iron arm impacting with my stomach shoved all the air from my body—something I hadn't had a lot of to begin with. He pushed me into a chair, and I landed with a bounce.
"Abso-fucking-lutely not, Storri. You aren't going out there to save that dogshit."
I hadn't planned on just running outside and handing myself over, but I could see how Diesel got that idea. Hallie and Dr. Tiff ran to join us, prompting Diesel to let out a string of curse words so extreme I had a second reason for wanting the babies in the panic room. "Knox!" he barked.
Knox emerged from the other hallway, his arms laden with various firearms. "What the fuck are you three doing here? Get in the panic room, now."
"And wait for the hotel to fall on our heads?" I snarled.
Knox took a single step back, looking at me like he'd never seen me before.
"Do they really have Storri's kidnapper?" Hallie asked.
Knox nodded before waving the fact off as extremely unimportant. "They've tried calling in reinforcements. It won't be long before they realize all they need to do is use the Hummer to transport their men in."
We needed time, but we needed to keep the enemy distracted while we got that time.
"Fumblerooski," Knox called out like the word made any sense.
Diesel glowered. "No way. That needs a decoy, and neither of us could pass for Storri."
"I can be Storri," Hallie offered. "We're about the same size."
"No." I stood and shook my head, confused, but understanding the conversation enough to know Hallie had offered to do something hazardous. No one was putting themselves in danger—in more danger—just for me.
But somehow, Knox jerked his chin in a nod.
At least Dr. Tiff still seemed to have her senses. She growled, a sound I'd never heard from her. "I should do it. I'm the shifter here. I should be the one to go."
"You're a doctor," Knox grunted. "Our only doctor, and if people get hurt, you'll be more useful here. We'll lead them on a chase. By the time they realize Hallie isn't Storri, Diesel will have gathered more weapons. I'll find a place for Hallie to hide while I attack from behind and you attack from the front."
Diesel was clearly not a fan of that idea, but as a second explosion shook the hotel, he cursed and nodded sharply. He grabbed Hallie, unceremoniously ripping my shirt off and shoving it over Hallie's head. "If you die…I will kill you."
Hallie snorted. "Same to you."
Since the men had already spotted me when I'd stupidly ran outside, Hallie needed my pants too. At least I got her pants back to wear. They were tight in all the places I was used to pants not being tight, but it was better than being naked.
Diesel unlocked the sitting room door, letting Knox and Hallie, the Storri decoy, travel to the other side and wait by the door. From there, they'd have the shortest run to the forest while also remaining completely visible from the front.
Outside, all gunfire suddenly stopped, and the crackle of a megaphone split the dawn air. I expected more threats, more demands. What I got was a voice from my nightmares.
"S-Storri? Are you—you really in there?"
I gasped, and my knees threatened to buckle. I bit my tongue until I tasted blood, but the pain was distraction enough for me to stay on my feet. I would not drop to my knees for that man.
Diesel snarled, reacting to David Grouse's voice as he would to the sound of nails dragging down a chalkboard. He reached for me, and I thought he would shove me back into the chair again, but he didn't. He tugged me close and scented my nape. "This is a trick, Storri. They are trying to trick you."
I knew that, but that didn't mean I could suddenly change who I was. I would never kneel for David Grouse, but could I stand by while he was tortured? Killed? If I'd asked Diesel that question, he'd answer a resounding yes.
But I couldn't become the thing Portal already thought I was. For some reason, they saw me as dangerous. Dangerous enough that they'd prefer getting their hands on me, but if that couldn't happen, they'd kill me instead. What if letting Mr. Grouse die was the catalyst for me becoming the monster they saw already?
That time when the megaphone squealed, I knew what to expect. "Storri, I've been so worried. I was wrong. I thought they would help me help