Ours (Blood Ties #3)

I sucked in hard breaths, looking at one twin, then the other, as Caleb strode forward. “Who the fuck do you work for?”

“I know you,” Dad murmured. “I’ve seen you before.”

“Impossible,” the blonde warned. “Now do you want to talk, or get out of this alive?”

“How?”Nick swung his hand in an arc. “We’re fucking surrounded.”

BOOM!I flinched as another explosion rocked the air. The blonde asshole didn’t even blink, instead he answered, “That’s how. So, are we going to do this, or what?”

“Do what, exactly?” Caleb growled.

Blondie bent down, grabbed one corner of the tarpaulin, and yanked it backwards. I flinched and sucked in hard breaths as I stared at the pile of dead bodies, three men and a woman.

“What the fuck is this?” Nick barked, jerking his gaze to the pale-haired twin standing in front of us.

“Let’s call this a contract, shall we?” A deep, resounding voice came from behind us.

I spun, then froze as I saw the same man who’d had Vivienne pressed against the wall the last time I saw her, striding toward us, and behind him was…“Vivienne?”

She was pale, and strange, giving me just a ghost of a smile as she followed him. I lunged across the warehouse, scrambling toward her.

“Ryth, NO!”my father roared.

But he was too late. I was already opening my arms as she broke away from the man’s side to grab me and pull me close.

“Jesus,Ryth.” She wrapped her arms around me, then pushed me back, scanning my body. “Are you hurt?Did they hit you?”

“No, they didn’t fucking hit her,” Tobias snarled. “Who the fuck are you?”

I just couldn’t stop looking at her, at the desperation in her eyes or her beautiful clothes. “Are you okay?” I gripped her arm, feeling the warmth of her flesh. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Me, too,” she smiled, then pulled me close again to whisper in my ear.“You need to be careful.”

Need to be careful?I pulled back, searching her eyes.

“London St. James,” my father stated coldly.

“Jack Castlemaine,” the man responded.

The deep snarl in my father’s tone made me turn and look at the bodies again, then the rest of them.

“What the fuck is this?” Nick snapped.

“Let’s call this an agreement.” London started looking over his shoulder at me, then Vivienne. “One that needs to be made rather quickly, I’m afraid. I’m sure you already know there are more of The Order coming. They’ll be here in a matter of minutes to capture their asset and return to the compound.”

Capture their asset…he meant me. Me, I’m theirasset.

“That’s never going to happen,” Dad growled as he shook his head.

“I’m glad you agree,” St. James answered. “My men will keep them at bay while we assist with the escape.” He turned to Tobias and Nick when he said that.

Nick scowled. “You’ll help us get out?”

“I will,” he nodded, meeting Nick’s glare. “For a price.”

Caleb grew still. Under the cracks of gunfire that still sounded outside the building, he asked quietly. “And what price is that?”

“I think a fair one isa life for a life.”