28. BONES

28

BONES

I try to keep my gaze on the stage and pretend I don't have a clue that Wynter's talking to Dmitri, but every instinct in me tells me to look over there. To make sure she's safe.

My teeth feel like they’re going to shatter from how hard I’m clenching my jaw.

There’s only so much of this I can take.

I have to resort to snapping my wrist with the hair tie so I don't start snapping necks. Wynter can handle herself. She's proved that, but it doesn't mean I can't keep protecting her as well.

Shifting my body slightly to the side, I glance over to them just as they're leaving the room. My hackles rise as I lose sight of them. I have to remind myself that this is part of the plan. She has to get him alone.

I take my time edging around the outskirts of the room, making sure no one pays me any mind as I head to the doors. On the way I call Dean's cell, but he doesn’t answer so I text him an update instead.

In the corridor, Dmitri has Wynter pushed up against the wall, his leg between hers as he pins her in place.

He doesn’t get to fucking touch her.

I pull him off her and she quickly whips her dress to the side to pull her dagger out. Pointing it at Dmitri she sobs, “He doesn’t have her! Summer’s gone, Noah. She’s fucking gone.” Her control over her rage is slipping.

Grabbing her throat, I kiss her. There’s hardly time to calm her down with my cock in her throat so my tongue will have to do. She melts into me and all I want is to push her against the wall and fuck my claim onto her. Show Dmitri who she belongs to now.

“Noah,” he drawls out. “Your whore was trying to make a deal with me. Thought she could sell you out.”

I turn to him, and he pales when he sees my glare. “I know what you have over my father. It’s over now. You’re coming with us. We can walk out of here calmly or we can knock you out.”

“My men are here. They’ll kill you before I step foot outside.”

“If by men you mean the two guys whose throats I just slit then you’re fresh out of luck.” Dean saunters up and waves his blood-soaked knife in front of him.

“Carver. You’re here as well. I should have known. I’ve been meaning to get in contact with you. We could work very well together.” Dmitri's smug smile is still on his face, but it's starting to crack.

“Not interested. Can we get a move on with this now? I’ve got a hard-on from all that blood and only one little kitten can sort it out.”

I roll my eyes at him and he smirks at me. Finally, I understand his unhinged obsession with Willow. The way he doesn’t even want another person to know she exists let alone touch her. It all makes so much sense.

Pulling my gun out, I point it at Dmitri. “Move.”

Dmitri holds his hands up and Dean searches him for any weapons, taking his gun for himself before shoving him in the direction of the exit.

“You’re all dead if you touch me. You and everyone you love.”

Wynter laughs and holds her dagger to his back as she forces him down the hall, me and Dean following close behind. “We know you don’t really work for anyone. You’re just some washed-up gangster who gets everyone else to do your dirty work. You don’t have any real power, it’s all fake.”

Dmitri looks over his shoulder. Panic bulging his eyes.

“We know Vyronov’s dead. You’re telling tales about a dead man to get people to do what you want,” I say.

“You can’t possibly know that.”

“We’re good friends with his brother.” I push his shoulder to keep him moving.

From the look on Dmitri’s face and the lack of denial, he knows we have him.

“The cops will be raiding your place any minute now. All those girls will finally be free,” Wynter sneers. “But you. You’re going to know the fear you put them through.”

“Go on then. Fucking kill me. Get it over with,” Dmitri shouts as we head down the hall.

“No, we're not going to kill you. Not yet. My little viper wants you to know what it feels like to suffer.”

Dmitri laughs and turns to face us. “You going to rape me? Didn’t realize you swung that way.” Swearing at me in Russian, he spits at my feet.

“If you really knew me then you’d know I swing every way, except with pathetic worms like you,” I say as I step up to him and he slinks backward.

Wynter joins me and presses her dagger to his chest. “When my blade penetrates your skin you’re going to know exactly what every girl you forced into servitude went through. That searing pain as I tear into you will live with you until your last breath. When exactly that will be depends on how long your body and mind hold out.”

Fuck, my girl is magnificent when she’s in charge.

Dmitri's face is pale as he looks down at the dagger, but something catches his eye and a dark smile drags his lips up as he peers past us all.

I quickly look at what’s caught his attention and see my father being dragged in by two armed men. One of his eyes is swollen shut, blood dripping onto his white shirt.

“So good to finally see you tonight, Gregory,” Dmitri smirks. Wynter keeps her blade pressed to his chest as she keeps one eye on him and the other on my father.

