House of Leights (Secret Keepers #3)(9)

Brad didn’t answer me, which generally meant he was going to ignore my plan completely. With not much left to lose, I opened my mouth and started to scream for help. The main street was close by. Maybe someone would hear me…

The eight continued closing in on us, uncaring that I was screaming. Despite my words not to fight, I brought both hands up closer to my face and clenched them into fists. I couldn’t just go quietly; I wasn’t raised that way. I screamed again, shouting for help, but there was no one coming to our rescue.

The man closest to me was not that tall, but he was very wide. Broad shoulders, a little bit of extra fat on him, but it was clear there were a lot of muscles under that layer. “Shut up,” he growled. “I’m not supposed to kill you, but there is a lot of pain between healthy and dead. Don’t push me.”

I swung both of my fists around and flipped him off. “Kiss my ass, asshole,” I spat out.

Shut up, Maya.

My mom hated me swearing; my father had no issue. So I had a weird tendency where I mostly didn’t swear, but when I was freaked or stressed the worst kind of cursing known to pirate and Texan would fall from my lips.

He lurched forward, arms outstretched. Instinct kicked in and I swung my fist toward his brick-like head, but just as I was about to connect, he made a weird grunting sound and was jerked backwards, away from me. I blinked a few times, wondering what had just happened. It hadn’t been my punch, because it didn’t actually land. Had one of his friends pulled him back? Were they fighting over who was first to grab me?

“You okay?” Brad asked, his back pressed against mine.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Something weird is happening, but they’re backing up.”

The remaining men were looking between themselves, trying to figure out what happened to their friend. After a moment, one of the others let out some very inventive swears of his own, before he came toward me. “Stupid bitch, what did you do to Leroy?”

I held both hands up on either side of me, palms up. Whatever happened to Leroy, it had nothing to do with me. Or apparently the other four confused kidnappers standing before me. Thug number one reached for me, and just as I braced, he was swept away, quick as a flash. I didn’t see anyone behind him. There had been no clear sign of what happened. Just one moment there and the next gone.

The remaining three on my side looked nervous, and when Brad turned around, I realized there were none left on his side. “What is happening?” I asked, reaching out for his hand. I needed something to hold onto.

“I have no idea,” he said, not sounding very happy about it. “Before I could even land a hit, they just disappeared.”

Despite this, the final three did not give up. They each came for us, and each time they were gone in the same instant. I took a step down the alley, back the way we’d originally run, trying to see in the dark. All of a sudden, my stomach did a twirl, and as I pressed my palms to it, I recognized the sensation. I’d felt it only a few hours ago at Mitchell’s party from that guy leaning against the wall, the guy who seemed to have created a plethora of emotions inside of me from across the room of a crowded party.

Was he here somewhere? In the darkness?

“Thank you,” I called out, not sure where that came from, but needing to say it all the same.

Brad was confused. “Who are you thanking?” he asked, pulling me back toward the main street.

Not wanting to leave, but knowing I had no choice, I reluctantly followed. “I have no idea,” I told him. “But I think we might have a guardian angel.”

Brad didn’t ask anything else, his focus now on hustling me toward the street, his face tense and stressed. That expression reminded me that we’d almost been kidnapped. Which was completely insane, and yet, I still couldn’t stop thinking about the guy from the party. Was it even possible to have chemistry that strong? Strong enough to feel in the dark, even though I could not see him to confirm he was even there.

Maybe stress was finally causing me to lose my mind. That’d make just as much sense.

When we reached the main street I hailed the first cab we found. Normally Uber would be the way, but since our phones were dust, this was where we were at. “Where to?” the driver asked when we were both in the back seat.

“Washington, D.C.,” I told him, trying to keep the urgency from my voice. “Will the train still be running at this time?”

According to his front console it was 1:36 A.M. How could so much have happened in forty minutes?

“Nope, last train left just before.”

Dammit. “Can you take us?” I asked, one of my legs jittering with impatience. I really just wanted him to move it.

There was a beat of silence. “Well, sure, I can take you, but the round trip for me will be quite expensive.”

I didn’t even hesitate, pulling out the wads of cash from my bag. “Here you go. I’m sure this will cover it.”

The driver looked down, his eyes widened, and he immediately pulled out onto the road. I felt somewhat better now that we were moving, relaxing just a touch.

“Where to in Washington?” he asked, maneuvering through an intersection.

I opened my mouth to reply, but then decided I would take the “trust no one” thing seriously. “I’ll let you know when we’re closer. Just head into the main downtown part.”