Page 110 of Perfect Liar

An explosion had blasted out from the lounge.

CHAPTER 31

Another shock wave ripped through the fifth floor of the hotel.

The lounge doors flew past Will and me on the floor as he covered my body with his, protecting me from the splintering wood and shattering glass hurling through the air.

My mind froze in terror. I was hardly breathing.

“Elle, don’t move,” he repeated.

He locked his intense gaze on mine, and even though we couldn’t hear well with the ringing in our ears, he continued talking to calm me.

“I’ve got you, baby. Breathe out. Let it out…”

I forced out a shuddering exhale from my lungs.

“Are your hurt?” he asked.

“I don’t think s?—”

Ethan and Thomas burst into the corridor.

Will got us on our feet. He held me in one arm and put his hand up to stop his brothers.

“We’re all right. We’re not injured. Get on comms with command center.”

The others piled out of the lounge. No one appeared to have life-threatening injuries.

Ethan held his phone against his ear, shouting into it, then shouting details back to us.

“Hotel is locked down. Four is secure. Get Ellie to the room. Use the stairs. Go now.”

We raced to the stairwell exit.

Ben flew in front of us and kicked open the steel door.

“All clear…let’s go,” he shouted.

The stairwell echoed with pounding feet as everyone followed.

When we arrived at the fourth floor, Will shouted back to Ethan.

“I won’t take her in without searching the floor, goddamn it.”

Ethan cut in front of us, waving for Thomas to do the same.

“Thomas and I will go in first. The rest of you wait,” he ordered.

Drops of blood fell on my arm. Not mine.

I tried wiggling out of Will’s grip to see where it came from.

“Will, you’re hurt. Let go…let me see!”

He released me but complained as I searched him for the source of the blood. There…something had hit him on the back of his neck, leaving a small laceration.

I wiped at the blood with the palm of my hand.