“Noah, I’m sorry. They grabbed me.”

The larger bearded man on his right punches him in the gut to silence him.

“Let him go now,” I snarl, which only makes Dmitri laugh.

Dean raises his gun at the two men and Dmitri says, “Kill them all if you like. I’ll be leaving here either way.”

In one swift movement, he grabs Wynter’s hand and spins her so her back is flush with his chest. She yells out in pain as the handle of her dagger presses into the cut on her palm.

Snaking his other arm around her waist, he holds her in place while making her point the dagger at her own throat.

“Get off me!” She struggles against him.

“Sorry, sweetheart. You’re my way out of here.”

Wynter goes still and looks at me. There’s no fear on her face. Only determination. “Save your father. I’ve got him,” she says as Dmitri drags her away.

Fuck!

I grab my hair as I watch my world being torn away from me. My light eclipsing as she’s pulled into the darkness.

If she can be strong then so can I. Readying my gun I aim it at the one who’s pointing his weapon to my father’s head. Dean takes aim at the other.

“Wait!” My father shouts, but the men don’t listen. The one to the left fires at me. I duck into a nearby alcove where some chairs are stacked and drag Dean with me.

When the gunfire stops, Dean pokes his head around the corner. “Your Dad’s still alive,” he mumbles. “One’s coming this way. I can take him.”

As he goes to stand up, I put my hand on his arm. “No. Last time you nearly died because of me. I’m not having that on my conscience. You’ve got to make it home, after all, you don’t want to miss out on Willow calling you daddy now do you?”

“Bones.” He sounds surprised. Rather than say anything more he hands me his knife. He’s never been the sentimental type, but this knife has been his companion longer than I have.

"I'm still waiting on that wedding invite." I wink at him. "Maybe we can make it a double wedding if I get out of this alive?"

With nothing but adrenaline in my veins, I step out of the alcove and fire at the man coming towards me. One bullet misses, the other gets him in the side. Using his new weakness against him, I run up and stab him in the chest. With the knife in him, I force him backward, using him as my own shield.

The other man adjusts his hold on my father and presses the gun tighter to his skull.

“I’ll blow his brains out if you come any closer.” He’s full of nerves. Only young. Probably not got many kills under his belt yet, if any. I can use that to my advantage.

“Noah,” my father’s strained voice catches me off guard. “I really am sorry. For everything. I should have been there for you, instead I left you to grieve alone for thirteen years. This is the least I can do.” He smiles at me and it sends me right back to my childhood. To the few times he was proud of me. When he was actually home and cared enough to see me.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

My father elbows the man holding him and twists in his grip, battling him for the gun. A shot goes off. Then another.

I can’t tell who’s been hit as they fight for control.

There’s one more shot and Dmitri’s guy falls to the floor. Two bloody patches growing on his shirt.

My father turns to me and smiles. Blood coats his stomach. I refuse to believe that it’s his.

Taking a step toward me, he starts to stagger. I run to him and catch him before he collapses. “You’re not leaving me as well.”

“You don’t need me anymore. Not with your girl to look after you. So go get her back and keep hold of her. You deserve to be happy.” Just like I did with Mom, I watch as the life leaves his eyes. This time it's so much quicker. I tell myself that's a good thing, that he's not suffering. But how the fuck is any of this good?

Dean comes up behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder as I lie my father down.

“I’m not letting you do this alone.” He helps me to my feet. Rage rises within me as I stand.

All we can do is leave my father’s body there with the others and hope no one finds them before we have time to clean up.

According to the tracker Wynter is still in the building.

Dean and I head the way Dmitri took her. If he didn’t take her outside that can only mean he wants to hurt her first. He’d want privacy for that. The image of him raping her assaults my mind and it’s all I can see. That and the blood-red haze descending over everything.

I hear a guttural scream down the hall to our right and sprint down there.

Wynter’s dagger is discarded on the floor. Splatters of blood around it. Picking it up, I look through the door next to me.

We’re still on the East side of the building and this is where most of the renovations are taking place.

Sheets of plastic hang around the room and I see a tall figure through one of them. My heart skips a beat at the blurry sight of black and red.

My queen is still standing.

Pulling the plastic aside, I see Dmitri sitting on a workbench in front of Wynter. One of his hands is flat next to him, the other is clutching his crotch. His gelled hair is a mess sticking up at odd angles and there’s fresh blood on his pale cheeks.

