Alien Rescue (Latrothian Warrior Series Book 2)

by Dena Christy

  She seemed to see the reason, and she nodded her head. “Bring her back safe,” she said.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here and go save my woman.”

  The other’s followed, and Ryce went toward his room.

  “Where are you going?” Cynric asked in surprise.

  “I have a weapon in my room,” Ryce said as he sprinted down the hall. It didn’t take long for him to locate it, and he ran back to the others. He tried to block out of his mind what Collette must be going through. He would get her back and once she was safe, he’d tell her what was in his heart.

  “Let’s go kill that fucker,” he said grimly as he led the other’s out of the building.

  Collette bit her lip as Dawson’s car pulled into the abandoned parking lot behind the lab where Dr. Avery had held her only a few weeks ago. When Ryce had rescued her from this place, she had no idea that she would be back here at the point of a gun. Dawson’s pistol had been trained on her the entire way over, and it hadn’t wavered even as the car pulled to a stop. She considered making a run for it, but the parking lot was too open for her to take the risk. He could shoot her easily, and she decided it would be better to take her chances inside the building.

  “Where is he?” His voice was harsh, and there was a feverish light of madness in his eyes. Dawson when he was cool and collected was a dangerous man, but now as he came unhinged he was unpredictable.

  “They are inside,” she said and out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw Evie go by in the vehicle they’d stolen from Dr. Avery. She had to get Dawson out of the parking lot and into the building before he saw her.

  She reached for the door handle, and his pistol jabbed in her side. She winced as she looked over at him.

  “Get out nice and slow and don’t even think about trying anything. I don’t have to shoot to kill to incapacitate you,” he said as he reached for his own door handle. He kept his pistol and his eyes trained on her as she slowly got out of the car and made sure that he could see her every movement.

  Her stomach turned sour, and she trembled inside at the thought of going back into this place. This had to work, she had to get out of the line of fire. While she hoped that Evie had called for help, she had no idea how long it would take for them to arrive. She would have to find a way to save herself.

  Dawson walked around the car and took her by the arm. His fingers dug into the soft vulnerable flush under her arm, and she knew that there would be bruises there once she got away. If she got away.

  He dragged her around the side of the building and around to the front of the building. She hoped that there was a place she could hide in here if she got out of his grip. She’d only seen the back room of this place, and in that space there was no place to hide.

  He opened the door and shoved her forward, and she stumbled into the dim building. Only the sunshine trying to penetrate the dirty, greasy windows provided any light, and in the shadows of the boxes stacked all around the place there were plenty of places she could hide.

  “Call him,” he said as he held her fast. The building was silent, and she knew that as soon as she called out and received no answer Dawson would figure out that there was no one else there.

  “You don’t have to do this,” she said, and while she knew it was futile to convince him to see reason, she knew she had to stall somehow.

  “I do, so call him,” he said and his hand squeezed around her arm so tight that she cried out in pain.

  Her voice echoed in the confines of the empty building, and she risked a glance at Dawson and saw realization dawn on his face. His mouth twisted in a snarl as he jerked her around to face him.

  “There is no one here. You stupid bitch,” he said as he drew his hand back to hit her. She stepped toward him and brought her high heeled shoe down on his foot. He jerked in surprise as if he wasn’t expecting her to fight him. She took advantage of the momentary loosening of his hold to sweep her hand out knock the pistol from his hand.

  It sailed through the air and fell with a clatter a few feet away. Using the heel of her hand, she hit him under the chin and his head snapped back. She heard his teeth click together, and she jerked away from him, spinning on her heel to duck behind the boxes near by.

  She kicked off her shoes and sprinted down the corridor provided by the boxes. She hoped Dawson would take the time to retrieve his weapon, to give her a chance of putting some distance between them. She navigated the maze of boxes until she came to the stairwell at the far end of the room that led up to the gallery.

