down when they’re done and just wash the blood right away. Fast and easy cleanup.” Lee had transferred them into that room so that he could fully take advantage of the facilities.
Lee had plans.
Drew was ready to destroy those plans.
“He should’ve checked the equipment,” Drew said softly. “Sloppy mistake.” Lee had probably cuffed other prisoners to this pole before to hold them in place.
But one thing Lee seemed to have missed...desperate prisoners struggled. The men and women that Lee had hurt in the past would have struggled desperately to escape from the pole—and the pain.
And their struggles had loosened the pole. It wasn’t fully embedded in the hard floor any longer.
Perfect.
“Drop with me,” Drew ordered in a low whisper. He didn’t want Carl hearing them.
Without a word, Tina dropped with him. The floor was cold and hard, and it smelled of blood. Hell, he wanted her out of that place. No way did Tina belong in a room like this. He yanked again against the pole and then...then Tina was there, adding her strength to his. She’d positioned her body closer to his, and she was jerking on the pole with him.
It groaned again, and Drew stilled. “Wait.” Because he didn’t want to alert Carl, not yet.
But Carl didn’t come rushing into the room.
“Again,” Drew whispered.
They yanked again, and the pole lifted off the floor, just a few centimeters, but that was all Drew needed. He slid his cuff under the pole and his left wrist was free.
Hell, yes.
He jumped to his feet and Tina rushed up with him. “What about this one?” she said, tugging on the cuff that connected their wrists.
“That one’s going to have to stay.” Until he could find something to pick the lock or find a saw to cut the cuffs off. And if she was going to stay cuffed to him, then Tina needed to realize... “We’re going to be targets.”
Her eyes were wide. Stark.
No glasses.
He swore. “Just how much can you see?”
“I’m fine. I’m near-sighted, so I can see up close pretty much perfectly.”
Which should work, since she had to stay up-close with him.
“I’ll be your eyes for distance,” he said.
She licked her lips and, of course, that just made his gaze drop to her mouth.
Focus.
He exhaled slowly and let the ice sweep over him. “You follow my every order, understand? No hesitations, no questions. Because a hesitation will get you—or both of us—killed.”
She nodded. Her dark hair brushed over her shoulders.
“These are bad men, Tina.” Bad was an understatement. “You know what they want to do to you.” Cutting off her finger would just be the start of their fun.
Her gaze held his.
“So just be prepared for what I have to do...to them.” Their escape wasn’t going to be some walk in the park. It might even turn into a blood bath.
“What can I do?” She shook her head. “I want to help you, not just be some burden that you have to carry out of this place.”
“Help by staying alive.”
Her lips tightened. “That’s not what I meant.”
He knew, and Drew also knew that he didn’t want to risk her. But she will be risked. There was no escaping the danger surrounding her. “How the hell did you even get in this mess?”
“I don’t know.”
His left hand lifted. The loose cuff dangled from his wrist. He touched her cheek.
Tina flinched.
“Easy.” He wouldn’t hurt her, ever. Didn’t she realize that? “Before I open that door...” And I run the chance of losing my life before I get the one thing I’ve wanted for so long... “There’s something I need to do.”
A faint line appeared between her brows. “What?”
He was a bloody, bruised mess. When he’d imagined this moment—and he had, many times—it had been different.
Oh, well. So much for his best-laid plans.
“What?” Tina asked again.
“This.” He put his mouth on hers. Drew had to do it. He had to find out if the woman would be as good in reality as she was in his dreams.
At first Tina didn’t move at all. She’d frozen on him—maybe his ice had transferred to her.
Some dreams were better than reality. He began to pull away.
Then Tina leaned toward him. Her lips parted beneath his and she kissed him back with a wild, reckless passion he hadn’t expected.
Some dreams couldn’t touch reality.
He put his hand under her chin, aware of the weight of that dangling cuff. He tilted her head back so that he could plunder her mouth, so that he could taste her.
Hell, in that moment, he wanted to consume her.
His body ached for her. Need pulsed through his veins, and if they weren’t in some pit of hell...if the bad guys weren’t just down the hallway...
Drew lifted his head. “Then you’d be mine,” he rasped.
Tina blinked and shook her head. “What?”
He kissed her once more, just because he had to do it. There’s no way we’re dying. The woman was full of secrets, and he’d be sure he had the chance to discover every single one. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I walked into your office and you told me to take off my shirt.”
Her gorgeous eyes widened. “Your shirt was covered in blood.”
As if a little matter of a bullet wound could have stopped him from wanting her. “It is now, too.” A bullet wound won’t stop the need. He rocked back on his heels. “Remember, no hesitation.”
Her lips were swollen from his mouth. She was so sexy right then. Sexy, but still scared. Talk about terrible timing.
That was the story of his life.
He backed her up against the wall on the right side of the room. Drew calculated that this would be his best attack spot.
He rolled his shoulders, pushed down his fury. He had to take out his prey one at a time. First, Carl would go down. Carl who’d wanted to slice away one of Tina’s fingers.
Rage... Drew swallowed and pushed the rage down again.
Carl would be taken out first. Then Drew and Tina would rush down the hallway. Another guard would be at the door that led outside. Maybe two guards would be there. Drew would have to take them out, too.
He and Tina would stay low, keeping to cover. There was a motorcycle waiting in the garage. One the others thought was out of commission, but that Drew had taken the time to ensure was actually fully operational.
He liked having backup plans available.
His muscles were tight, battle ready. Tina watched him with wide eyes.
Protect her. Get her out.
Once Tina was safe, he’d come back to finish this mission. I have to eliminate Anton Devast.
He gave a little nod. “Okay, Doc, it’s show time.” He waited a beat, then said, “Scream for me.”
She didn’t scream.
Hadn’t they