by Faith Gibson
Chapter Ten
Brynna was hanging upside down when the door opened. The same woman who kidnapped her strode into the room, only now she was dressed in tactical gear. “What the…?” the woman muttered. She walked over to where Brynna was hanging, and Brynna dropped her legs, wrapping them around the woman’s neck. Using her shifter strength, she tightened her grip. The female pulled a knife, but Brynna wasn’t going to be stabbed again. She had never killed another being, but it was either her or the other female. Brynna twisted her hips and snapped the woman’s neck. She unhooked her legs, letting the woman fall to the floor.
Brynna didn’t allow herself time to think about the life she’d taken. Inhaling deeply, she once again swung her legs up until her feet were below the knot. It took several tries, especially since she had to stretch her shorter leg farther, but finally Brynna was able to get the noose over the end of the hook. She braced herself for the pain of falling several feet with no way to catch herself. She landed hard, but instead of meeting concrete, she landed on the other woman. It still hurt like hell with the way her arms were pinned behind her, but at least she hadn’t broken any bones, namely her neck.
After resting a few minutes, Brynna rolled off the woman and scooted backward until she could reach the knife, pulling it from the sheath at the woman’s thigh. It took several tries to angle the weapon the right way, but Brynna managed to get it under the rope around her left arm. There was no way for her not to cut herself, but Brynna ignored the pain as she sliced both the rope and her arm. Blood dripped down her skin onto the knife, making the hilt slippery, but Brynna held on until she was free from the rope. She had just cut through all the bindings and stood when a man’s voice called out.
“Sphynx, what the fuck is taking so long?”
Brynna tested the weight of the knife and threw it, end over end, burying it into the man’s chest as soon as he cleared the door. His eyes widened before he looked down. When he raised his head, the man noticed his partner on the ground, and his face morphed from one of shock to one of rage. Brynna didn’t want to be on the other end of the same knife, so she charged the man. Still weak from the drugs, she called on her Gargoyle. The man pulled the knife from his chest, but before he could come at her, Brynna gripped his wrist, snapping it. The man howled, but he didn’t let the broken bones stop him from swinging with his other fist.
Brynna ducked, coming at him with an uppercut to the jaw. His head jerked back, and before he could recover, she snapped a front kick to his nuts. Groaning, the man grabbed his balls with his good hand, bending over. Brynna brought her knee up into his jaw, and the man fell onto his ass. She picked up the knife and shoved him backward, straddling his chest, knife to his throat.
“Who sent you?”
“Fuck you,” he seethed.
“Wrong answer.” Brynna pressed the tip of the knife into his skin above the pulsing artery that would bleed out if she were to slice it open. When he didn’t respond, Brynna dug the weapon deeper, and blood ran down his neck, disappearing under the collar of his shirt. “I’ve already disposed of your partner. You have one last chance before I slice your throat. Who sent you?”
“Fuck. You.” The male bucked, doing his best to dislodge Brynna from his chest. He was as large as Banyan, and he managed to throw her off balance. Being Goyle, she was quicker than the human. When he lunged for her knife hand, Brynna rolled out of the way, coming to rest on the balls of her feet.
“I’m going to enjoy tying you back up. This time, I’m going to play with you. I don’t care what my orders were.” The man grabbed his junk, snarling.
Brynna held her left hand out, palm up, and gave him the come-and-get-me gesture. Her years of martial arts training allowed Brynna to find her center as she waited. The man separated his feet, left foot forward, and she studied his body language, waiting for whatever type of attack he was contemplating. His right foot came forward, and Brynna dropped again, slicing the blade across the back of his knee. Screaming, the man went down hard on the concrete. She didn’t give herself time to think about whether or not it was self-defense before stalking up behind him and slashing the blade across the man’s neck.
Brynna stepped back, waiting. He fell to his side, hands clasped around the slash in his throat. She waited some more. When his body was completely still, Brynna limped over to where the dead woman – Sphynx – was. Who the hell were these people? Was Sphynx a code name? It had to be. But that didn’t fit with what she knew of Drago and the other Greeks. They wouldn’t send humans to kidnap her or take her out. The woman wasn’t quite as tall as Brynna, but her clothes would have to do. After stripping the battle gear, Brynna donned the black pants and T-shirt. She had no choice but to wear the boots, which wouldn’t fit properly.
