by Tawny Taylor
Her eyes reddened even more. “I saw a live video feed. They’re watching her every move.”
“Fuck.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. This was a no-win situation. Either Rin, his brothers, and Lei would all die now, or they’d die soon after. Along with millions of other people as all the ancient prophesies came true.
The end took on different names and faces. The horsemen of the apocalypse. The Mayan end of the World Age. But all the stories stemmed from one truth. And that truth was what he and his family had been protecting humanity from for millennia, since the Great Flood.
There was no way he could let The Secret fall into Chimera’s hands. He had to protect it. At all costs.
She whispered, “What would happen if you gave it to them, Malek? Wouldn’t it be better if you just handed it over? At least you’d all be safe. And my sister, too. The baby.”
“Lei, I love you. With every cell in my body. And it will be your face that I will focus on when I take my last breath.”
She gasped. She choked. “You’re ... there must be something? My sister. The baby.”
“No, Lei. There’s nothing I can do.”
She blinked once, twice, clapped her hands over her face and sobbed. The sound cut straight through him, each ragged breath sawing at his insides. It was excruciating to hear. He gathered her into his arms and stroked her hair, wishing he could protect her, comfort her.
If only there was something he could do.
If only some magical powers would come to him, like they had Drako. Since that day, not so long ago, he and his brothers had wondered how Drako had suddenly gained magical power after he’d married Rin. Where had the fire come from? And would he and Talen possess it, too, once they were married?
Lei shoved him. Beat on his chest. Screamed every curse word known to man. And he took every blow, knowing he deserved all that pain and so much more. He’d dragged her into this. He should have refused to marry and accepted the consequences. If he’d done that, she wouldn’t be here now, about to die, and knowing her sister would soon die, too. She was hurt and confused and angry, and he could have spared her all of it. He’d gained her trust. And look what had come of it.
“I hate you!” she screamed, her words broken by sobs and hiccups. “I hate you, Ihateyou.” As if all her strength had been drained from her body, she slumped forward.
The door swung open. Holloway strolled in and hauled Malek to his feet. “Time to go.” As they moved toward the door, two more men entered. They brushed past, making long strides toward Lei’s bed.
Holloway jerked him around to face her. “They won’t make this pleasant.”
Lei’s gaze snapped to his. “Malek, what’s happening?” The look of utter panic made his insides go instantly ice cold.
“I love you, Lei. Dammit.” His nose burned. He blinked, but his vision was blurred. He couldn’t tear his gaze away. Not when the men dragged her off the bed. Not when they struck her with their fists. Not when she screamed in pain and fought for her life.
“You can end this right now,” Holloway said in his ear. “Save your wife. I know it’s what you want to do. It’s in your blood. Save her.”
“I am.”
One man threw her on the bed and ripped her hospital gown down the middle. Malek knew what was coming next. His fingers curled into tight fists. Every muscle in his body tensed. Moving swiftly, he threw a punch at Holloway, but he was anticipating it. Holloway dodged the blow and slammed Malek back against the closed door. Fists flew. A few brain-rattling blows were exchanged. Malek gave as well as he got, but within seconds, he was on the floor, pinned down by three men. Breathless. In pain. And wishing it could just be over.
“Fucking do it,” he said, intentionally taunting them. “Kill me now. I’m not giving you what you want.”
One of them blasted him in the groin and his vision went black. While he was blinking and fighting to drag in a breath, he heard Holloway say, “Dammit, Ewoldt. Hold off. I want him to see.”
Malek heaved a few times before his lungs finally filled with air. Seconds later, he was pulled upright. His legs were soft, couldn’t hold his weight. Holloway supported him on one side, another guy on the other.
“Okay, now,” Holloway said.
The asshole who was about to rape Lei sneered and shoved her beautiful legs apart. She wasn’t fighting anymore. From his position, he could see her eyes were open. She seemed to be staring straight up, at the ceiling. He guessed she was in shock.
