Page 73 of Bound

“Nine.”

Lucian’s entire body angles toward mine.

“Ten,” Gregory says. “Almost there. Eleven.”

Rafe says, “Hold.” Then Rafe’s tablet emits one clean tone.

Gregory exhales. “I have him.”

Everything stops.

The comm cuts.

Every screen goes black for one half second.

Then the Village alarms wake. Not all of them. Just enough. A low pulse of red light moves beyond the gate. Somewhere inside the unfinished walls, a door opens.

Rafe swears and says, “He made his first move.”

Smoke rises from the east row. Isobel stares toward the smoke, shaking but upright.

Carlos thinks he has called the three of us into fire.

Maybe he has.

But this time, when Carlos calls us, we are not weak.

And we are united.

Three ghosts from his past here not to haunt him.

Here to destroy him.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Lucian

Smoke rises from the east row. Thin at first. Then thicker. Dark against the snow.

For half a second, I am back in the warehouse.

Heat. Screams. Men trapped behind doors that should have opened. Isobel’s voice telling me she might be pregnant. Carlos whispering that love makes men weak.

The past closes its hand around my throat.

Then Erin touches my wrist. Not holding. Not pleading. A reminder.

Green.

I come back.

Snow. Gates. Smoke. Erin beside me. Isobel ahead. Rafe at the lead vehicle. Gregory pale over his laptop. Blaze smiling like violence finally received an invitation.

Carlos made his first move.

Now he dies.

“Positions,” I say.