She could barely breathe, let alone speak. Silent tears leaked from her eyes as she clung to him. Ray held her, his anxiety rising by the second. He’d saved her, but it would all be for nothing if they didn’t get moving soon. The guys would walk in and shoot them, and he couldn’t fight all of them at once.
Augusta murmured, opening her eyes a little. Her face lit up when she saw him, and her eyes shined with tears. She reached up to stroke his cheek, and it was like a lance through his chest.
“You came,” she whispered.
He grabbed her hand, nodding forcefully. “Of course, I did. We have to get out of here. Can you walk?”
She nodded, and he got up, holding her arm to keep her steady. She wobbled a bit but quickly found her feet. Ray turned to take her back through the club and hopefully avoid the bad guys, but they were already on their way back.
Behind them, Ray noticed the roller door. It was solid steel. He couldn’t break it. Their only hope was that it wasn’t locked.
Grabbing Augusta’s hand, he ran toward the back dock. He kept his eyes on the control panel and didn’t look back. He slapped the green button, and the door started rising, clattering with an ear-splitting roar.
He stepped in front of Augusta, keeping her behind him.
“The second that door is open enough, you go under and run.”
“But …”
“No. You do it.”
There was no time to argue further. The guys rushed into the room. The nameless toughs charged them, leaving Little Stevie and Matchstick Malone hanging back.
Figures. Pawns always go first.
Ray shifted and charged, ripping the guys apart as he jumped, spun, and twisted. His claws swept through the air, slicing through skin and muscle with incredible force. Blood splattered the ground and pooled on the floor as he destroyed his enemies.
“She’s getting away,” Little Stevie cried. “Go around the front and cut her off.”
Ray felt fear blooming in his chest all over again. He had to get to Augusta, and he had to do it now. There was only Little Stevie and Malone left in the room, and they had their guns out.
He turned and ran after Augusta, swerving back and forth as the guys behind him fired. Just as he hit the deck to slide under the door, he felt a terrific impact shatter his ribs.
He roared in pain as his momentum took him under the door and into the street beyond. To his dismay, Augusta was waiting for him.
“No … run,” he croaked, his body shifting back to human in response to the pain.
“You’re shot,” she whisper-screamed, her voice still raspy. Ray groaned when she grabbed his hand, trying to support him.
“The car … is down there,” he said, pointing to a nearby alley. “Just go.”
“No fucking way,” she replied. “Walk now, or we both die.”
Ray groaned, forcing himself to put one foot in front of the other. She was one hell of a woman, that was for sure. He was angry and frustrated that she refused to leave him, terrified that this act of love could mean her death.
But he was also overwhelmed by an emotion he couldn’t name. He’d never had anyone care so much about him that they would literally put themselves in danger. He struggled against the warmth in his chest, fighting emotion as well as pain.
The goons rounded the corner behind them, coming from the front entrance. Meanwhile, Malone and Stevie were sliding under the roller door. Ray put in a last burst of effort, bolting for the car and dragging Augusta with him. They made it to the car, and he collapsed in the back seat.
Augusta jumped into the driver’s seat, and they peeled away in a cloud of smoke.
“Ray? Answer me! Where do I go, what do I do?”
Ray couldn’t answer. He was drifting away, surrounded by a luminous cloud that begged him to give up and sink into oblivion. He knew he was bleeding out. He could feel the cold seeping through him as his lifeblood poured onto the car’s back seat. He didn’t care.
She was safe.
Chapter22