She rolled her head to the side, and mouthed, “I love you.” Then she closed her eyes. A single tear leaked from the outer corner of her eye and dribbled down over silken skin.
“I’m gonna fuck every hole in this whore,” the bastard said as he jerked his zipper down. His cock sprang out, hard, ready. “Aren’t I lucky? I get to be the last to fuck this little cunt. It’s mine.”
“You might fuck me,” Lei said, her voice low, barely above a whisper, “but I will never be yours. I belong to Malek. I trust only Malek.”
Something inside Malek snapped. Wild rage ripped through him, exploding through his body like a nuclear blast. A surge of electricity charged through his system. He lifted his arms, throwing them backward, and both men who’d been holding him slammed through the wall. Hopped up on adrenaline, he ran full speed at the bastard who was about to rape his wife, grabbed him by the shoulder, and shoved him; the guy sailed through the air, his body hurtling across the room like a rag-doll. Malek scooped his wife and a blanket into his arms and ran toward the door. One kick and it was open and he was in the white-walled hallway. The sound of alarms blared, and security guards stormed at him from every direction, but he charged forward like a raging rhino, barreling through them, through doors, through a wall.
And next thing he knew, they were outside. A blistering cold wind knifed through his clothes, and Lei shivered.
He ran.
His wife was safe.
Nothing else mattered.
24
Lei wasn’t sure what had just happened. She could have sworn Malek had just tossed three grown men around like toys, kicked his way past at least six more, slammed through several locked metal doors and one wall, and was now running faster than a man should be able to, all while holding her so gently she felt as if she were wrapped in a cocoon.
What the hell?
It was dark outside. Bitterly cold. Nighttime. That was actually a good thing. At least it was dark outside.
They just ran past a Suburban. The truck was moving at a good clip. Maybe thirty-five miles per hour. No human being could run that fast.
She glanced down at the ground. It was whizzing past so fast it made her dizzy.
“Malek, what’s happening?” she asked.
“I’m getting you to safety.” He didn’t even sound breathless. How could that be? “You need to be safe. Safe,” he repeated, over and over. “Safe.”
Adjusting her position, she looked over his shoulder. “I don’t see anyone following. I think you can slow down.”
“No, not yet.” He picked up speed, zooming down a quiet residential street, zigging and zagging between parked cars. “Need to get you somewhere warm.”
“Where will we go?”
“Don’t know.”
In the distance, a police siren shrieked. Malek stopped. Frozen in place. “Fuck.”
“Do you think they’re looking for us?”
“I don’t know. Could be. I’m not taking any chances.” His gaze swept up and down her body. “You’re hurt.”
“I’m okay. Bruised. Sore. But okay. What about you?”
“I’m fine.” Turning down another residential street, he started running again, but at a slower pace. “Rest, Lei. You’re safe now.”
“Are you serious?” She chuckled. “You’re carrying me down the street. We just broke out of some...I don’t know what kind of place that was. We’re being hunted. We have nowhere to go. And my sister is their next target.”
“Yeah,
I see your point.” He halted next to a parked car and glanced at it.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, her eyes darting from one shadow to another. She half expected a CIA agent, or whatever they were, to jump out at them at any second.
“Can you stand?” He was staring at the car.
“I think so. But—”
“You need to rest,” he said as he set her on her feet. He supported her until she was steady, then pulled open the car’s door. “It’s unlocked. No alarm.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Get in.” He motioned to the passenger’s side.
She ran-walked around the car on legs that felt like wet noodles. By the time she’d dived inside, Malek had the engine started. She was still buckling her seat belt as he was pulling the car away from the curb.
“Better?” he asked.
“You stole a car. Isn’t that a good way to attract attention to ourselves?”
“We’ll ditch it as soon as possible. I need to get more miles between us and them. If that’s possible.”
“What does that mean, ‘if that’s possible’?”