Having been born with one leg just a bit shorter than the other, her own shoes were all fitted with an insert to help with the difference. Brynna had long ago learned to compensate when without them. After she was dressed, she dug through both their pockets, grabbing phones, keys, his wallet, and even a tube of lip balm. Not that she would be using that. She didn’t leave anything behind. Brynna grabbed the rope they had used on her and checked it to make sure there were no stray hairs stuck in the fiber. She then tied it around Sphynx. Her rope work wasn’t nearly as pretty as what had been holding Brynna hostage. She left it loose on purpose, making it look as though the woman had gotten mostly free. Next, she used the man’s shirt to wipe her prints from the knife and placed it in Sphynx’s hand before dragging her over and dropping her behind the man.
There wasn’t blood splatter on Sphynx’s hand, but it would take a while for anyone to figure out she hadn’t been the one to kill her partner. Brynna checked both phones, finding the screens locked, so she held each one up to its owner’s face, and the devices came to life. Brynna sent a text to both Banyan and Travis with her location and told them she’d managed to grab her kidnapper’s phones. To make sure they knew it was really her, she snapped a selfie and included it with the location. She signed off with an “I love you” to both males. Lastly, Brynna braided her long hair and shoved it down the back of the shirt, then picked up the man’s ball cap he’d lost in their skirmish, tugging it over her head.
Brynna peeked out the door, finding a long hallway. There were no other doors, but there was a metal upward staircase at the end of the hall. Brynna reached out with her senses, and when she didn’t feel another presence, she slowly climbed the stairs, checking for cameras along the way. When she came to the door on the next floor, Brynna turned the knob, praying the door didn’t squeak, even though she didn’t think there was anyone there. It opened to an empty warehouse, and she checked once again for cameras. Seeing none, Brynna took off toward the exterior door, easing it open. There were two cars in the gravel lot, and Brynna debated taking either. If those two had been professionals, they probably had some type of tracker on their vehicles. Then again, the phones had locaters as well. Were they supposed to check in with someone? How long was it before they were going to be missed?
Brynna pulled up the map app on one of the phones. She was two hundred kilometers from where she’d been taken. As she was contemplating walking to the closest town, one of the phones buzzed. The name Mist appeared on the screen, and Brynna knew she was out of time.
Travis’s phone pinged with an incoming text. The number was unfamiliar, but something told him to open it anyway. The most beautiful sight in the world came to life on his phone. Brynna. Travis traced his fingertip over her picture. “Banyan!”
The door opened, and Banyan was holding out his phone as well. Uri slid into the back seat next to his brother, and the unknown male climbed in after him. Even though it was an SUV, it was still a tight fit. “Travis, this is our nephew, Cal. Cal, Brynna’s mate Travis.” Travis and Cal nodded at one another in greeting.
“She’s a couple hours away,” Banyan said as he started the motor.
“How do you know her captors didn’t send the text and this i
sn’t a trap?” Dacey asked.
Travis turned around in his seat and handed the male his phone. “Look in the background.” Two bodies were on the floor behind her – one male and one female. Travis didn’t know if they were alive or merely unconscious.
“Are they dead?” Cal asked, taking the phone and looking closer.
“I hope so,” Travis said. The males in the back seat all nodded in agreement. He was glad he wasn’t the only one who was okay with Brynna taking a life or two. If that made him a bad human, so be it. Brynna meant more to him than anything, even a mark against his soul for wishing someone else dead.
“Travis, plug her location into the GPS. I know the general vicinity, but I don’t want to take a chance on making a wrong turn.”
The drive was made mostly in silence with only road noise and the voice on the GPS telling Banyan which way to go. When they reached their destination, Banyan didn’t pull into the gravel drive. Instead, he stopped on the road. “There are three cars in the parking lot, but I don’t see Brynna. There’s a large male with a handgun talking on his phone,” Banyan explained to Travis since he didn’t have the advantage of shifter eyesight.
