Page 101 of Ready or Not
It’s not someone on our side. Not if they’re violently destroying Mercy’s house…
The risk is still too great. I’d never forgive myself if I accidentally shot one of my guys. I can’t even tell how close they are because the bond is a frazzled, indecipherable mess.
I yank the door handle closed and lock it.
The two doors that lead to the rooms need to be locked too. I pop into the one on the left, locking the handle, then slam it closed as I move to the one on the right.
Only, the exterior door slams open as I’m trying to get this interior door closed and locked.
Andrew’s beady eyes meet mine, and my heart literally stalls.
Terror rips through my system, but I slam the door and haul ass to the bathroom.
I barely get inside and lock it when I hear Andrew.
He’s already in the room on the right. “Honey, long time no see. At least not in person.”
“Holy shit,” Kate whispers.
I spin around, and Marina is in the bathtub, cradling Aurora and trying to keep her quiet. My gaze falls to the gun that I don’t technically know how to use.
Yes, Cooper went over a few things, but…
“I’m giving you until I count down from five to come out. If you do that, I promise I won’t hurt the baby,” Andrew calls through the closed door. “Say your goodbyes. It’s time for us to go.”
“Shoot his ass,” Kate whisper-hisses.
“I’ve never actually shot a gun before,” I whisper back.
“Fuck,” she whispers, shaking her head.
My eyes close as Andrew calls out five.
I focus on the bond and desperately try to shove thoughts of the bedroom to my guys. Gunshots and mini-explosions still ring in the background. I pray that I’m not distracting them, but I really need some fucking help right now.
Kate tries to grab the gun, but I slap her hand away. If he gets pissed, he could shoot back, and my newborn baby is feet away.
Like Cooper said, Andrew wants me alive.
Ranger said he wanted to toy with me.
I have to believe he wouldn’t kill me immediately, and if I know one thing, it’s that my guys will not stop looking for me until they find me.
“Four,” he calls out.
I study the gun, looking for any of the safeties Cooper taught me to check for, but I don’t see any. Lifting up the back of my dress, I shove the gun into the band of my panties. They’re granny panties, due to the pads necessary for all the after-birth bleeding, but I’m grateful because they hold up the heavy gun much better than my normal pre-pregnancy underwear ever could.
I stumble over, kissing Aurora’s forehead.
“Please take care of her,” I choke out, tossing myself back toward the door. If I don’t go now, I might chicken out. “I’m coming out.”
“That’s right, honey. Come to me. You can trust me to keep you safe.” His voice sends a shiver of pure revulsion down my spine, but I pull my shoulders back.
“Close and lock it as soon as I’m out,” I tell Kate, undoing the lock. My hand shakes as I turn the handle. I barely get half my body out before he grabs my arm and starts dragging me toward the door.
“Don’t try to run, or I will kill you. Then I’ll come back and finish off the brat,” he growls as we make it into the entryway. He steps into the small vestibule with the table to our right and the still-locked door in front of us.
My hand slides behind my back, but I don’t go for the gun.