  “You can’t out run me, you silly bitch,” Dawson said, his snarling voice booming against the walls of the empty building. “You’re dead when I catch up with you.”

  She could hear his booted foot falls getting closer, and she took the stairs in front of her two at a time in her haste to get away from him. The gallery swept the perimeter of the building and all she had to do was make her way around to the other staircase right by the door to the other room. That was assuming she could keep far enough ahead of him to get out of his grasp.

  She risked a glance back on her way down the gallery, and saw that he was at the foot of the stairs, with the pistol in his hand. He raised his weapon, and fired, and it only narrowly missed her. The beam bounce off the railing and hit a box on the ground floor. The old dry wood exploded and stared a fire on the boxes that stood near it.

  Her breath sobbed in and out as she saw the smoke rising. It wouldn’t take much for all the storage boxes to ignite and she needed to get out of here before it did.

  The heavy thud of his boots on the metal stairs spurred her on faster. A noise came from the back of the building, right by the door that led to the room where Dr. Avery held her. She risked a glance down, and a sob of relief escaped her when she saw Ryce, Synn and Cynric come bursting through the door. The oxygen that came in with them fed the fire burning on the ground floor, and more boxes went up in flames as smoke filled the room.

  Collette blinked her stinging eyes as she tried to see through the smoke to where Ryce was.

  “Collette,” Ryce shouted and she could hear the sound of his boots on the stairs as he made his way up to her.

  Dawson’s arm, which felt like a steel band snaked around her waist, pulled her back against his chest. She cried out in terror as he reached around with the pistol to point it at her temple.

  Ryce came through the thick smoke and drew up short when he saw the position that Dawson held her in.

  “Let her go,” Ryce growled as he took a step closer. “Your problem is with me, so just let her go and we can settle this like men.”

  “Fuck you,” Dawson snarled as he moved the pistol away from her to fire at Ryce.

  “Ryce,” Collette screamed, and her heart pounded as she saw him duck, and the shot sailed harmlessly over his head. See how close Ryce had come to death sent adrenaline rocketing through her body, and she fought against Dawson for all she was worth. She clawed at his arm, drawing her nails over his skin in deep furrows.

  “Bitch,” Dawson snarled as he struggled to keep his hold on her.

  Ryce moved closer to them, and pain slammed through her as Dawson used the pistol to bash her in the side of the head. He let her go, and she melted down to the floor of the gallery. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but it was no good. Darkness edged her vision, and the last thing she saw before everything went black was Ryce charging at Dawson as he roared her name.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The world seemed to stand still for a moment when Ryce watched in horror as Dawson slammed his pistol in the side of Collette’s head. Her body crumpled to the floor, and she lay still like a lifeless rag doll. Pain ripped through him.

  “Collette,” he roared as he charged Dawson. If Collette was dead, nothing mattered anymore, and if he was going to die now, he would make damn sure he took Dawson with him.

  He slammed his body into Dawson's, and the pistol fell out of the man’s hand, to clatter uselessly to the floor below.
Dawson drew his fist back, and slammed it into Ryce, catching him in the chin and knocking him back. Dawson wasted no time standing around as Ryce fetched up against the railing and shook his head to rid himself of his dazed feeling.

  He ran in the other direction of the gallery, and Ryce was distracted by a movement behind him. He turned his head sharply, to see Synn behind him, kneeling over Collette’s body.

  “Get her out of here,” he said and his friend nodded as he scooped her up and carried her away. He longed to forget about Dawson, to go to her and see if she was all right, but knew she was in good hands with Synn. Dawson needed to be taken care of, so he could never hurt her again.

  He turned back in toward the direction Dawson had taken, and the smoke filling the room made it difficult to see. The fire below spread and Ryce realized that he wouldn’t have much more time to find his enemy and eliminate him.

  He heard Dawson’s shout of frustration, and he used it to locate him. He raced around the corner and through the smoke he could see that Cynric held him fast, with a deep snarl on his face. He’d forgotten that Cynric had his own grudge against the man, and while he wanted to be the one who ended the man’s life for what he’d done to Collette, he realized that he was too late.

