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back, he has her downstairs.” The voice was speaking Italian in a hallway that ran under the staircase, the voice bouncing off all that marble on the first floor. Alaric worked through the rapid translation as the man continued. “Tell him he can come get her now, payment is complete.”
    There was the confirmation he needed that she was in the basement, but who else would be coming for her? Worry about it later . Get the girl . Dropping over the side of the stairs Alaric landed quietly and shot the guy almost point blank, the phone he’d been on went skidding across the marble, but Alaric managed to grab the guy before he fell and eased him to the floor.
    “Armand?” A voice came from farther down the hall and Alaric moved towards it quickly. As soon as the figure turned the corner he fired twice and the man let out a stunned shout of pain. Bloody hell. Alaric rushed forward to cover the guy’s mouth as he groaned and he pushed him to the floor to wait for him to go silent.
    Too much noise .
    He needed to orient himself to figure out where the steps to the basement were before the bodies were discovered. A moment later the man went limp and he let go, wiping his hands on his pants.
    Doubling back he turned right and could see the front door and then he knew where to go, the floor plan alight in his brain as if the computer screen were still in front of him. Crossing the foyer he turned down a short hall just as he heard shouts of alarm behind him. He stopped and pressed himself back against the wall, hiding inside the hallway. Smacking his head back against the wall Alaric gritted his teeth in frustration. Now that he was downstairs he was already on his back-up plan, and he hadn’t even found the fucking girl yet. He heard footsteps move past the hall he was in, and he started counting in his head to five.
    One, two, three, fo-
    A dark haired guy turned into the hall staring past him to the open doorway to the basement, but then he saw Alaric. His gun was up and firing instantly, but Alaric slammed his hand into the guy’s firing arm and the bullet buried itself in the wall. Bringing his elbow up into the side of the man’s head Alaric twisted the hand holding the gun until it dropped and then kicked him in the back of the knee to drop him. A single shot put an end to that and Alaric stepped over the guy to head to the stairs.
    The shot was going to bring more of them. No more time, he had to get her out now.

Chapter Four
     
    When the bands had hummed against her wrists before suddenly disappearing minutes before, Tara had sat up on the bed and ripped the headphones out of her ears. She was free, but she was still locked in the damn cell. Gianni had to be dead, because there were no new bands on her wrists, no warning shocks of pain up her arms to tell her a new master controlled them. No new master at the bars waiting to take her. Nothing.
    Above her there were shouts, and the sound of heavy feet running across the floor. More silence. Then a loud pop came from the top of the stairs, and she jumped.
    Standing slowly Tara went to the bars and looked at the open doorway as panic took flight in her chest. Her heart fluttered like a wild bird until she took control and snagged it, clipping its wings and locking it away. She hated feeling trapped. Even a large cage was still a cage, but none of it really mattered. No matter what, she would have a new master soon and fear wasn’t going to help.
    She didn’t even hear the footsteps of the man that appeared at the bottom of the stairs holding a long gun. No, not long, there was a silencer on it. His breathing was steady, the dark clothes he wore covered in clips and pockets – everything about him screamed ‘soldier’.
    His mouth opened like he was about to talk, but then he just stared at her. He was handsome, and really young. Had he come for her, or was she a surprise? Was this about Gianni’s less than reputable business connections?
    Releasing her fingers