“Travis, hand me your phone,” Cal requested. Travis unlocked the device and passed it to the back seat. Cal tapped furiously at the small screen. After several long minutes, he said, “I checked the coordinates of the phone she used to see if I could locate her. It looks like it’s right outside the warehouse, but Brynna’s not, so my guess is she dropped it there.”
“Shit. Where are you, Sis?” Banyan muttered.
Travis?
Travis’s heart skipped a beat, and he let out a huge sigh. I’m here, Bryn. We’re at the warehouse. Where are you?
About fifteen kilometers south. I couldn’t chance staying there waiting. There’s a rail line that runs about one kilometer behind the building. I followed it to Ogstad. I can’t exactly go inside somewhere and wait, though.
We’re on our way. Are you okay?
Not really. Just… please hurry.
Where do you want us to meet you?
There’s a park on the west side of town. Head there, and I’ll find you.
We’ll be there soon. Hang on, Princess.
“She’s in Ogstad. It’s fifteen kilometers south,” Travis announced.
Banyan didn’t hesitate to turn the SUV around and head south. Travis slid his hands under his thighs to keep from wringing them. “If I didn’t have a bad heart before, I definitely do now,” he said to no one in particular.
Banyan glanced over at Travis. “Your heart should be fine since you and Brynna completed the bond.”
“I’m just being dramatic. Plus, it’s going to take a while to get used to my new and improved body after a lifetime of being weak. When I get Brynna home safely, I’m going to tie her up and never let her… No, scratch that.”
Urijah chuckled. “Yeah, you might want to wait for a few years before you add that to your bedroom shenanigans.”
“Hey, that’s my sister you’re talking about,” Banyan growled.
“Easy, B. You know I love Brynna like she’s my own sister.”
“Did she say how she got away?” Banyan asked Travis.
“No, but she didn’t sound too good.” Travis hated to think of what Brynna went through. If she got loose from the hook and fell, she could have some broken bones. But she was able to travel fifteen kilometers within an hour, so maybe she wasn’t injured too badly.
“Where are we meeting her?”
“She said to go to the park and she’d find us.”
Banyan drove slowly through the town until they arrived at the park. Travis searched everywhere but didn’t see Brynna. There was a figure sitting on a bench, but it wasn’t— “Wait, is that her?” Travis pointed to the person dressed in black with a ball cap on. They stood and headed toward the car. Travis didn’t need shifter vision to know those blue eyes. He opened the door before Banyan came to a stop.
“Travis, wait,” Banyan yelled, but he couldn’t wait. He had to get to Brynna.
She limped toward him, and as soon as they were close, Brynna fell into his arms, sobbing. Travis hugged her tight to his chest. “Shh, you’re safe now. I’ve got you.” After a couple minutes, Travis pulled away. “Are you hurt?” Brynna shook her head, her eyes downcast. “Come on, let’s get you home.” Brynna nodded, and Travis slowly led her to the vehicle. Banyan was waiting at the passenger side. The other males had gotten out of the car too, and everyone was smiling until they saw Brynna’s face. She was still crying, and she wouldn’t meet their eyes.
“Bryn, are you hurt?” Banyan didn’t try to take her from Travis’s arms, but he did put a finger under her chin. “Bryn, look at me.” When Brynna glanced up at her brother, she cried even harder.
“I’m sorry,” she managed to say through her sobs.
“What are you sorry for? I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have never left you alone,” Urijah said. Brynna shook her head, refusing to talk any more.
“Okay, let’s get out of here. We don’t know if we’re being followed,” Banyan said.
Travis helped her into the back seat and pulled her onto his lap since there were two large males sitting in the back with them. Brynna laid her head on his shoulder, tears wetting his neck. Travis didn’t know what to say since he didn’t know why she wouldn’t stop crying. All he could do was hold her and tell her how much he loved her and how glad he was she was safe. After a while, the tears subsided, but Brynna wouldn’t stop shaking.
