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“I won’t.”
“I want you to kill me if they try. I?—”
“Dakota.” Oh fuck. “I’ll kill them. Not you.”
We start to make our way out. And she stops at the dead guard. “Is that…?”
“The animal who was guarding you? Yeah.”
She starts to kick him, slow at first, and then rage rips through her and she pounds into his corpse with her foot, a scream rising and ripping open the air. I clamp a hand over her mouth and wrap my other arm around her, pulling her away.
“He’s dead, Dakota. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“I hate him.”
“Right now, you need to keep it together,” I say as I hold my Kimber. I lead her through a part of the service kitchen. A body’s slumped on the floor, broken glass nearby.
Dakota stares down. “Did you kill her?”
“No, but she was helping herself to the wine.” I step over the staff member and lead her toward the doors. A shadow moves to my left. I shove her behind me and grab the man, slamming him into the wall before cutting his throat. I get three more that way before I realize we’re in trouble.
A shout pierces the still air. I push her to the ground near an outdoor table and start shooting. I’m fast. Accurate. And I take them all down before half of them can even pull their weapons.
From inside the house and around the front, men suddenly come running. I grab Dakota and take off with her in my arms, zigzagging across the open ground until we get to the gardens.
“Stay down.” And then I move, taking cover across the way, switching to my semi-automatic, taking down another half dozen in a blink.
I wait, hating the fact she’s there by herself, vulnerable, but I give it another ten seconds before I race back to her, ducking down.
“I don’t know how many there are, baby girl, so listen. There’s a boat in the water, down here.” I draw a crude map in the dirt. “Stick to the growth near the sand but don’t go on there until you reach the small cliff. Then run like hell for the water. Can you swim?”
“Yes, but?—”
“Good. Memorize that. And when you get to the water, swim straight out toward the boat. Malone—the blond guy I got on the yacht with—will meet you. He’ll take you to Smith.”
“Orion.”
“Repeat what I just told you.”
She goes through it and then says, “Why?”
“You know why. If something happens, I need to know you can get to Malone, that you’ll be safe.”
I look around. It’s dark and the place is eerie with the low lights and no people. They’re inside, passed out somewhere, and I fight the urge to torch it all.
We creep forward and make it down past the docks to the start of the path. I open my mouth to speak when something hits me. Hard.
“Special Forces?” the fucker with the great left hook asks. When I lift my head, I see the gun pointed at me. “Same here. You’ve met your match.”
“I’ve got more guns.”
He pulls one from behind my back and points it at Dakota. “I’ve got one on your girl. Drop your weapons and get on the ground.”
I drop my weapons. The only chance she has is if I take a bullet.
I’m ready to fight to the death for her.
“Remember what I said?”
