medical help.” Another tear escapes, and she slowly moves her head down and then up a little. I kiss her on the forehead, and as gently as I can, I slide the needle into her neck and release the plunger, waiting for her eyes to stare at nothing. The horrible pained noises have stopped. I tuck Jenny inside my suit jacket.
I take my phone out and message Hazard.
Me: Help ASAP. Great room
I hear cursing again from Mathias. “The girls in the balls are starting to twitch, the drug’s effects will be starting to weaken. We need to get them all out of here.”
I check my watch. “We’ve got sticky bombs around the exterior of the house, and she’s gonna blow in less than five minutes. I’ll get the bolts out of Whisper,” I tell Mathias.
“I’ll get the snow coats and dump them at the main doors for the women.” He rushes out the room then comes back with blankets and tosses me two of them. I can see his mind is totally fucked-up seeing Ruby dead.
“You’ve done enough, take Ruby’s body and get out of here. We’ve got this covered.” I tell him as gently as I can. I don’t need him losing his shit.
“I’ll meet you at the pier.” Is all he says in reply and then he wraps Ruby in a blanket, the sword kicked away and scoops her up gently. “Rose was pregnant,” he says sadly, and then he’s gone.
Fuck!