Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Isla

" T hanks," I said, smiling at Jenny as she and one of the men approached. I learned earlier that his name was Bear. He was a big man, but I was willing to bet his name had something to do with him being a huge Teddy Bear. He seemed like the type. He smiled at me and untied the rope. I stood, then stretched, bending down to touch my cuffed hands to the floor. While they weren't paying attention, I palmed the bobby pin that had fallen out of Jenny's hair hours earlier.

She'd been bringing me breakfast and I saw it hit the floor. Immediately, I'd covered it with my shoe. I'd waited for almost two hours before I finally asked to use the bathroom. Straightening, I smiled at them again and then went into the bathroom and shut the door. A pang of guilt twinged inside my chest. I didn't want them to get into trouble with Butcher or the others. This wasn't their fault. In fact, they'd done a damn good job of keeping me here. And of taking care of me. And I was going to have to betray them in order to leave. Unlike earlier, I had good reason to get out of here now. Butcher was in trouble. If they were going after Randal, they were all in trouble.

I shook my head. "What's wrong with you?" I whispered as I unbent the pin and started picking the lock on the handcuffs. "You're not betraying them. Get your shit together, Isla."

The snick of the lock made me grin, and I looked over at the window. "Now or never." Thankfully, Butcher had let me dress in my own clothes this morning. One of the women had laundered them, because they smelled fresh and clean. It would have sucked to be making this escape in nothing but Butcher's t-shirt. Although I'd done worse.

There was that time in Copenhagen when my dress—the mark had been at a formal party—had snagged on the fence on my way out and gravity had ripped it right off my body. I'd ended up running through the streets in my panties and heels.

I opened the window and looked down. We were on the top floor of the building, but luckily for me there was a dumpster below. Climbing onto the windowsill, I crouched, then stepped off the edge. When my feet hit the lid of the dumpster, I let my knees bend to absorb the shock. One more quick jump and I was on the ground. I didn't have much time. Someone was still around out here, I knew it. Which meant I had to leave before they saw me.

A low growl made me freeze. Ugh. I turned my head and found both dogs watching me with a feral look in their eyes. "Good dogs." Another growl. "I'm leaving," I told them as I slowly turned to face them. "That's what you want, right?"

The younger one, Seek had said his name was Jecht, cocked his head, then looked over at Auron.

"I'll leave, and I won't come back," I promised. Pearly white teeth were bared in my direction and my words didn't seem to be doing much to help the dog trust me. "I'm only going to kill him a little bit, and only after I kill a lot of bad people." I said with a quick smile. It faded as the dogs continued to eye me. Just when I thought I was going to have to make a run for it, Auron backed up a step, put his teeth away, and waited.

"Don't eat me," I said as I squeezed from between them and the dumpster. They moved with me, as though they were escorting me off the property. I couldn't help but laugh. The urge to pet them was there, but I didn't want to pull back a bloody stump, so I refrained.

I ran to my car, thankfully they hadn't moved it. I reached under and removed the magnetic box I had fixed to the frame. I always did this, since I had rentals or stolen cars more often than not. Inside was a spare set of keys. I got in and grabbed the knife I always stashed under the dash, and stowed it away for later. The dogs sat nearby, watching me. The tires slung gravel as I peeled out and left the clubhouse and the hellhounds behind. My eyes went to the rear view, and I saw men running after the car, but I quickly out distanced them. I was free.

Why the hell did that make a small part of me want to cry? I shook my head hard as though that would dislodge the feelings. "Time for some payback," I said and reached into the back seat.

Butcher had been too busy going after Randal to even search my car properly. Something I was grateful for. I pulled the gym bag into the passenger seat and started rummaging around as I occasionally glanced up at the road. "There it is." The second phone lit up as soon as I hit the button.

I frowned down at the screen. "That can't be right."

Randal's office was near downtown. The guys were way too far south to be there.

It hadn't been hard to put the tracker on Butcher's bike the night I'd come here. They always had guys watching the compound, but once I'd told them I was coming to have a drink at the Bunker they'd let me on the property no problem. Might have been a problem if I was a man, but they hadn't expected a woman to be up to anything. I had to give it to the club though, they did a good job with security. Priest was in charge of that and he took the role seriously. It hadn't been easy getting this close to them to begin with. If it wasn't for their bar, I'd still be trying .

I hit the gas, following the little marker on the phone, letting it take me to where Butcher was. He was going to pay for locking me away for days on end. Jerk.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I frowned again. They must have the wrong Randal. No way the guy I met would be here. Unless maybe he was meeting a client? The noise would certainly be beneficial. No one would overhear you talking in this place.

The sound of gunfire couldn't totally be drowned out by the clickety clack of an approaching train. "Shit." I ran around the car, flung open the door and surveyed my options. Without hesitation I tucked a pistol into my waistband, then I hefted up the long-range rifle I liked to use. Donna—as in Prima Donna because the weapon could be finicky—helped me even the odds more often than not. Some of my marks got wise to the fact that they were in danger, and they liked to hire thugs to protect them.

I didn't like fighting men three times my size, so Donna usually came along with me to my jobs. Slinging the rifle over my shoulder, I ran to the nearest building, my eyes already tracking a path upward. I used an old crate sitting along the wall to boost me higher, then jumped and caught the edge of the roof. A couple swings and I flipped my legs upward until my heel caught the edge. Gritting my teeth, I pulled my body weight upward until I was lying on my belly on the hot metal roof.

