Page 61 of Fully Loaded

Romy. Shit.

Disgust collided with indignation. Whether he’d meant it as a joke or a threat, the gleam in his coal-like eyes rang warning bells in her head. She should have killed Romy when she had the chance. Being so close to Igor, with the gun around her chest aimed at his abdomen, she might be able to kill him and run before he could retaliate. She moved her finger on the trigger.

Ubrigg coughed sharply, and she looked up at him. His beady green eyes locked on her fingers and then her face. She might be able to kill the guard, but then she’d also have to kill Ubrigg before he could take the gun from her.

Too dangerous.

Ubrigg reached forward, snagged the gun, and dragged the strap over her head. He hung it at his side. “Igor, let’s take her?—”

The lights went out, bathing them in darkness. Igor’s fingers strangled her bicep, and he pressed her back to his chest. “What’s going on?” he asked, his tone menacing.

Dani scanned the stairwell, her eyes struggling to adjust to the blackout. She blinked and tuned her ears to the dead silence. Hope pitter-pattered against her breastbone. Brock. It had to be him. Tears stung the backs of her eyes. If he was here, he was alive.

Please, God, don’t let this be some cruel trick, just a blown fuse.

She took slow, shallow breaths so as not to alert Ubrigg and Igor to her angst.

“Fuse box is on the main level,” Ubrigg said. “One moment.” He rustled around, and a few seconds later his cell phone’s flashlight lit the stairwell. “This way.” He motioned Igor to go back through the door they’d entered.

Igor twisted her arm back painfully, and she pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth. No way in hell she’d give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d hurt her. He shoved her through the shadows. She focused on every shape, praying one of them would move and Brock would step out.

Forcing her breath down her throat, she fought the urge to run. What to do? Brock was here—he had to be. Was she supposed to try to escape? Give him a sign about where she was? She sure as hell didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire if he encountered Ubrigg while searching for her.

She had to alert Brock to her whereabouts. She snapped her arm forward, jerking Igor. “You don’t have to hold on to me so tight. I’m not going anywhere.” She spoke more loudly than necessary.

“Shh!” He pinched her arm tighter in his hold. “Keep walking. How far to the fuse box, boss?”

“Not far.”

They inched down the corridor as if they were moving through thick black sludge. Ubrigg’s beam of light illuminated only a triangle of hallway in front of him. With every step Dani carefully toed the tile in front of her.

A soft scuffle slithered across the floor behind her. Her senses prickled and she turned her head toward the sound.

“I said, keep moving.” Igor’s spit hit her ear, and she lifted her shoulder to wipe the droplets from her skin. She was hearing things.

“Here we are,” Ubrigg called out cheerfully. The beam from his cell phone illuminated the electrical room’s door.

Dani’s stomach did somersaults and tears swelled behind her lids. The wall of Igor’s chest closed in behind her, preventing her from escaping. Brock hadn’t come. She dipped her chin and a shiver raked over her exposed skin.

She swallowed and curled her hand into a fist at her side. She wouldn’t wipe the tears from her face and give either of the two bozos the satisfaction of seeing her defeat.

“What the hell?” Ubrigg jammed his shoulder against the metal door, and it bounced on the hinges.

“Is it locked?”

“There’s no lock on this door.” Ubrigg tried the handle again.

Another slither. Dani straightened her spine and glanced out of the corner of her eye. Soft, shallow puffs of air broke through her lips.

Someone’s here.

Her heart sang with relief momentarily, until fear brought it to a screeching halt. If it wasn’t Brock, it could be someone more dangerous—someone like Giles Artis.

“Move aside, doc. I’ll get the door.”

The air in the hall shifted, dragging the hairs on her flesh to a point. Something rushed toward her and she ducked.

“Argh!” Igor’s gurgled scream ripped through the silent hall.