  As he watched, Cynric grasped Dawson’s head in both hands and twisted, breaking his neck in a swift movement. As he let him go, Dawson’s lifeless body fell against a weak spot in the rusted metal railing. It gave way with a groaning screech, and Dawson’s body fell down into the flames below.

  “Let’s get out of here while we still can,” Cynric said as he sprinted toward him, being careful to avoid the gap along the side of the gallery where the railing used to be.

  Ryce didn’t need to be told again, and they ran through the smoke, both of them coughing and sputtering as their lungs tried to get rid of the heavy black smoke pressing in on them.

  Ryce blinked his burning eyes, and he was at the stairwell, but could barely see it. Down he went, with the sound of Cynric’s boots clattering down behind him. He quickly turned to the right and out the door at the back of the room. The other room was filled with smoke, and Ryce struggled to make out where the door was. His lungs burned and he could hardly breath as he made his way across the room.

  He felt Cynric’s hand on the back of his neck as he pushed him toward the floor.

  “We have to crawl, and try to get out of the worst of the smoke,” he said and Ryce dropped to the floor where the air was only marginally better.

  They made a hasty crawl across the room, and the only thing keeping Ryce moving forward as the pain of the smoke pressed down on his lungs was the knowledge that he had to get to Collette. He had to see her, hold her and assure himself that she still lived.

  They got to the door, and Ryce fought a wave of dizziness as he stood and pulled it open. He and Cynric dove out of the building as fire exploded behind them as the fresh air from outside provided more fuel for it.

  They collapsed on the ground a short distance from the building, and Ryce’s lungs worked overtime as he tried to get air into his body. The air outside was cool after the heat of the inferno they’d just escaped, and he felt a pair of strong hands come under his arms to pull him to his feet.

  “We don’t have time to piss around,” Synn growled as he half carried, half dragged him over to the van. Ryce risked a quick glance behind him, to see Cynric had found his feet, and was leaning on Evie as she helped him make his way across the parking lot.

  As soon as they got the van, Ryce saw Collette’s prone body laying across the seat in the back. He pulled away from Synn and climbed inside with his heart stuttering to a stop. She lay there, so still and lifeless, that for a moment he feared the worst. With a shaking hand he pushed her golden hair, now streaked with blood, away from her too pale face.

  “Collette,” he said, his voice broken as he put his fingers to the side of her neck. A lump came up in his throat as he felt her pulse under the tips of his fingers and his body sagged into the floor boards in front of where she lay. She was still alive, and he couldn’t hold back the storm of emotion that slammed through him. Even if the mark on his chest hadn’t proclaimed her his, he would have known in that moment that his heart belonged to her and always would.

  “Ryce,” Synn said as he climbed in the back of the van and put his hand on his shoulder. Ryce looked up at him as a lone tear escaped his eye and raced down his cheek. Synn’s brow knotted together over his eyes, and Ryce could see that his friend feared the worst.

  “She’s alive,” Ryce whispered, as he knelt in front her, with his hand still resting on her throat.

  “Thank the Gods,” Synn said as relief washed over his face. “We have to get out of here.”

  Synn moved him aside so he could gently scoop Collette up in his arms. Ryce climbed up on the seat and reached for her. As Synn gently placed her on his lap, Ryce’s arms went around her. He held her to him, his arms banding around him. She stirred against him, and to his relief her eyes fluttered open.

  “Is it over,” she asked, her voice weak and quiet.

  “Yeah baby, it’s over,” he said as he squeezed his mouth together to keep his lips from trembling. She lifted a weak hand up to his face, and he rested his wet cheek against his palm.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, and her eyes blinked slowly up at him as if she was having difficulty focusing on him. He held her to him as Synn settled in beside them and closed the van door.

