“Hey.” James came over to me and caught my arm, his eyes intent on mine. “We need to go. Now. There’s nothing you can do, and there’s a chance your men are only incapacitated for now. But if you’re dead, the assassins won’t have to chase after you and they’ll be able to go back and finish their job.”

Shit. When he put it that way, I really didn’t have a choice. “Okay.” I raced for the door and quickly pressed my finger to the scanner next to it, then punched in the code. The door let out a hiss and opened. James went in first, and I followed him. As we climbed upstairs, my heart was thudding loudly in my chest.

James stopped as we reached the door and he motioned for me to press myself against the wall next to it. When I settled myself where he wanted me, he swung open the door and fired his gun. One or more of our enemies were probably in the hallway waiting for us or just keeping watch in case reinforcements came.

I walked through the door with my gun raised, but James had managed to catch one of the assassins by surprise and the man was now lying on the floor and wasn’t moving. James looked up and down the hallway, then gave me a little nod. The area was clear for now, but the others could’ve heard the shot and might be coming our way.

“The garage’s this way.” I pointed in its direction, and James and I immediately rushed down the hallway. But as we got closer to the door that led to the garage, I almost stopped moving because my guards were all lying on the floor. A choked gasp escaped my throat, but I needed to see if they were still alive. I crouched next to the nearest one of them and searched for his pulse.

“Arianna!” James whispered. “Come on.”

I felt a weak flutter under my fingers and let out a little sigh of relief, but just because this man was alive for now didn’t mean he’d stay that way. Hopefully, the assassins had figured out I was trying to run and they’d come after me. There was a small dart in the guard’s neck, which meant he’d been hit with some kind of a sleeping drug. The guard next to him, though, was in a pool of blood, and I knew there’d be no way to save him. My throat constricted, but James wrapped his fingers around my arm and pulled me with him.