Chapter 279

Chapter 279

The Edwards family thugs had numbers on their side. They took turns pressing in, every move aimed at something vital.

Andrew was outnumbered, but he kept fighting sharp and clean. Each strike landed exactly where it needed to, and the thugs in front kept getting pushed back.

The dull thud of blows and the crack of bone filled the warehouse.

Andrew was covered in wounds. There was a scrape above his temple, and cold sweat mixed with blood dripped from his jaw.

But he didn't move. He held his ground and refused to give an inch.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Michael to get Olivia out safely. Waiting for backup to arrive. Waiting for things to go quiet outside.

Outside, Michael held Olivia close and sprinted through the abandoned factory grounds. She was limp and barely conscious in his arms, her face drained of color. The bruise on the back of her head still made her frown every now and then.

Her last memory was being tied up in a dark little room. When she'd tried to struggle free, someone had come in from behind and cracked her over the head without a second thought. Between the blow and whatever drug they'd given her, Olivia was fighting to stay awake, but her eyelids felt like lead.

Once they reached safety, Michael called the police right away. After that, he reached out to the Johnson family and the Anderson family.

"Abandoned warehouse, west outskirts. All units move now. Andrew is trapped. Hurry."

He hung up, made sure Olivia was settled, then turned and ran back toward the warehouse.

Dozens of thugs had been taking turns wearing Andrew down. He'd been fighting through his injuries this whole time. He couldn't hold on much longer.

By now, Andrew was soaked in blood. His suit jacket was in shreds. He looked like something that had crawled out of hell to collect a debt.

Bodies were groaning at his feet, but there were always more men in front of him.

They just kept coming. There was no end to them.

Vance stood in the back, watching with cold eyes.

"He's running on empty," he said. "Take him down. All of you, now."

Several big men exchanged a look, then charged at Andrew together, going straight for his weak points.

Andrew's eyes went sharp. He pushed his exhausted body to twist aside and threw up his arms to block, but he had nothing left. He was half a second too slow.

A heavy club slammed into his back. The force sent him stumbling, and something bitter and metallic rose in his throat.

Just as the next blow was coming down toward his spine, the warehouse door exploded open from outside. A tall, sharp figure burst in and planted himself right in front of Andrew.

"Miss me?"

Andrew looked up at the voice. Michael was standing there in one piece.

"Why'd you come back? You got a death wish?"

"You're still breathing. I'm not dying before you do."

Even now, they couldn't stop taking shots at each other.

Then Michael reached down and grabbed Andrew's hand, hauling him to his feet.

"How are you holding up? Still got anything left?"

"Of course."

They looked at each other, and in that moment, both of them felt something loosen in their chests.

"You know," Andrew said, "you're not so bad."

He draped his arm over Michael's shoulder and let him take some of the weight so he could stand a little straighter.

"You're better than I expected too," Michael said.

He didn't want to admit it, but what Andrew had just done spoke for itself.

"Let's finish this. Together."

"Let's go."

Michael moved first. His punches were fast and brutal, and he dropped several of the thugs closing in on him before they knew what hit them.

Andrew used what little he had left to cover the flanks, cutting off every escape route with precise, well-timed strikes.

Within minutes, men were hitting the floor one after another, too broken to get back up. The tight circle of thugs that had surrounded them fell apart completely. No one dared take another step forward.

Vance panicked. The color drained from his face and he spun around to run.

Michael moved in a flash. He cut him off and grabbed him by the throat, fingers locked tight.

"Going somewhere? Too late for that."

His eyes were ice cold. His voice was worse.

"I'm going to make the Edwards family pay for every single thing that happened today."

At that moment, sirens wailed in the distance and grew louder fast. Jason and Caspian were the first ones through the door. The second they spotted their boss, they moved to cover him.

"Mr. Anderson!"

Caspian took one look at Andrew and rushed over to hold him up.

The moment backup arrived, Andrew's body finally gave out. He let himself lean into Caspian and stumbled out of the warehouse with his help.

With every step, fresh blood dripped from his fingertips and hit the floor.

After handing Vance over to the police, Michael turned and looked at Andrew. The state he was in made Michael's brow pull together without thinking.

"Hang on. The doctor's almost here."

Andrew started to nod, but the world tilted. His legs went out from under him and he fell backward.

He went down hard, and everyone around him cried out. The ambulance had just pulled up. They rushed him to the hospital.

At the hospital, Andrew was taken straight into the emergency room. Michael was pulled aside to have his own wounds treated.

Olivia had been brought in earlier by the people Michael sent. She was just waking up now. The moment she opened her eyes, a flood of unfamiliar images crashed into her mind.

And mixed in with them, she could hear Andrew's voice and Michael's voice.

She remembered. That was the warehouse.

Whether it was the images in her head or something else, the smell of blood from the warehouse seemed to drift back to her. Her stomach turned. She shot upright.

A nurse had just come over to remove her IV when a commotion broke out in the hallway.

"Out of the way! Move!"

Olivia's head snapped clear. The warehouse. Blood. Someone was hurt. Who had gotten her out of there?

She threw herself out of bed. The sudden movement startled the nurse. The IV needle, not yet removed, got yanked straight out. Blood welled up immediately, and the nurse called out in alarm.

"Miss, you're bleeding. Let me clean that up for you—"

Olivia couldn't hear a word she was saying. All she wanted was to find Andrew. She needed to know who was hurt.

She wandered the hallway in her hospital gown, not sure where she was going. Michael, who was getting his wounds treated nearby, caught a glimpse of a familiar figure passing the doorway. He jumped off the bed and went after her.

"Olivia!"

She spun around at the sound of her name. When she saw it was Michael, something in her eyes dimmed just slightly.

Michael caught that small change. He managed a smile and was about to say something when the doctor came rushing out after him.

"What do you think you're doing? Get back in here. You're still bleeding!"

The reminder made Michael actually feel the pain. Olivia followed the doctor's gaze and looked at his arm. The wound was ugly. It was going to need stitches.