She stared at me a second, then turned and pressed the code and the steel door unlocked. She entered first and I followed. I was unprepared for what I saw. Ryker lay sleeping or unconscious, hooked up to a million monitors, tubes, and needles. An intravenous bag filled with clear fluid dripped into his right arm. Another was filled with blood. Three straps held him to a table, one on his neck, another around his chest, and the last on his calves.
“As soon as any of these are disconnected, they’ll come. My guess, one minute.” She stared down at Ryker, expression calm and accepting at what was being done to him. Cold bitch.
I began disconnecting the tubes and needles. Monitors began to beep a loud warning bell. “Just don’t stand there, get this shit off him.”
She was methodical as she helped him, but I did notice her avoid touching Ryker’s skin. “Afraid of catching a disease, babe?”
She ignored me and I cut the straps with my knife, then picked Ryker up and threw him over my shoulder. “Let’s go.” Without waiting for her, I ran from the room and contacted Danni.
“We’re clear. Take the amulet, unwrap it and put it around your neck. Place it between your palms when I tell you. Don’t you dare question me. Just do it, and for fuck’s sake, no matter what happens, don’t let it go or Ryker’s dead.”
I heard footsteps running up from the basement.
“The roof. Get me there.”
She nodded and went ahead of me to a door at the end of the corridor. She pressed in another code and I heard a click. She pushed the steel door open and started running up the stairs.
Ryker was still unconscious and his limp body felt like an ice cube; however, his heart pumped slow and steady, and his respiration was stable. I followed her up five flights of stairs until we reached another door. She repeated the process, punching in a code and pushing open the door. Sunlight came pouring into the stairwell.
“You better have that bloody amulet ready. When I say, think of Ryker and Hannah. Understand? Nothing else. No other fuckin’ thoughts.”
I sure as hell hoped the bloody thing worked, or we were fucked. Becoming a lab rat was not my idea of a good day.
Hannah, you better have loved this guy.
There were footsteps—a herd of them. It was now or never. I went through the door and ran across the rooftop, the woman close at my heels. I stood at the edge of the building.
People shouted.
The door opened.
I heaved Ryker off my shoulder.
“Now!” I shouted to Danni.
I released my hold, and Ryker’s limp form fell over the edge of the building. I watched. Waiting for it to happen. If I believed in praying, now would be the time, but I didn’t, so instead, I swore a few curses.
And then it happened—halfway to Ryker’s body landing as a pile of broken bones on the unforgiving ground, I saw the image.
Hannah. Her arms wrapped around his body, encasing him, protecting him with her celestial form. An aura of blue light swirled around them, circling like a shield, as Hannah lowered Ryker to the ground, her translucent form holding him as if he were a feather.
Her finger grazed his lips and then over his eyelids; she caressed him with the softest touch, like he was made of crystal. One tear slid down her pale left cheek and landed on Ryker’s neck, seeping into his skin and vanishing.
“Get him out of here, Hannah.” I was uncertain if she was capable of hearing me.
Hannah peered upward and our gazes locked. She smiled with a slight nod, then wrapped her arms around Ryker and floated off the ground, his body vanishing within her embrace. In a flash of brilliant light, they were gone.
Well, fuck me—it worked. Guess Hannah loved him. Now for my own disappearing act, which had nothing mystical about it. Jump and run like hell.
A shift of gravel to my left reminded me that the chick was still beside me. She was staring over the edge of the building, her mouth gaping.
“He . . . that woman . . . she’s gone with . . . he just . . .”
“Let her go,” a deep, crackly voice said from behind us.
I slowly turned with a sardonic grin on my face. I was surrounded by at least eight men and eight guns. Nice. I liked a challenge. At least no CWOs were present. Yet.
The woman’s feet moved closer to me and closer to the edge of the roof. So close, her heels were hanging over.
“No.” I latched onto her arm. “You jump, you won’t die. You’ll break both legs and be in a hell of a lot of pain.” Bitch wanted to die; well, I had no intention of giving her that wish. She’d have to suffer and survive what she’d gotten herself into.
“You don’t understand,” she said.
“Do I give a shit?” With one swift movement, I hooked my arm around her neck and pulled her in front of me, knife at her throat. Use or be used.
My chances of making it out of here were close to nil. I knew that going in. My abilities were good, but not that good when faced with this kind of firepower. Odds were a bullet would do me in because, sure as hell, being taken alive was not on my list of things to do. The important thing was Ryker was out. My debt was paid in full.
Her voice cut into me. It was a soft whisper that caressed my skin and dug into my heart like a pitchfork. When I looked into her eyes there was hurt mixed with confusion.
“Your promise,” she said.
“Yeah, well, if you knew me, you wouldn’t trust a fuckin’ thing I say.” I nearly apologized when I saw the truth hit her. It was as if I’d slapped her across the face then punched her in the stomach. I hadn’t expected such a reaction. I felt every vessel pumping, muscles constricting and then . . . then, there were her eyes. Nothing could describe the horror I saw in them. Her dark shades of hazel brown glistened with tears reflecting with the sinking sun.