"Hot, hot, hot," I hissed as I worked my way over the roof. It was June and the summer heat had already overtaken the desert. But I wasn't about to stand and make myself a target to the men on the ground. I crested the ridge just in time to see Butcher go flying through the air. One of the crane operators had rammed him with their bucket.

My eyes swept over the scene. There were people everywhere. And they were all shooting at each other. I sighed. This was my chance. I steadied Donna against my shoulder, gripping the stock and the barrel, my eye lining up the sights in the scope. Butcher's face turned grim as he shoved to his feet.

My sights were leveled on his chest, my finger on the trigger, and I held my breath in preparation to perform that long slow pull of the trigger. Only...my finger never moved. Instead, I watched as the crane operator squared off with him, lifting his gun and pointing it at Butcher.

"Damn it!" I hissed. And I made—what I didn't know then would be—the most important decision of my life. I swung Donna's barrel and squeezed the trigger.

The crane operator hit the ground, but I didn't pause. I knew I'd gotten him before he fired his own weapon. Butcher was fine. I lined up the next shot. The club made it easy to pick off their enemies. Thanks to their cuts, I knew exactly who not to target. My weapon bucked in my hand as I took shot after shot, eliminating the threat to Butcher and his brothers.

"I'm going to regret this," I muttered. Bang. "Lose all that money." Bang. "My reputation." Bang. "Fucking asshole, it's his fault." Bang. Bang.

My eyes narrowed as I scanned the ground. The guys, as soon as they realized someone was helping them out and not shooting at them, had taken out the rest of the crew Randal had clearly sent after them. There were bodies littered everywhere.

A hand grabbed my shoulder and I yelped as I swung around, hitting the man in the jaw. Pain exploded in my fist and we both cursed.

"It's me. Fuck, that hurt," Butcher snapped, grabbing my wrist in case I did it again.

My hearing was a bit impaired from all the gunshots, which was why I hadn't heard him climb onto, and over, the roof to me. "Don't scare me like that!" I told him.

Both his brows lifted slowly. "Scare you? Lady, you just took out at least eight men. And you're worried about being scared?"

I gave him a smug grin. "You're welcome," I told him, scooting my way toward the edge of the roof. This time we went toward the front, where the rest of his brothers were waiting after having spotted us. I watched as Butcher jumped down. "Light on his feet," I admitted to myself. I frowned at him when he held up his arms. "Move out of the way," I called out. How was I supposed to get down when he was in my landing zone?

"Just jump, Isla," he replied, shaking his head.

Sighing, I slung Donna over my shoulder and did as he asked. My eyes widened when he caught me. He grinned at me, letting my body slide down his, before he set me on my feet next to him. His strength was impressive, I had to admit. Not to mention that wicked smile of his. My body was thrumming after the slow journey down his own. I did the only thing that felt appropriate. I kneed him in the balls. "Jerk."

"How'd she get out?" Toxic asked as the men walked up.

I grinned at him, ignoring the choked sounds Butcher was making. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would," Priest commented.

Yeah, so you can make sure no one else can get in or out of the compound the same way.

I met intelligent hazel eyes as the leader of their club studied me. "Nice shooting."

"Thanks," I told him.

"That's my line," he replied. "Woulda taken us a lot longer to clear these guys out without the assist."

I scuffed my sneaker against the dirt, looking down. I wasn't comfortable with heartfelt gratitude. I wasn't used to people. Well, except dead people. I was around a lot of those kinds. "Don't mention it."

He seemed to figure out I didn't want him to continue thanking me.

"How the hell did they ambush us?" Smokehouse asked the group.

"I must have fucked up," Rip admitted. "I found this information on Randal Terry the same way as I did all the others. But-"

"He put it out there for you to find," I added, cutting him off. "It's a classic move for him when he's being threatened."

"So you do know him," Butcher said, having finally recovered, raising a brow at me. He was still holding his balls in a protective manner.

I shook my head. "Not well, just by reputation. His name and habits are well known in our community, but no one knows much more. Our kind isn't exactly forthcoming with information about ourselves."

"No, you're not," he replied.

"This means he knows we're lookin' for him," Hush said, a grim look on his face, making us focus back on the group.

They all looked over at me in surprise when I laughed. "Sorry," I said, giving a little cough to cover the last of the laughter. "Of course he is. He always keeps a close eye on what's happening with a mark."

"And you know all this because..." Lock asked, lifting a brow.

"Oh. Uh..." I glanced over at Butcher and tried to ask him with my eyes if he'd told them about me.

"She was hired by Randal," Butcher explained.

Judging by the looks on their faces he hadn't told them that part.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lock growled.

Butcher glanced over at Toxic, then shook his head in answer.

"You said she was an assassin. You didn't mention she was hired by the fucker we're trying to find."

"Sorry, Prez. Slipped my mind."

I doubted that very much. He'd been trying to protect me. After I tried to kill him. Huh. "Well, I should-" I broke with a feral little growl when Butcher grabbed me by the back of the neck and yanked me back the couple of steps I'd taken as I'd eased away from them. I wasn't about to examine why my panties were suddenly damp. There was something about an aggressive man that got to me. And Butcher was that in spades, not to mention he also seemed to be protective. Was it possible to have both in one man? To have the best of both worlds?

"You're not going anywhere," he told me.

"Agreed," Lock said, folding his arms over his chest. "I have questions."

"You owe me your life," I shot back.

"And that's why we won't kill you," he returned, eyes hard, "as long as you behave and don't do anything to hurt anyone we care about. I find one bruise on anyone at home and you're done. Take her back to the clubhouse."

I groaned as the men converged on me and once more I found myself bouncing over Butcher's shoulder as we left the rail yard.