in that direction." There were the sounds of metal clicks and shifting. "It's not armed. Anymore."
Z looked above the hole. Mounted on the exposed rafters of the roof, about fifteen feet from the floor, there was a small device. "V, what have we got up there?"
"Laser eye. You break it, it probably triggers the-"
"Hold up," Rhage said. "I got another gun to empty out here."
V stroked his goatee. "There must be a remote-control activator, although the guy probably took it with him.
That's what I would do." He squinted up at the ceiling. "That particular model runs on lithium batteries. So it's not like we could kill the generator to turn it off. And they're tricky to disarm."
Z glanced around for something he could use to push the plate off and thought of the bathroom. He went inside, whipped the shower curtain down, and brought the pole it had hung from back.
"Everyone clear out."
Rhage spoke sharply. "Z, man, I don't know that I've found all the-"
"Take the civilian with you." When no one moved, he cursed. "We don't have time to fuck around, and if someone's getting shot it's going to be me. Jesus Christ, will you brothers leave?"
When the place was cleared out, Z approached the hole. Standing with his back to one of the guns that had been removed, so that he would have been in its line of fire, he nudged the cover off with the pole. A gunshot rang out with a popping sound.
Z caught the slug in his left calf. The searing impact brought him down on one knee, but he ignored it and dragged himself to the neck of the pipe. He took hold of the ropes that led down into the earth and began to pull.
The first thing he saw was her hair. Bella's long, beautiful mahogany hair was all around her, a veil over her face and shoulders.
He sagged and lost his vision, partly passing out, but even through the full-body wobble, he kept pulling.
Abruptly the effort became easier... because there were hands helping him... other hands on the rope, other hands laying her gently on the floor.
Dressed in a sheer nightgown that was stained with her blood, she wasn't moving, but she was breathing. He carefully pushed her hair back from her face...
Zsadist's blood pressure took a nosedive. "Oh, sweet Jesus... oh, sweet Jesus... oh, sweet-"
"What did they do..." Whoever had spoken couldn't find the words to finish.
Throats cleared. A couple of coughs were smothered. Or maybe they were gags.
Page 42
J R Ward: Lover Awakened
Z gathered her in his arms and just... hugged her. He had to get her out, but he couldn't move for what had been done to her. Blinking, dizzy, screaming inside, he rocked her gently back and forth. Words fell from his mouth, lamentations for her in the Old Language.
Phury sank down to his knees. "Zsadist? We have to take her away from here."
Focus came to Z in a rush, and suddenly all he could think about was moving her to the mansion. He sliced the harness off her torso, then struggled to his feet with her in his arms. When he tried to walk, his left leg gave out and he stumbled. For a split second he couldn't think of why.
"Let me take her," Phury said, putting out his hands. "You've been shot."
Zsadist shook his head and brushed by his twin, limping.
He took Bella out to the Taurus that was still parked in front of the building. Holding her against his chest, he broke the driver's-side window with his fist, then craned his arm inside and unlocked everything while the alarm went crazy. Opening the rear door, he leaned down and put her on the seat. When he bent her legs slightly to make them fit, the nightgown rode up and he winced. She had bruises. A lot of them.
As the alarm ran out of steam, he said, "Someone give me a jacket."
The second he held his hand out behind him, leather hit his palm. He draped her carefully in what he realized was Phury's coat, and then he shut her in and got behind the wheel.
The last thing he heard was a command from Wrath. "V, get out that hand of yours. This place needs to be torched."
Reaching under the dash, Z hot-wired the sedan and sped from the scene like a bat out of hell.
O pulled his truck over to the curb on a dark section of Tenth Street. "I still don't get why you