I had no clue which room she’d be in. I kicked open a random door—and found a dark bedroom with a queen bed covered in pristine covers.
I peered back out into the hall, looking both ways, then froze. I recognized Dante coming toward me from the opposite direction and pulled back into the room. I waited a second before peeking out again, lowering down closer to the floor, but he hadn’t noticed me and seemed intent on one thing: stopping in front of a door in the center of the hall and unlocking it.
I didn’t know what the hell he was doing there, but he knew my face and could give me away. I sucked in a couple calming breaths as he stood in front of the unlocked door, frowning at it. He seemed to be wrestling with something, but quickly turned and stalked back the way he’d come. He disappeared down the stairs, his voice echoing up over the other shouts. I stayed hidden, not sure what he’d just done, and watched as the door opened—
And Cora stepped out.
It took me a few seconds to understand what I’d seen. Dante came upstairs, unlocked her door, and then left. I didn’t know why he’d do that, but clearly, she’d been locked in there, and he set her free. Maybe he felt bad for her, or maybe they had a deal—but either way, Cora stood there, twenty feet away from me. She seemed to study the empty hallway then turned and walked toward me.
I let her get close, inches away, before reaching out and grabbing her.
She tried to scream, but I covered her mouth. She struggled, elbowed me in the chest, and only relaxed when I pinned her against the wall and whispered her name.
“Cora, it’s me.”
She blinked once, twice, and I dropped my hand from her lips. God, that mouth, that tongue—I felt my heart skip beats as I held her pinned against the wall.
“Reid,” she said, and for a second I thought she was angry. I couldn’t read her expression until she threw herself against me.
I kissed her with a hungry passion. All my uncertainty blew away as I held her tight against me, and I remembered the hours we spent in bed enjoying each other, exploring each other’s bodies, and I knew this was the right thing to do—no matter how reckless, how stupid. This was my Cora, my wife, mine.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I came for you.”
She blinked then a smile lit up her face. “The explosion?”
“Aldrik and Enrico.” I grinned back at her. “It’s pretty bad down there.”
“How did you know which room I was in?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t. Dante came up and unlocked your door. I was waiting for him to leave when you stepped into the hall.”
Confusion crossed her face. “Dante?”
“I don’t know what you did, but I guess he felt bad for you.” I touched her face, suddenly noticing her black eye. “What did they do to you?”
“Vincent,” she said, looking away. “I rejected a deal and this is how he reacted.”
I cursed and balled my hands into fists—but didn’t have time to find him and murder him for hurting my wife.
“Come on,” I said, my voice a growl, and took her hand in mine. “We have to run.”
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.” I hesitated then looked at her. “But if you come with me—you’re with me. Do you understand?”
She nodded once. “I don’t need to think about it. Let’s go.”
I pulled her out into the hall. Men were still shouting downstairs but it sounded less urgent. Sirens sounded in the distance and I guessed they called the fire department. I tugged her back toward the staircase I’d come up, walking as fast as I could. I didn’t know who’d be down there, and if they found that body, I might be in some trouble, but there was no time to find another way out.
I went down first, keeping her behind me and the gun ready. The first landing was empty, and I peered around the corner.
The dead guard lay at the floor of the stairs, blood leaking from his skull in a wide puddle. Two more men stood over him, one of them speaking into a radio. I couldn’t hear what he said, but both of their faces were grim.
I looked back at Cora. “Don’t move,” I whispered in her ear. “Stay here. I’ll be back for you.”
Fear flashed in her eyes. “Wait. Reid.”
“Trust me.” I kissed her, bit her plump bottom lip, then turned the corner.
The guards weren’t ready for more. I took out the guy with the radio first, putting one in his chest and the other in his skull. He dropped backwards, mouth open in a shocked grimace. The other raised his weapon and fired a shot, but it landed short of me, smashing into the stairs at my feet as I fired two rounds into his chest. He staggered back and I barreled into the kitchen, kicking him over and finishing him off with a headshot. Blood splattered the floor and walls, but there was nobody else around, the rest of the guards presumably fighting the fire.