When they arrived home, Brynna climbed off Travis’s lap and rushed into the manor. She ignored Marcie’s outstretched arms and went straight to their bedroom. Travis met the others’ worried faces. “I’ve got her.” He followed Bryn to where she had stripped out of the strange clothes and was already in the shower. Steam was billowing out of the enclosure, and Travis knew he was right. Brynna was reeling from what she’d had to do to escape. He removed his own clothes and stepped in behind his love, wrapping her in his arms from behind.
“I can’t,” she muttered, letting the scalding water beat down on her body. Travis adjusted the tap so it was a more tolerable temperature.
“I’m here for you, and I love you. I do know from experience it helps to talk about it. Keeping it in isn’t healthy. The longer you hold onto the trauma, the more it festers. No matter what happened, what you had to do to escape, I’ll still love you, and so will your family.”
“What if I didn’t have to do it? What if I made the wrong choice?”
“You’re here with me. Safe at home. I’d say you made the right choice. Even if you killed your captors, to me, that was the right choice.”
Brynna turned in his arms and curled up against his chest. “Will Banyan see it that way? Will Uri? You’re my mate, so you’re always going to take my side.”
“If I recall, Banyan killed Uri’s husband, did he not?” Brynna nodded. “And that wasn’t in self-defense. Do you hate your brother for that? Or think differently about him?”
“No. He was enraged because his mate chose someone else.”
“Right. And that wasn’t life or death. That wasn’t self-preservation. That was nothing but a rage killing. So why do you think any of us will look at you differently for getting away from those who kidnapped you and set Urijah up to be arrested.”
“I… I’ve never taken a life before, and now, I’ve taken two.”
“Do you think they wouldn’t have killed you?”
“I don’t know. But I had the upper hand because I’m a Goyle.”
“Were they unarmed?”
“No.” Brynna rested her cheek on Travis’s chest, and Travis ran his fingers up and down her spine.
“Then you really didn’t have an advantage. Bryn, I know you’re strong, but you aren’t immune to weapons the way the males are. To be honest, I’m glad you killed them. That’s two less people who can come after you again, and maybe whoever they were working with or for will think twice abou
t targeting you again.”
Travis reached down for the shampoo and poured some out in his hand. He then washed Brynna’s hair, taking extra time massaging her scalp. After the foam was rinsed out, he slathered her locks with conditioner, then gently bathed her, looking her over as he did for signs of wounds. The spot where she’d been stabbed was already scabbed over. “That’s amazing,” he muttered.
Brynna looked down, ghosting her fingers across the puckered flesh. “I’m lucky I’m from an Original bloodline. I don’t think I’d have healed as quickly if I weren’t.”
“Original?”
“Yes. Our family goes back to the first Gargoyles put on earth. There are papers somewhere in Banyan’s office showing our lineage. It’s why B’s blood helped Lilly save Desmond Rothschild.”
“I heard that story, but I didn’t realize it was Banyan’s blood she used.”
“An Original’s blood is potent. I’m pretty sure being my mate has healed all that ails you. Not that I’ve given you my blood, but because we’re now connected through the mating bite.”
“Just another positive from being with you.” Travis rinsed the conditioner from Brynna’s hair, then turned the water off. “Let’s get you dried off.” Travis grabbed a fluffy towel and wrapped it around her hair before using another to dry her body. He then tucked that one around her before directing her to sit on the closed toilet lid. Travis gently combed out the tangles in her hair, then turned the dryer on. He waved it back and forth until most of the moisture was gone. “Down or braided?”
“Braided please,” Brynna mumbled, her eyes still closed. He turned her sideways so he could step behind her, and Travis plaited her long hair. It wasn’t anything fancy, but he was learning.
“If you don’t feel like talking to the others, I’ll go fix us something to eat and bring it to our room.”
“No. I’d rather get it over with. And I feel better. Thank you, Travis.” Brynna stood and pulled his head down, pressing her lips to the side of his mouth. The kiss was gentle, but it conveyed everything she was feeling.