Sanctum: A Motorcycle Club Romance Novel (22 page)

On an instinct, Jase said,
“Let
’
s
go right. Stay together.
”
He
tested the doorknob with a turn and a shoulder shove. Something blocked the
door
’
s movement, but Jase was
not to be stopped. With Will
’
s
help, they pushed until the sound of metal screeching echoed into the big
factory. All three hurried in and found cover, waiting to be rushed. Instead
they heard distant yelling bouncing off the walls.

With silent hand signals, Jase led them
low between the rows of huge stationary machines. The far end of the building
split into concrete hallways filled with square-doored rooms. They could hear
clearly the makings of an argument between men now.

“
If they aren’t fucking
answering, it
’
s probably not for
a good reason, you idiot! We have to get the fuck out of here before the cops
show up!
”

“I
’
m
not going
anywhere
until I get the money I was promised for this shit!
”

“
Suit your goddamn self. I’ve
already been fucking
shot.
I ain’t
staying here to get hauled off for all this so I can die in prison.
”

Jase arranged Ghost and Will on either
side of the room where the men argued unawares. He took point and entered the
room boldly, unchallenged. He fired two shots and killed the man on the left
side of the dirty storage room, the one who had been ready to stay and wait for
his money.

The second man yelled as blood splattered
his shirt and face. He turned to Jase and immediately raised one of his hands.
The other arm dangled limply at his side, already oozing blood from the gunshot
Maggie had given him.
“Oh fuck.”

“
Where
’
s
the girl?
”
said Jase. He pointed the
weapon at the man
’
s face.

“
I was just in this for
the money! I tell you, y-you let me live through this!
”
begged the man.

Jase lowered and fired a shot into the man
’
s
leg. He screamed as he collapsed to the floor.

“
Last chance,
”
said Jase.

“
End of the hall,
”
said the man. He sobbed and pointed a shaking, bloody
finger.

The gunshots had attracted attention.
Distant shouts echoed.
“
How many men are
in the building?
”
said
Ghost.

“
Including me, five
…
four,
”
he
said as he looked over at his dead comrade.

Jase removed the weapons from both the
dead and wounded men and passed them out. He put a big boot on the man
’
s
bleeding leg and leaned until the man screamed like he was on fire. The sound
echoed out into the concrete hallways. Will and Ghost flanked Jase with their
guns aiming towards the door.

The hollow sound of running footsteps
approached. Someone in the hall yelled an unfamiliar name. Jase pressed on the
man
’
s leg again and he cried
out. The pain was too much for him to make any coherent word of warning; he
could only sit helplessly and become the perfect bait.

Two more men rushed down the hallway and
into the room to answer his cries. Ghost and Will opened fire on them before
they had any chance to comprehend what had happened. Their bodies twisted and
contorted and the collapsed in bloody heaps. Now the Black Dogs couldn’t be
outgunned.

“
Come with me,
”
said Jase to Will.
“
Ghost,
stay here with our chum.
”
Ghost
moved over to the wounded man with a nod and a smile.

Jase tore down the hallway with Will at
his back, passing storage rooms that were dark and doorless, some with strong
foul smells. As the end of the hall approached, he could see a big red metal
door closed on the last room on the left, and knew immediately that Maggie was
behind it.

Will posted up on the other side of the
doorframe and waited for Jase
’
s
signal. The door wasn’t
bolted, but was open
just a sliver of an inch, and inside Jase could hear a man talking lowly. He
caught Will
’
s eye, gave him a
nod, and kicked the door open with his full strength.

Maggie stood before him, crying but alive.
From her wrists dangled the remnants of restraints, cut off ragged in a rush
from the metal chair in the back of the room. A big hand covered her mouth,
while the other held a gun against her head. Behind her, a skinny man with a
long brown ponytail glared over her at Jase and Will.

“Put ‘em
down, boys,
”
he said.

“
You must be Evan,
”
said Jase. He kept his pistol aimed at Evan
’
s
face.

