Page 43 of Keeping Caroline
With the guards bleeding out on the concrete and my shoulder wrapped in a strip of my torn shirt, Tristan and I stood before the metal door, the only barrier between us and Caroline. My hand trembled as I slid the key I had taken from one of the guards into the lock, fear from what I would find on the other side nearly paralyzing.
The door screeched on rusted hinges as dim light from the hallway spilled into the darkened room. My heart lurched when I saw the outline of a figure crumpled on the floor.
“Caroline,” I rasped, rushing to her side with Tristan on my heels. She lay frighteningly still, her eyes closed. Bruises mottled her pale skin. Dried blood stained her lips.
Tristan reached for her, but before he could touch her, I scooped her up, cradling her head against my chest. “Caroline, can you hear me?”
Eyes fluttering open halfway, she tried to speak but only managed a broken whimper.
Raged welled inside me, white-hot. I tried to stand, but pain shot through my shoulder, nearly making me drop her.
“Take her,” I told Tristan, panic filling me as I held her out in front of me. “We have to get her out of here.”
With Caroline secured in Tristan’s arms, I pulled out one of my pistols, anticipating further confrontation. We stepped back out into the dark corridor, my senses on high alert. At every turn, I expected more guards to appear. Caroline’s breathing was labored in Tristan’s arms behind me, each whimper a stab to my heart. I should have found her sooner.
Rounding the corner, we came face to face with two more mobsters blocking our path. Tristan cursed under his breath and laid Caroline down inside an open doorway to keep her out of harm’s way.
As the taller one with long hair lunged and knocked my gun out of my hand, I pivoted, ramming my elbow up under his jaw. He reeled back with a garbled shout. In a flash, my knife was in my hand. I slashed at him, driving him back. Dimly, I was aware of his companion grappling with Tristan behind me, but before I could turn to make sure Caroline was okay, the long-haired man barreled into me, slamming me against the wall. My knife skittered away across the floor. Time slowed as we grappled with each other, exchanging blows. I was injured, but I was fueled by rage and desperation, so the pain did not phase me.
With a burst of energy, I twisted free and smashed my fist into his throat. He choked, clawing at his neck. Before he could regain his composure, I followed up with a kick to his gut, then a swing to his head. He collapsed in a heap.
Panting, I scooped up my gun and turned to where Tristan was still wrestling against the other mobster. Without taking a breath, I fired. I had had enough.
Blood and brain matter sprayed across the wall as the mobster hit the ground in front of me. Tristan did not hesitate to scoop Caroline up off the ground, holding her close.
“Get her to your car and to safety,” I said, no room for argument in my command.
Tristan’s gaze dropped to my blood-soaked shirt. “You’re hurt. You might—”
“I’ll live. Go.”
Only hesitating for a moment longer, he slipped past me and into the night, Caroline’s dark hair spilling over his arm. The moment the door shut behind him, I bolted for the machine room we had walked through when first arriving. Metal barrels were stacked high in the corner, the sharp tang of gasoline meeting my nose. Moving as quickly as I could, I kicked them over and opened the valves, leaving a trailing line of fuel as I walked toward the exit.
There, I opened the door and paused, steeling myself. Then I lit a match and dropped it to the gasoline-soaked floor.
Flames erupted with a roar, racing hungrily along the fuel line, devouring everything in their path. I slipped outside, the blistering heat at my back as I fled into the forest.
Chapter 30
The Phoenix
A faint light blinded me as my eyes fluttered open, the searing pain throbbing in my temple pulsing with each heartbeat. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog from my vision. The ground beneath me vibrated, but I did not know if I was actually moving, or if it was all in my head. Panic swelled in my chest, and I jolted up, struggling to see out of my swollen eye. “Evie!”
“Caroline,” a soft, familiar voice said, a hand reaching over to grab mine. I flinched away, waiting for the strike. “Caroline, it’s me.”
The car slowed and I leaned back on the seat, turning to look at the driver as we came to a stop. “It’s me, Superwoman. You’re safe now.”
Although I knew it was probably a dream, or perhaps something more final, I gazed into the face of Tristan, his hazel green eyes etched with concern behind dark frame glasses. “Tristan?”
Hand hovering in the air between us for a moment, he placed it on mine, squeezing gently. “You’re safe now, Caroline. I promise, I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
I could not find it in myself to believe it was real, but overwhelming relief flooded through my body anyway, sending tears from my eyes that I never gave permission to fall. “Evie?”
Hesitating for a moment, he leaned forward, pulling me against his chest. Everything hurt, my body battered and bruised, but I allowed him to hold me in his arms as I sobbed. “Evie’s safe, love. She’s safe at home with Scarlett. Ethan is on his way home behind us. Everyone is safe.”
Even though my mind still believed none of it was true, I nodded against his chest, giving the words permission to sink in. “Take me to see her. Please.”
After a moment longer, he pressed a kiss to my cheek, and then shifted the car back into drive, but he did not let go of my hand. I was grateful for it, because it was the only thing keeping me grounded in the moment as I sank back into the leather seat.