by Flite, Nora
I had to cut my seat belt straps and kick the front windshield out to escape. I jumped out and stumbled over someone's severed arm from the crash. Who knows where the rest of him was, but by the tattoos he had, I could tell he was one of the Knights. He was still clutching a pistol, which was lucky for me, because Flora took mine.
That girl certainly knew how to raise the stakes in a rescue, I'd give her that.
The unlucky hand had gotten mashed into the trigger guard and firing mechanism. I didn't know if it would still fire, but it was the only weapon I had.
Gunfire whizzed by before I could get the fucking gun free, so I had to take the whole bloody arm with me. I ran through the right wing of the mansion, ducking into rooms and around corners to keep from getting shot.
Rallying cries went out behind me to put the flames out before they burned the whole mansion down. I heard the sprinkler system in that area turn on and several fire extinguishers being used. That was fine by me, I didn't want to set the place on fire until after I got Flora out.
I finally managed to pry out the damn fingers and free the gory gun from the dead man's twisted grasp. I heard someone running down the hall. Tucking around a book case, I hid out of sight.
When the man ran by I grabbed his blazer, slamming him into the nearby wall. He had to be one of Tully's guys. No biker would casually wear a suit and tie.
I didn't have the time to play the game, so I skipped to the part where I shot him in the gun-hand first, then asked him where the girls were being held. “Which ones?” he groaned.
That gave me pause.
“All of them.” Shit, I didn't need options.
Shuddering, the man said, “Shipped girls are at the back, near the docks. The others are in the ballroom.”
If Flora was with the trafficked girls, Poet would get Veins in to save her, along with the rest. But if she was elsewhere...
By the time I got to the room he'd described, the one with the big oak tables, the piles of coke and quivering, frightened bodies huddled together in the corner, there was no sign of Flora. I tried asking around, but the women were all too out of it to tell me anything useful. I doubled back, locking the room behind me and left. I must have missed something.
Was she with the others? Could I take that chance?
Where the hell is she?
I entered a large pantry, cutting through into the hallway beyond it. There, I damn near crashed into one of the Knights who had slipped into the room to make a phone call. We stared at each other silently as the voice on the other end of the cell asked what was going on.
Standing opposite one another, our guns were drawn, but lowered “I'll have to call you back,” the Knight said, shutting his phone. It was the kind of tension that required a tumbleweed to roll through the middle of us.
“Beeker, did someone just come in—” said a voice behind me. The man in front of me—Beeker, apparently—dropped his phone and brought up his gun.
Caught as I was, I charged forward. It was all I could do. That, and hope to not get shot in the back. Beeker and I both fired; he missed and my gun jammed. My momentum carried me into him, all the same.
I hit him with so much force that we crashed through the door he was standing in front of. We fell into the hallway beyond, landing on top of some other biker that happened to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
“Ronin.”
The word was so faint that I wasn't fully convinced I'd heard it at all.
The shouting was definitely real, and the bullets that flew over my head from Beeker's friends behind me, even more so. I grabbed him and rolled us onto my back, just in time for the two other Knights in the pantry to open fire.
I didn't have time to recoil from the pain of a multitude of stabs as the jagged, wooden rubble dug into me. Disoriented, Beeker took a battery of incoming rounds.
I frantically searched for his gun, or a knife, or anything that would help me against the coming Knights. It was no use, between my Beeker-shield and the poor bastard that we landed on, there was too much debris for me to find anything.
Feeling that this was the end of the line for me, I almost laughed at how close I'd gotten to saving Flora, just to be shot to death.
“Connor!” shouted a dream that was too good to be true.
I turned my head so hard in disbelief that the tendons strained. For a fleeting second I thought I'd died.
Flora, the girl who'd robbed me of everything I held dear.
The girl I was willing to die for...
And she was only a few feet away.
“Here!” She tossed me her gun—my gun.
I snatched it out of the air right as the first Knight came through the door's threshold. Gun raised, he turned towards Flora. I put a bullet through his ear. The man's speed toppled him forward, allowing me to get a bead on the second, and now very surprised, Knight behind him.
The second biker unloaded, but I was too buried beneath his dead companions for him to hit me. When he ran out of bullets I nudged the bodies to the side, carefully aiming a few well placed shots into his heart.
I pushed all the bodies off me and crawled to my feet with a grunt. I stood before Flora covered in blood, dust and mayhem, like Lazarus risen from his grave.
Without a care for the filth, Flora threw herself at me. “I'm so sorry,” she said between kisses, so hard and fast that any doubts I'd had about her or us vanished. “I'm so, so sorry.”
Gunshots and the screams of the enraged and the dying echoed down every hall. I pulled away. We were far from safe, but I needed to look at her. Her beautiful shining eyes, upturned brows and soft features struck me harder than any blow I'd received.