“It means...” He shook his head. “Nothing. Rest, Lei. Close your eyes and get some sleep.”
“No.” She shot him some mean-eyes. “You need to stop keeping secrets and come clean if we’re going to have any hope of saving our asses ... and the rest of our family.”
Malek angled a look her way. “I like this feisty side of you.”
“I’m sorry, Malek, but I’m pissed. If you’d been upfront with me, explained all this secret shit, and warned me, I might’ve done things differently. For one thing, I would have warned those girls right away.”
His expression softened. “You’re right. But I wasn’t sure what you felt about me, whether I could trust you.”
“I can see your point. What a mess. What a fucking mess. Ironically, if I hadn’t done what I did for those girls, Holloway wouldn’t have had anything to hold over my head—”
“Don’t blame yourself. I love you for what you tried to do for those girls. And I know those fuckers will burn in hell for what they’ve done. You’re right. If I was going to put you in danger the way I have, I should have told you what you could be facing once I knew you really did love me. But I was trying to protect you, to shelter you.”
“And that was sweet.”
“Stupid.”
“So, are we turning a new leaf? Making a fresh start?”
At a light, Malek glanced at her, smiling. “This is one hell of a time for this, but what the hell?”
Lei offered a hand. “I’m Lei. Former sex slave with enough baggage to fill a jumbo jet, a sister I love more than life, and a checkered past that makes Mata Hari look like an angel. While I was working as a high-priced whore, I worked out a deal with a man who said he was a CIA agent to get some girls rescued from the business. And now he’s forcing me to help him. He wants me to fuck you and find out where you and your brothers are hiding some supposedly secret weapon of mass destruction.”
Malek took her hand in his. “And I’m Malek, second of three members of a secret order called the Black Gryffons. My brothers and I protect something called The Secret, which, in reality, is an ancient non-exhaustible energy source. We have been hunted by members of another group, called the Chimera. They have been trying to steal The Secret from us and our family for millennia. We have vowed to die if necessary to protect The Secret. But in the meantime, our duty is to marry and produce the next generation of Black Gryffons. Sons who will carry on our work.”
“That’s one hell of a story you have there, Malek.” She couldn’t help smiling as she shook his hand. It was great having the truth out there. No more secrets. “But I wonder, how did Holloway know about my connection to you? He was working with me weeks before Rin married Drako.”
“I’m guessing he didn’t. The Chimera dug into your past, linked him to you, and is paying him to help them.”
“I guess that makes sense. But what are we going to do about your brothers, my sister, and the first member of the next generation of Black Gryffons?”
“I have no clue.”
“Well ... okay.” As the car rolled by a Starbucks, she said, “Then it’s time to get some chocolate and caffeine. Those always help me get the neurons firing. And we need to find a phone, to call Rin and Drako. Please tell me you have some cash on you...”
“Yes, cash and a phone. That’s a good place to start. I can handle that.”
Twenty minutes later, their stolen car was idling outside of a coffee shop. Lei was staring into the bottom of an empty paper cup. Her stomach was full. Her head had cleared somewhat. And they had the start of a plan. It seemed, to her relief, the Alexandre brothers did plan ahead for certain situations. In this case, that planning meant they could access a pretty sizable sum of cash and a secured cell phone by paying a trip to a fitness center not far from the coffee shop. Hoping there hadn’t been a “breaking story” on the news, with their photographs plastered all over the TV, they took the risk of being recognized and went to the gym, one of the smaller ones that catered to serious weight-lifter types.
After parking outside the fitness center, Malek kissed her, told her not to leave the car—not a problem, since she was still dressed in a hospital gown—and hurried inside. Lei didn’t breathe, not one single inhalation, until he had returned. He was carrying a gym bag and was smiling.
As he tossed the bag into the backseat, she glanced over at him. “Got it?”
“We’re good. There’s not a huge sum here, fifty-thousand. But that’ll get us where we need to go. I called Drako. No answer, so I left a message. Don’t worry. I’m sure they’re okay.”