“Wynter,” I say roughly and she looks at me. Her eyes are wide and her chest is heaving. For a second I think she’s broken. Snapped. The smile on her blood-splattered face tells me she’s handling everything perfectly.

“Baby, you made it.” Her smile slips. “What happened?”

“My father’s dead,” I say numbly. There’s no point crying about it. He’s gone. All that matters now is getting Wynter home safely.

She grabs the back of my neck and pulls my forehead to hers. “I’m so sorry. Dmitri’s still breathing, for now. Would you like to take some of that pain out on him?”

She holds up her other hand and in it is a nail gun. Now I know why Dmitri’s not moving. She’s nailed one of his hands and his balls to the table.

Dean lets out a low whistle as he notices as well. “How did a little thing like you manage that?” he asks.

“Because men always think with their dicks first. Rather than taking me outside he dragged me in here to rape me first.”

And my little viper fought him and won. “I’m so proud of you, my love.”

I take the nail gun and return her dagger to her.

“You call me sick? You people are deranged!” Dmitri shouts.

"Do you ever shut up?" I hold the nail gun to his shoulder and fire one into him. His pained cry turns into a deep roar as he pulls his hand free from the table.

He strikes me. The jagged tip of the nail in his palm catches my skin, causing pain to sear across my eye. Stumbling back I drop the nail gun and I hear Wynter scream.

Blood blinds me in one eye making it hard to see clearly. But not enough to miss the scene in front of me. It's the most spectacular thing I've ever witnessed. Wynter plunges the dagger straight into Dmitri’s heart. Stabbing him over and over. “You worthless excuse for a human!” Stab . “You fucking pig!” Stab . “Die already.” Stab . “Leave us the fuck alone and die!” Stab. Stab. Stab.

Dean’s the one that has to tear her away from Dmitri’s limp body. The only thing stopping him from falling off the table are the nails in his balls.

“Jesus, woman. It’s over. He’s dead already.” Dean pries the dagger from her grip and she snarls at him.

“Let her go,” I say calmly and he listens straight away. Wynter tumbles into my arms and immediately fights me as the bloodlust clouds her mind. I waste no time in grabbing her jaw, forcing it open, and shoving my fingers inside. “He’s gone, my love. You did it.”

Like some feral creature possessed by its rage, she bites down while thrashing against my chest. I keep my fingers held firmly in her mouth and after a few seconds she blinks up at me and suckles them instead. “Noah,” she mumbles around them. Her eyes widen with horror as she takes in my face.

Pulling my fingers from her mouth she presses her palm to my blood-covered cheek. “Baby, you’re hurt.”

I swear every time I think I can’t love her even more she proves me wrong.

“I’ll be fine. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” I peel her gloves off and check her for any cuts. Her hand has opened up again, but it doesn’t look too bad.

Softly she shakes her head. “He got a few hits in, but didn’t manage anything permanent.”

Thank fuck.

“You should get that looked at.” Dean nods towards my eye. “Looks nasty. What does it feel like?” He reaches out to touch the wound and I bat his hand away.

“Back off. It hurts like a bitch.”

“I never got a chance to thank you for helping save me that night,” Wynter says to him.

“Umm, you’re welcome I guess, but you should save your thanks for Bones. My suggestion was to kill you or leave you there. I’m glad he took you though. You seem cool.”

I’m hesitant about how Wynter will react to Dean, but she simply laughs. When she brings her soft gaze back to mine, she says, “Noah. Your dad. Is he really dead?”

I nod and she swallows. Pulling the bottom of her dress up she rips a length off and uses it as a makeshift bandage over my eye. “It’s my fault,” she says quietly. “If I hadn’t come up with this stupid plan to kidnap Dmitri, he might still be alive.”

Grabbing the back of her neck, I bring her face close to mine. “Never fucking apologize to me, Wynter. You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

“But—”

“But nothing. It was his own fault for getting involved with Dmitri in the first place. Do not be sorry for that. Everything that happened tonight is on him and him alone.” I point towards Dmitri’s body and Wynter bites her trembling lip. She leans into me and I hold her tight. My heart’s still thumping erratically against my chest and she must feel it too as she places her hand there.

“What are we supposed to do now? He was our shot at finding Summer. I interrogated him, tried to scare any information out of him, but he gave me nothing. I don’t think he was lying.”

Stroking her back, I tell her, “You’ll see her again.” That's all I can say. Our journey was always leading up to this moment and I knew the time would come when I’d need to give her the truth. But if I tell her it will destroy everything I’ve built between us.