With Hell around every bend, I squeezed her into a hug that was too tight for the devil himself to pry open. I almost said something to her I shouldn't have. It was on the tip of my tongue, words that could never be taken back once uttered.
Hesitating, I backed off and whispered my relief into her ear, instead. “I missed you.”
Flora's arms loosened so she could look at me, her eyes searched mine for proof that I wasn't some fever dream of dying hope. Her eyes told me that she'd never thought she'd see me again.
If I had stopped to think about the staggeringly high odds of us both surviving long enough to share in this moment, I'd have thought the same. Yet here we were, wrapped in bodies and tragedy, held together by the spite of a love that defied logic and fate.
She buried her face into my chest and struggled to take in air. “I missed you so much. I didn't think I'd see you again, not after everything. How is this happening?”
The uncaring chaos of reality set in abruptly. In the distance, past Flora and the doorway I'd smashed through, more of Tully's guys stormed in after us.
I grabbed Flora and spun us both out of the doorway, right as a hail of incoming gunfire whistled by. Our backs against the wall, I ran a hand over her cheek. I just wanted to keep touching her. “What do you say we get out of here?”
Flora still couldn't find any words, so she just smiled and nodded.
“It's Claudine, right?” I called to the woman who was trapped on the other side of the doorway. She nodded.
Dulled, emaciated, hauntingly pale... It was amazing how hard of a toll the drugs had taken on her. She only faintly resembled the picture that Flora carried around.
“On the count of three I want you to run over here, okay?”
Again, Claudine nodded.
I held up one finger, then two. On three I dropped to the floor, leaning into the doorway to lay down cover fire as Claudine quickly shuffled across the opening to the other side.
I didn't think I hit anyone, at least not enough to stop them from coming after us, but I did buy us a few seconds. “Bus is leaving, ladies. Follow me.”
“Wait!” Flora grabbed my arm, stopping me. “I can't leave the other girls. We have to get them out, too.”
I regarded her with amazement. In the face of a life-threatening situation,
Flora still managed to muster up a staggering amount of selflessness. She never ceased to impress me.
Renewed sounds of the fighting and gunfire came from the room that held Tully's men. Using the black mirror face of my phone, I peered into the room.
Tully's guys were down, the men who'd done it were already leaving the way they'd come in. They all wore the same patch—two downward crossed fists with black wings behind them—and it brought a smile to my face.
The Steel Veins had finally made it inside.
We were winning.
My smile broadened when I turned to face Flora again. Finally, some good news. “Don't worry about them, Saint Flora. Those girls are in good hands.”
“How can you be so sure?” It wasn't Flora, but Claudine who'd asked.
“That was the Steel Veins just then.” I cocked my head towards the room. “Pres said he wouldn't drag our sorry asses out of here until the girls were safe.”
“You came inside alone?” Flora asked. “You could've been killed!”
I popped out the magazine to check that I still had ammo. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. “And let you party with the Knights alone?” I slid the clip back in and smiled at Flora.
I watched as the worry set in, she'd just remembered something. “The other women, the locals!”
“I locked them in that room. The Veins will get them out when the fighting's over. They'll be fine.”
She slumped, a relief that hadn't been allowed to breathe finally spreading wide. “Okay, thank goodness.”
I took her hand and began leading her away. The time for thanks would have to wait.
We weren't out of the woods yet.
Bodies littered almost every room. There was seemingly indiscriminate carnage everywhere. The muted slapping of our combined foot falls through the lush, blood-soaked carpets, would follow each of us in our moments of reflection for years to come.
Every direction I took us in was blocked by brutality. I was pissed at myself for having such a singular focus that I didn't look for any alternate routes out of here while searching for Flora. “Anyone know of an exit that won't get us killed?”
“I might,” Claudine said. “There's a servant’s entrance that rarely gets used. Maybe we can get out that way.”
Nodding, I let her guide us. A few turns later we passed what was left of the mansion's main entrance. It wasn't much, but at least the fire was put out completely. The whole area was destroyed. It looked like it was struck by a bomb, then drowned by the rain.
“That's really there, right?” Claudine's hand drifted up to point at the massive dump truck that laid on its side, slowly oozing smoke.
“That explains the explosion we heard earlier,” Flora said, turning to me in renewed awe. “That was you, wasn't it?”
“I do love to make an entrance.” If the situation wasn't so damned dire, I'd have reveled in the satisfaction of driving a construction vehicle through a posh mansion.
Claudine led us through a game room, then around a kitchen and down another hallway. She was right, each step brought us further away from the fighting. The decor had gradually become more and more plain. Gold trim, marble sculptures and elaborate wooden and metal fixtures became nonexistent.
We passed through the remaining two rooms, they were compartmentalized and featureless. They held most of the lawn care and landscaping supplies. Finally outside, I briefly marveled at the gigantic, immaculately maintained lawn. It was defiantly bright-green, considering it was autumn. It flowed directly into the marshy river.