  “It’s not your fault,” he said, and it killed him that she would blame herself for what had happened.

  Synn settled in the front of the van, and the vehicle pulled away just as the building they had so narrowly escaped was consumed by flames. Dr. Avery’s car, carrying Evie and Cynric, followed closely behind.

  Ryce looked down at Collette, who had closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, right over his heart where the mark of his love for her branded his body. He vowed that as soon as she returned to herself, he would tell her what was in his heart. He loved her more than his own life, and he would do whatever it took to make sure that she was safe, whole and happy for the rest of her life.

  Collette stirred on the bed she was laying as a dull ache made its presence known in the side of her head. She reached up and felt a bandage under her fingers. She blinked away the gritty feeling in her eyes as she looked around. She lay in her bed, in Evie’s compound, and Miranda sat beside the bed.

  “What’s going on,” she croaked, and it was difficult to get the words out passed her dry mouth. “Can I have water?”

  “Of course,” Miranda said as she reached for a small carafe and poured water out of it and into a glass. “You gave us quite a scare. When I saw you being carried in here, I thought you were dead. I never want to go through that again."

  Collette struggled to lever herself up to accept the glass. The water was cool in her mouth, and it brought with it relief as it eased down her dry and scratchy throat.

  “What happened?” She had no idea how long she’d been laying in this bed, the last thing she remembered was seeing Dawson shooting at Ryce, and hitting her in the head. It explained the bandage, and since she was back safe at Evie’s she could only assume that her friends had saved her. But she expected to see Ryce her, and the lack of his presence by her side sent fear shooting through her that chased away the lingering cobwebs in her head. Miranda hadn’t mentioned him either, and for a moment she thought her friend was trying to spare her from the knowledge that he hadn’t made it. “Ryce. Where’s Ryce?”

  “It’s okay,” Miranda said soothingly as she took the water glass away form her and set it to the side. Miranda tried to get her to lay back again, but she struggled against her. She needed to get to Ryce, to make sure he was safe and alive. “Collette, calm down. He’s fine, they are all fine. He’s been by your side this whole time, and it took both Cynric and Synn to drag him away from you. He needed to sleep, and it was only when the doctor assured us that you would come out of this ok
ay, that he agreed to go rest.”

  Collette sagged back against the mattress as relief poured through her. He was safe and whole, and that’s all that mattered to her. Dawson hadn’t won, and Ryce was alive.

  “How long have I been here,” Collette asked. She had no memory of coming back to Evie’s but she felt like she’d lost a chunk of time.

  “It’s been three days. You’ve been in an out of consciousness. Dawson gave you a nasty knock on the head. Evie called a discreet doctor that she’s used before, and he said that you had a concussion. You also have a nasty cut that needed to be stitched up and I’m afraid it will leave a scar. I think you’ll be able to hide it in your hair line.”

  A scar didn't matter to her, and if that was all she had because of her encounter with Dawson she would consider herself lucky. She moved to sit up, and this time Miranda let her.

  “I need to see him,” she said as she turned her body so her bare feet rested on the floor. She tried to stand, but sagged back down on the mattress. She was weaker than she thought, but she didn’t want to let that stop her. Miranda had assured her that Ryce was fine, but she needed to see him for herself. “Help me go to him.”

  Miranda stood and put her arms around Collette to help her stand. Once she was on her feet, they waited for a moment to see if she could keep her legs underneath her. Once Collette could stand on her own, Miranda loosened her hold and slipped her arm around her waist.

  “Are you sure you want to do this right now? You’re still weak. The doctor said that you need to take it easy for a couple days.”

  “I’ll take it easy as soon as I see him. Please, help me get to him,” Collette said and to her relief Miranda nodded, and gently led her toward the door of her room.

  The walk down the hall toward Ryce’s room was slow, and Collette felt impatience at her body for keeping her from getting to him as quickly as possible. They finally made it to Ryce’s room, and the door was slightly ajar.