Free Gambled - A Titan Novella by Cristin Harber Page B

it. Heaven help those girls now. But he could help this one. Working fast, he checked her. Faint pulse. Alive.
    She was probably drugged. The smoky haze wouldn’t help her case. He tested the ligatures around her wrists. Secure but pickable. With a few tries, he’d unfastened the locks, and her arms hung dead by her side. Brock threw her over his shoulder and ran toward the stairs.
    Two steps at a time, the smoke burned his eyes. He rounded toward the side door and saw headlights flying up the driveway. Then another pair of headlights arrived.
    Change of plans—he moved to the front door. The girl began to come to. The light kick of her legs turned into a full-scale thrash. She screamed, and he pulled her off his shoulder, clamping a hand over her mouth.
    “I’m the good guy.”
    He removed his hand, but her disoriented eyes said she didn’t comprehend. Hands back over her mouth, he cradled her and jumped through the remnants of the blasted front door.
    Another set of headlights rolled up and parked in the yard. Problematic. They were too close to his exit strategy, but more importantly, they were parked too close to where Sarah was supposed to be.
    Holding the girl to his chest, he tried again. “Everything’s okay. Your parents sent me. We’re getting you home.”
    He lifted his hand off her mouth, and she stayed quiet. Good, because he needed to check for Sarah. Fear shredded his guts as the vehicle drove into the yard, using its headlights to scan the area. It stopped, highlighting Sarah’s waiting spot. No .
    Where was she? Sweat poured down his back as Brock searched the perimeter. Two men got out of their car, walking toward—movement caught his peripheral. Sarah!
    She had smartly moved away from the men and the headlights, but also away from an exit.
    Brock focused the disoriented teenager’s gaze on him. “We’re moving again.”
    He held his rifle outstretched in one arm and picked the girl up, running them both along a wall. Searching voices floated through the night. Sarah didn’t see him coming and gasped as he swooped in, pulling them all behind the protective cover of another hedge line.
    Both women leaned against the thick bush, eyeing him. He put a finger to his lips and peered over the top of the bush. Every light in the house was on. The traffickers knew the girl was gone.
    Another vehicle pulled up, and two dogs got out, pulling on their leashes and lurching men Brock’s size around like they were playthings.
    Brock dropped to his knees. “We have to go.”
    Angry, rabid barks howled through the house. No doubt, they were picking up the girl’s scent. He had enough bullets to mow down incoming attacks but had no idea what kind of firepower the enemy housed. If Brock tipped off their location, the traffickers could easily end their night with a grenade launcher.
    Sarah nodded, placing a protective arm around the girl. “Ready.”
    The determination in his wife’s eyes made him proud, but there wasn’t time for that. The teenager nodded, barely understanding her role in being saved. The dogs and their handlers returned to the backyard. Rough commands and harsh barks were way too close.
    Brock moved them behind the hedges, to the fence. A click sounded as the dogs were released. Running. Howling. Barking.
    If he could get the girls away, he could take out the dogs and deal with attacks. Sarah put her hands on the wall. Brock leveraged her foot up and her toss over the fence. She crashed loudly on the other side. Next up, the teenager. He did the same move and heard the same sound on the other side, but he also heard Sarah reassuring the rescued girl.
    “Go!” He made sure Sarah remembered the plan.
    A quick check over his shoulder showed the dogs on him. No time to aim his gun. He palmed the top of the fence and pulled up, kicking one leg—
    Goddamn it!
    Pain seared his leg. The attack dog bit, and razor-sharp teeth shredded into his calf. His uninjured leg kicked behind him, trying to