“Don’t worry? I can’t believe you just said that. I won’t stop worrying until I talk to Rin.”
“Then I’ll have to make sure you do. Soon. Oh, I also have new driver’s licenses and passports for both of us. We’ll be joining them soon.”
“Oh, really? Passports for both of us?” This surprised her. Not that his new identity had; he’d mentioned a move and name change. But at the time he’d told her about that, she hadn’t been part of the plan.
“Before you ask, no, I wasn’t expecting you to marry me. But I was hoping. And I’d planned accordingly.” He pulled the car out of the parking spot, turning it toward the road. “As it turned out, that was a good thing.”
“I guess so. Um, what’s my name?”
“Bai.” He stopped the car, looking left and right for a break in traffic.
“Bai,” she echoed. “Bai.”
He pulled the vehicle out into traffic, hitting the gas to accelerate. “Do you like it? I chose it for you. It means—”
“Pure,” she finished, a tear trickling from her eye. She wiped it away with the pad of her thumb.
“Yes, pure.” His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror. His expression changed.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No, but we need to dump this car and get something else.”
“A rental?”
“That’s risky.”
“Oh, yes. Credit card.”
“No, that’s not a problem. I have one in my alias. But we should change our appearance before doing something like renting a vehicle. Too much paperwork involved. It would be too easy to track us down if our aliases are blown.”
“Got it. So, what’s next?”
“We’re going to dump this car as soon as we can and find somewhere quiet to hole up for a little while. Just until I can make some changes.”
“And then?”
“Then I go back. To get Talen.”
“Talen? They have him, too?” Lei’s stomach surged up her throat. “They’ll catch you.”
“They might.” Pulling off the freeway, he glanced in his rearview mirror again. “Drako wouldn’t agree with me, but I think it’s better all three of us die, rather than only one or two. If one survives, he becomes an easier target. He’ll have no one to back him up. To hel
p protect The Secret. If we’re all gone, The Secret should remain safe. At least for a while. It’s well hidden.”
With every word she heard, Lei’s insides knotted more. She was very likely going to lose Malek. Soon. Much too soon. “Are you sure, Malek? Wouldn’t it be better if one of you remained?”
“No, it should be three or none.”
Her nose began burning, and another deluge of tears threatened to bust free. Here she’d just started to feel like they might be safe, that they might have a future together. Though she suspected it would be nothing like she’d ever guessed. But now ... as Malek pulled down a rural road, she told herself she might be counting their time together in minutes. Not hours. Not days. Not years.
“I saw a hotel a ways back,” he said. “We’ll dump the car out here somewhere and cut across the fields.”
“Okay.”
Malek turned the car down a rutted dirt road that cut through a thick forested area. They bounced and skidded along at less than five miles an hour for a while. Finally, he turned off the road, driving through a clearing that was just barely wide enough for the car to pass. It took some real skill to maneuver between trees, but Malek managed to drive a decent distance from the road before giving up and cutting off the engine.
He swiveled to look at her, cupped her cheek, and said, “I love you, Lei. And if you’ll let me, I want to take the next couple of hours to show you.”
She placed her hand over his, leaned in, and kissed him.
The kiss started out gentle—lips meeting, grazing against each other—but with each second that passed, her heartbeat sped up a little more, and her temperature inched a smidgen higher. When his tongue traced the seam of her mouth, a wave of need rippled through her. Her lips parted and a moan slipped up her throat, echoing in their joined mouths.
Their tongues stabbed and stroked, their hands explored, grasping, clawing. Not once did even a flicker of anxiety creep through Lei’s body. Only sweet, glorious wanting. Desire. Hunger.
Malek broke the kiss and stared into her eyes. “I don’t want it to happen like this. Come on.” He unlocked the door and ducked out of the car. While she exited, he grabbed the bag from the backseat, then checked the trunk. “You’re freezing.”