“
And you must be the new
guy I’ve heard so much about. I
’
m
sorry she dragged you into this, but I understand. She is pretty irresistible,
”
said Evan as he nuzzled against her. Maggie
’
s
face went red and twisted in disgust, but she couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Rage flared through Jase
’
s
veins. “You
’
re not getting out
of here alive.
”

“
Then neither is Maggie,
”
said Evan.
“
I
know the money is lost, I don’t give a fuck about that. She was never going
back to her daddy, anyway. The money was just to pay those thugs.
”
He pressed his face against Maggie
’
s
hair again.
“
I came here for her, and
I
’
m going to leave here with
her, or else you can just bury us together. Give us matching deathbeds.
”

Maggie
’
s
crying intensified. Jase felt his heart wrenching, mixing with his anger into
some vile, righteous poison that burned through him. He didn’t have a clean
enough shot.

“
Put them down or I shoot
her, and then stand here with a grin while you shoot me,
”
said Evan.

Jase couldn’t bring himself to lower his
gun until he felt Will
’
s
hand on his arm with gentle pressure. Both of them dropped their guns to the
ground.

“
Good. We’ll
be leaving now, my lady and I,
”
said
Evan. He kissed Maggie
’
s
curls and made Jase sick.

Jase
’
s
mind raced trying to think of a plan. He looked Maggie in the eyes and could
feel her fear. He saw her gaze flicker towards Evan
’
s
hand as he moved the gun away from her head to point towards Jase and Will as
he attempted to switch places with them and access the door.

“
Steady,
”
said Evan to them both as they danced in a delicate
circle around the loaded magnum.

Jase looked back at Maggie
’
s
eyes and saw something suddenly different there. He
’
d
seen that look before. What was she
—?

Maggie
’
s
arm raised and her elbow reared back hard into Evan
’
s
solar plexus. He gasped for sudden breath and bent in half. The hand on Maggie
’
s
mouth fell away, and magnum in the other went slack. With swiftness she hadn’t
shown drunk on the ridge, Maggie stepped outside of Evan
’
s
stance and flipped him over her leg in a split second. He landed hard on the
concrete floor. The magnum smacked against the wall next to the door mid-flip.

Maggie barely had time to get out of the
way before Jase barreled towards Evan, who was shocked but already scrambling
for a weapon. Will stomped a hard boot on Evan
’
s
outstretched wrist, and he howled loudly against the concrete floor.

Will secured the magnum while Jase
wrestled Evan onto his back, landing punch after bloody punch into Evan
’
s
face and kidneys until he stopped resisting Jase and only writhed in pain. Will
handed Jase the heavy silver revolver.

Jase stood over Evan and cocked the gun.
He fired off a single shot into Evan
’
s
chest. Every part of Evan fell limp like a dropped stage curtain. Jase let the
gun drop heavy onto the body.

“Jase…”

He whirled at the sound of Maggie
’
s
voice. Tired and scared, shaking with tears, this was a version of her he had
never seen before, and never wanted to see again. She stood tensely against the
concrete wall, her eyes flicking from him to the body and back.

Suddenly every part of him ached. He said
her name, but it barely came out a whisper against his tight breath. She rushed
to his open arms and he felt as though he could collapse on top of her and
still not be close enough. She cried into his chest and he wrapped her
completely in his arms.

Everything else fell away from Jase
’
s
mind in that moment. He laid his head on top of her hair and inhaled her scent.
He soaked in every touch. He knew his life would be divided, now; the time
before this moment, and the time after.

“I
’
m
so sorry,”
he whispered into her hair.
“
I
failed you the second they laid hands on you.
”

Maggie shook her head against his chest.
She looked up at him with steel in her wet eyes.
“
You
saved me. You saved me, Jase. You always have.
”

“
I always will,
”
he said, pressing his forehead against hers.
“I
promise.”

“
I know. I love you.
”

“
I love you too.
”

Eyes closed, he felt a gentle tapping on
his shoulder.
“
This is beautiful. But we
’
re
not secure here,
”
whispered
Will.
“
The
drop men could be back any minute.
”

Jase opened his eyes. Maggie smiled up at
him, though it was just a shade of its usual brightness. He kissed her
forehead.
“Don’t
leave my side.
”

“
I won’t
,”
she said and shook her head.

Maggie on one hand and his gun on the
other, Jase led them back down the hall with Will bringing up the back. They
found Ghost lazily guarding the wounded man, who cried to himself.

“
Do I get to kill him now?
”
said Ghost. The man erupted into sobs and inaudible
begging.

“
He can’t follow us,
”
said Will.
“
Let
the other Crosses tear him to pieces when they find out he helped a plot
against the Black Dogs president.
”