Apollo and Val: #5.5 (Luna Lodge Book 0) by Madison Stevens Read Free Book Online Page B

Apollo, panicked by the cry for help.
    “The Group?” she whispered.
    Apollo shook his head.
    The screaming grew closer, and from her position, she could make out the woman scrambling in the dark, trying her best to get away from her pursuers. She tripped and landed hard on the ground.
    Three men with flashlights came into the clearing. Large guns were strapped to their backs.
    Val reached for her backpack. If she could just take out one of those bastards, it would be enough.
    Apollo grabbed her hand and shook his head.
    She leaned in close to his face.
    “We have to help her,” she whispered. “You know what they are going to do to her.”
    A piercing scream cut through the night again. Apollo sighed loudly.
    “Wait here,” he whispered.
    He pulled a knife out of his pack and strapped it to his side. He turned to look at her before jumping from the high branch.
    Val might have screamed if she could even think to, but her mind could hardly process what he had just done. She stared into the darkness below, certain she’d just watched the most important person in her life plummet to his death.
    Finally she saw a shadow move and let out the breath she had been holding. Now, all she could do was wait.
     
    Apollo stalked silently through the lush brush. Every now and again, something would scurry away, likely not only disturbed by his intrusion, but by the predator they sensed in him.
    He’d wanted to help, but in the end, this could be a terrible plan. The Horatius Group had eyes and ears everywhere. Something like this could end up costing his life. But more than that, it could end up costing Val her life, something he valued more than his own.
    His fingers twitched to call in the report to Sol. No doubt he’d have Apollo’s ass over this and tell him to let it be.
    The woman screamed again, this time muffled, and he knew if he didn’t move quickly, things would end very badly for her. He charged through the dense vegetation, ignoring his duty and doing the only thing he could. Save her.
    As he reached the clearing, he could see the three men clearly, thanks to his superior night vision. The woman lay on the ground, her arms held down by one of the men as the other fumbled with his belt.
    She wasn’t a woman, more a girl. She couldn’t have been more than fifteen, if that. Anger boiled in Apollo.
    Without a sound, he moved toward the man holding the girl down. Before they even knew what had happened, he twisted the man’s neck, and a loud crack sounded.
    Apollo tossed the lifeless body to the side. The man fumbling with his pants stopped and opened his mouth. Apollo couldn’t be sure if it was to scream or say something, but it didn’t matter. Just like his friend, the man died with a crack of his neck.
    Apollo quickly covered the girl’s mouth. He could see his glowing eyes reflected in her own and had to think that looking at someone like him must be frightening. Still, she sat quietly.
    He motioned over to a big leafy plant providing good cover behind him, and she nodded from behind his hand. He slowly moved his palm away and just prayed that she didn’t say a word. The girl quietly escaped to the bush.
    The remaining man was standing lookout, his gun at the ready as he paced the circle he had made around his friends. Apollo’s takedown had been quick enough that the guard, focused on the surrounding area, hadn’t noticed what had happened.
    Apollo would have to be fast. Thugs like this traveled in much larger packs, and although he might be able to take them all on, there wasn’t a chance he’d be able to do it with the girl, not if she was going to survive.
    He moved in behind the man, but unlike his friends, the guard seemed more aware of his surroundings.
    “Hey,” the man shouted.
    Like lightning, Apollo slashed the man’s throat with his knife.
    He fell to the ground with a thud.
    Hands wet with blood, Apollo grabbed the lifeless form and dragged him to the bushes before doing the same with the