A Dom is Forever (Masters and Mercenaries #3)(123)

Nelson sighed as though bored with it all. “Don’t blame yourself, my dear. I was going to shoot him again anyway. I can’t have him getting to that knife. But now it really is up to you. The next shot I take will be lower. I’ll take out his right lung and then his left, so you really should find those files.”

Anger threatened to take over. Who the hell was this man to think he could just walk in here and take what he wanted? She couldn’t lose Liam, but she was utterly helpless. Nelson had the guns, and she doubted she would be allowed to get the knife.

“I’m giving you a chance, dear. If you find the files, I’ll walk away. All I care about are those files. Personally I think leaving O’Donnell alive might mean Ian Taggart stays off my ass for a couple of months.” He sounded so reasonable.

“Stop moving. You’re making it worse,” she told Liam, her love, her Master. He was still trying to protect her, but he’d done his job and now it was time to do hers. “Does he mean it?”

“He left Sean alive,” Liam admitted.

“Look, I could kill you both and find the files myself. It really would be easier.” Nelson looked at his watch.

Avery struggled to her feet. “He kept them on paper. They weren’t in his office at work, so they have to be here. I’ve only been here a couple of times.”

“I would check the desk. Hurry along, dear. Time is ticking by.” He kept his gun trained on Liam.

She opened the top drawer and rifled through it. Nothing. She checked the side drawers. Everything was neat, and there were no files to be found.

“Okay. I’m going to be merciful. I’ll go for a leg this time.” A little ping sounded through the room.

Avery screamed as Liam’s thigh started to bleed.

“Two more minutes and I’ll start on the lungs.”

She wanted to plead. She couldn’t lose him. Where would he hide the files?

He’d been leaving. He’d scheduled a flight for Dubai.

“It’s in his luggage. His briefcase. Where’s his briefcase?” Avery nearly shouted the question.

“Clever girl. I think you should look inside and make sure. I wouldn’t want to find out you were wrong.” He gestured behind her and sure enough, there it was, the designer case he’d carried with him when they traveled. He’d never checked it, always preferring to keep it close.

She got to her knees, her back to Nelson. There was something else he would have kept in here. His phone and his tablet. Nelson would take the whole thing, but she was going to make a play for the backup. She wasn’t about to allow this man to just walk away, and if he betrayed them, MI6 would find it and Simon would break the code.

The files were right there in the side pocket beside his tablet.

“Well? Do I shoot Mr. O’Donnell again?”

“Don’t give him anything, Avery,” Liam growled.

She slipped the tablet out and onto the floor. She grabbed the files and stood. “I have them. There are three here.”

“Excellent. I’ll take the whole bag.”

Deep breath. Stay calm. The tablet was black. If she was careful, he wouldn’t notice it. She slipped the files back inside and turned, her hands shaking. She couldn’t fight him physically, but she wasn’t going to let him win. She tried to walk a straight line so her body hid what she’d left behind.

Nelson took the bag with a wink. “A deal’s a deal. I’ll leave you two lovebirds here.” He started toward the door. “I took care of your brother’s goon. You’re all alone in the house. Oh, by the way, your brother was very good with explosives, and he never liked to leave anything behind. He wired this whole town house to blow in the event that he wasn’t coming back. I set the timer. I believe you’ll find you have less than three minutes to get out. I think it will be interesting to see if Miss Charles stays with her lover or runs. And if you do survive, let Ian Taggart know I’m not done with him yet.”

He turned and walked out, and Avery ran to Liam. She got to her knees. He was so pale. “Was he serious?”

He’d lost so much blood, but his eyes were open. “He was. Get the bloody hell out of here, Avery. That’s an order.”

She wasn’t losing him. She would rather get her ass blown up in this damn house than live without trying to save him. Death didn’t get to take someone else from her. Not one more person she loved. Not today. She would go down with him. She would pray there was something beyond this place because she wasn’t staying here without him.

“Come on. Can you walk?” Avery looked down at his leg. She couldn’t see his pants for all the blood soaking them. It spilled over onto the carpet. She bit back a cry. He looked so bad.

“I can’t walk, love. Get the hell out. I mean it. I’m going to spank you so bad if you don’t get the f*ck out right this second.”

That was a Dom. “You’ll have to spank me in the afterlife if you don’t get a move on.”

His hand gripped hers. “I can’t, love. Baby, you have to run. I love you. You have to live. Please.”

Her heart hurt, but she couldn’t let begging work this time. She got up and pulled on his arm. She was weak. She knew it, but she couldn’t let it stop her. She had to get him out of here. She had to be the strong one now. He’d taken those bullets for her. He could have gotten away at the apartment, but he’d reached out for her. He hadn’t left her alone. He would never leave her alone.