Chapter Ten

R emy

Remy raced inside, the acrid stench of smoke and debris assaulting his nostrils. Cori. Her name pulsed through his mind like a desperate prayer, drowning out all other thoughts. He had to find her, had to reach her, before it was too late. The sounds of gunfire and anguished shouts echoed through the mansion's many rooms.

He ducked and weaved through the chaos of the firefight, his body moving on pure instinct honed from years of bounty hunting. Bullets whizzed past his head, their deadly whispers a hairsbreadth from stealing his life. But Remy barely noticed, his entire being focused on one singular goal: finding Cori.

"Cori!" he yelled, his voice raw and desperate as he frantically searched room after room.

Only the cruel cacophony of gunfire answered him. Each empty room was another twist of the knife in his gut, another unspoken fear clawing at his mind. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Not like this.

Remy burst into the room he recognized from the shitty surveillance video, his gun at the ready. The once opulent space was now a scene of utter destruction. Overturned furniture and shattered glass littered the floor, the detritus of chaos and violence. This looked like the poker room. Scattered cards and upended chairs told a story of a hasty exit.

A sudden realization hit Remy like a bolt of lightning. The garage. If that snake Blackwell was trying to slither out of here, that's where he'd go. And he'd sure as hell take Cori with him as leverage. After a few wrong turns, Remy burst into the garage, his heart dropping into his stomach at the nightmarish scene before him.

Blackwell stood in the center of the cavernous space, his beefy arm wrapped around Cori's throat in a vicious chokehold, a gun pressed hard to her temple. Cori's eyes were wide with fear, but Remy saw that spark of defiance he knew so well burning bright behind them.

Blackwell's face was cold, his shark-like gaze fixed unblinkingly on Remy. "Not another step," he warned. "Or Syndi here gets a bullet straight through her pretty, little skull."

Remy froze, his mind racing to find a way out of this impossible situation. His gun hand twitched, itching to draw and blow Blackwell away. But the bastard was using Cori as a human shield. One flinch and she'd be gone.

Sucking down his terror, Remy forced his voice to remain steady. "Let her go, Blackwell. It's over. You've got nowhere to run. The feds are crawling all over this place."

Blackwell let out a mirthless chuckle, tightening his grip on Cori until she gasped. "Wrong again. I'm walking out of here, and Syndi's my ticket to freedom. Unless you want to watch her brains splatter, you're going to put that gun on the floor now."

Remy gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached. He couldn't let this scumbag take Cori, but he sure as hell couldn't risk her life on a gamble either. He slowly bent and put his pistol on the ground.

"That's it. Now go back inside and tell the feds I want an unmarked car and I want it now."

Remy locked gazes with Cori, saw the trust shining through her fear. She believed in him, down to her bones. He wouldn't let her down. Couldn't.

With an effort that took every ounce of his will, Remy slowly raised his hands in surrender, praying for a miracle. "Okay, you win. Just don't hurt her."

Blackwell's triumphant grin turned Remy's stomach. He had to find an opening before this maniac stole Cori away forever. But as the seconds ticked by in an agonizing crawl, Remy began to fear they were well and truly screwed.

***

C ORI

Just as Remy was about to say something else, another explosion rocked the mansion. The force of the blast shook the garage, metal shelving rattling and chunks of concrete raining down around them.

Blackwell stumbled, his grip on Cori loosening for a fraction of a second, but a fraction was all she needed. The instant the gun left her temple, Cori drove her elbow into Blackwell's ribs with every ounce of strength she possessed.

A grunt of pain escaped Blackwell's lips as he doubled over, his face contorting in agony. The gun clattered to the floor, skittering away across the oil-stained concrete.

Cori struggled wildly, desperate to put distance between herself and her captor. She clawed at Blackwell's arms, stomped at his instep, and threw her head back in an attempt to smash his nose.

But Blackwell, even winded, was far from subdued. He snarled, fingers digging into Cori's arm as he fought to regain control. "You're gonna regret that, you little—"

Remy lunged forward. With a sweeping kick, he sent the gun flying, metal scraping across concrete as it spun into the shadows.

Cori smashed another elbow into Blackwell's face, feeling the crunch of cartilage, the warm spatter of blood. His grip slackened, and she tore free, staggering away on unsteady legs.

"Remy," she cried out, a plea and prayer all in one desperate syllable.

In a blink, Remy crossed the distance, murder in his eyes as he went for Blackwell.

Blackwell roared with primal rage as he righted himself, blood streaming from his nose, eyes alight with unhinged fury. He squared off against Remy, fists clenched, muscles coiled. A cobra poised to strike. "I'm going to enjoy killing you," Blackwell spat, a mad grin splitting his face. "Nice and slow."

Remy met his gaze unflinchingly, a cold, calculated anger radiating from his core. "Bring it on, you son of a bitch."

They collided like titans, a brutal tangle of flying fists and bared teeth. Blackwell fought dirty, all knees and elbows and eye gouges. But Remy gave as good as he got, landing punishing blows to Blackwell's ribs and kidneys.

Cori went for Remy's pistol that was still on the floor across the room. Why he hadn't bent and picked it up was beyond her.

Blackwell caught Remy with a lucky shot, splitting his eyebrow, sending blood gushing into his eye. Remy stumbled back, temporarily blinded, and Blackwell pressed his advantage with a flurry of punches. But Remy absorbed the hits and came back swinging.

She leveled Remy's pistol at the two men but didn't have a shot.

With a roar, Remy lifted Blackwell clear off his feet and slammed him to the concrete. Blackwell's head cracked against the unforgiving floor, stunning him. In a flash, Remy was on him, one knee pinning his back, one arm wrenched up behind him.

"Don't move," Remy snarled, giving Blackwell's arm a vicious twist. "It's over, you bastard. You've lost."

Blackwell trashed and bucked, spitting curses, but Remy's hold was unbreakable. Slowly, the fight drained out of Blackwell, leaving him limp and seething in bitter defeat.

Harv burst through the door.

"Better late than never," Cori quipped, lowering the pistol.

Remy got off Blackwell, and Harv yanked Blackwell to his feet, slapping a pair of cuffs on the man's wrists with practiced efficiency.

"Damian Blackwell, you're under arrest," Harv said, his voice ringing with authority. "You have the right to remain silent."

Blackwell glared at them, his eyes promising retribution even as he was dragged away. But Cori didn't care. Let him plot and scheme. Maybe she'd get lucky, and her father would shiv him in Rykers for her.

Remy pulled Cori into his arms, holding her tight against his solid warmth. She clung to him, her body trembling with the aftershocks of adrenaline and emotion. His heartbeat thrummed steadily beneath her cheek, a soothing rhythm that grounded her in the reality of their hard-fought victory.

"It's over," Remy murmured, his breath stirring her hair. "You're free, Cori."

"I'd better be," she muttered.

"Let's get the hell out of here, just in case," he said.

She kissed him first, because she just had to.