Stealing Fire (Bad Boys Of The Underworld Book 5) Read Online Free PDF

of thanks when she saw the locking mechanism. She didn’t need a key. It was just a massive deadbolt from the outside.
    She slid the lock loose and ran to her father. “We need to get you out of here.”
    Her father shook his head frantically. “How did they find you? I never told them, I swear! You need to leave. They cannot know about you!”
    Ella’s heart broke at his garbled ramblings. “Please, Dad. Can you stand? We need to get out of here.”
    Could she make it to her car? Dad seemed so weak. He’d never be able to run and it was only a matter of time before Lucian realized she was missing.
    “You need to go!” he shouted.
    Ella froze for a moment, listening for footsteps pounding on the stairs. Nothing.
    “Not without you,” she whispered. She wrapped an arm under his shoulders and hoisted him up. Once he was standing, he was more compliant, supporting his own weight and walking on his own.
    She tiptoed to the stairs ahead of him and looked upwards. No sign of the brothers. What the hell were they doing with a dungeon in their basement? Had they planned to put her down there? Why hadn’t the thought of her calling the police scared Lucian at all? He was the one who suggested it.
    Ella crept up the stairs, pushing the questions from her mind. She would have to deal with the whys later. For now, she had to focus on getting Dad to safety.
    He didn’t have any obvious injuries, but it was too dark to know for sure, and he seemed so weak. When she reached the top of the stairs, she forced herself to peek into the hall, though it would be hard to hear anyone approach over the thunderous beating of her heart.
    The coast seemed clear. The front door was just twenty feet away. Freedom was so close. She reached behind her to where her father slumped against the rail. “We’re going to run, okay?” She squeezed his hand tighter. “I’ve got you. Whatever you do, don’t let go.”
    She started for the hallway, but Dad pulled her back. “Ella. They’re monsters.”
    “I know, Dad. You’re going to be okay, though. I promise.” Determined not to overthink it, she ran for the door. With her father trailing behind, she couldn’t work up to a full sprint, but soon enough she and Dad made it into the fresh, summer night.
    The relief was immediate, but she couldn’t fully relax yet. She reached in her pocket to verify her keys were there. Her phone was in her purse, but she couldn’t risk going back in for it.
    Without her phone, there was no frantic 911 call. She wouldn’t be getting any police escort home. It was just her and Dad.
    Just like always.
    She pulled her father toward the bridge. “We have to go a mile. Then you can rest.”
    “They’re monsters. They’re going to take you from me,” he mumbled.
    Ella fought tears back at the sight of Dad. His head hung low, feet shuffling over the ground, his eyes bright with worry. “You’re almost safe. Let’s just keep going.”
    They made it over the creaky wooden bridge and kept up a slow jog for a few minutes until Ella could no longer see the lights from Lucian’s house of horrors and Dad wasn’t able to run anymore.
    She slowed to a walk but couldn’t stop glancing around in a circle with every step. When Lucian first approached her in these woods, he hadn’t made a sound. How did she know he wasn’t stalking her at this very moment? Playing with her and her father like a cat plays with a mouse. Just waiting for the best time to pounce.
    Every snapping branch made her jump. Every bird flapping its wings had her looking at the sky, somehow expecting Lucian to fly down from the darkness of the treetops. She listened for the telltale electronic hum of a camera, turning to follow her every move.
    She needed to get off Lucian’s territory.
    Ella didn’t remember the exact path she’d walked with Lucian, but she knew she was walking in the right direction. If they didn’t come out by her car, she’d just have to flag down the first driver she