On the bank was one last fanboat, the others had taken the girls to safety by Remy and the Veins. Strangely, it was facing the opposite way, inward like it had just arrived. Regardless, that was our ticket out of here.
It didn't matter that I'd only heard of these kinds of boats in passing, or that I had no idea how the hell to operate them. I guess today was my day to learn.
Flora and Claudine ran ahead while I made sure we weren't followed. They were passing a boat maintenance shed near the shore when I spotted stirrings in the water and through the tall grass. All the noise had definitely disturbed the wildlife. I didn't see any alligators, but that didn't mean they weren't around, lying in wait for a distracted meal.
“Hey!” I was about to warn them to keep an eye out for trouble when another gunshot rang out, this time ear-ringingly close.
I saw Flora drop before I heard her scream.
A lump of dread lodged itself into my throat. It took everything I had not to run directly to her, but I knew just being nearby wouldn't help. Claudine had no such hangups, she bent down by her sister.
I circled around the shed to where the shot had come from.
Lucky stood proudly, smoking gun in hand. It immediately dawned on me that it was his fanboat we were headed to. He must've just arrived on it, that was why it was facing the way it was.
I came up behind him, my pistol drawn and trained. He finally noticed me, his eyes flaring wide. There were no clever quips, no witty banter and no hesitation.
The only sound between Flora's labored wails was me pulling the trigger.
Next came the subsequent dry, sad clicks. Lucky flinched, but my cartridge had been empty.
“Shit, man!” Lucky hollered. He double checked that he hadn't been shot. Then he laughed in blatant relief. “Where do you think I got my namesake from, fella? Just not your lucky day— Ronin?” he asked, looking me over and realizing who I was. “Oh my... Then that must mean...” Lucky glanced at Flora. “This—” He laughed again. “This couldn't be any more perfect!”
Flora rolled on the grass, clutching at her thigh. It was pouring blood, and though she was trying to stop it with her hands, Claudine was crying. She desperately wanted to help, but she needed more than her will for this. I had no idea how badly Flora was injured, but if Lucky hit an artery, she would be dead in mere minutes. Flora's life was slipping away.
“You're still riding with the same whore?” Lucky asked. “It must be love. Can't blame you, really.” He looked Flora over lewdly. “Even all bloody, that piece of pussy cleans up awfully sweet.”
Right then, regardless of what came next, I said something in my head. It wasn't a prayer, but more of a pledge. I swore to anyone or anything that might be listening that I wouldn't let this happen.
I wouldn't let Flora die.
“You ain’t got a damn thing to say? You know, my nuts still fucking hurt, you fucking asshole! You know what I'm gonna do now? I'm gonna let you watch as I kill your whore fir—”
I didn't have the time nor the inclination to listen to the threats of the dead. In that moment I was no longer a man, I was just a series of synapses, rapidly firing. I was cornered and with Flora hurt, flight never registered as an option.
There was only fight.
I charged Lucky, hurling my gun at him. It struck him in the throat, dipping his head and obscuring his attempted gunshot.
A near miss.
I put my forearm into his throat when I reached him, taking us both to the grass. Lucky squirmed, his unkempt nails drawing long, red lines over my brow. I let him rip the skin on my face because it took both of my hands to strip the gun from him.
But when I did... I had him.
With the weight of long-overdue justice, I rained down wrathful blows onto Lucky's face with the handle of his weapon.
Abduction. Crack. His eye socket shattered.
Rape. Crunch.
Imprisonment. The flesh on his cheek flayed away.
Human trafficking. Teeth exploded.
Murder.
Each pulping strike was fueled by all the lives Lucky had destroyed. All the horrible shit that this evil bastard had a hand in, finally catching up.
I was Lucky's reckoning day.
“Ronin!” Claudine's voice was so distant that I hardly heard it. I'd given myself over completely to my old military training. I was a passenger in my own mind. My body was on autopilot. “Ronin!” Again, I barely recog
nized it.
All I saw was Lucky's face. It was a shattered pulp. His breathing raspy and broken, he struggled to maintain consciousness. I saw my gun-clenched fist punch the pistol's barrel into his mouth. Then, I saw myself fire off the rest of his magazine.
“Connor, help!”
Flora.
In the wake of the gunfire I heard her voice and it cleared my head immediately. I felt like I had just woken up.
Already rising to my feet, pushed myself into a run and prayed I reached them in time. “Get her to the boat!”
A massive alligator had slithered out of the waterline, looking for an easy feast. It waddled toward them both. The beast's low hiss had turned into a full, guttural bellow when it neared. Its long, wicked mouth revealed dozens of razor-sharp teeth.
Despite Claudine's best efforts, she couldn't drag Flora away fast enough. The gator quickly closed the gap. Finally, well within biting distance, it lunged at the easiest target.
Flora.
My heavy boot came down on the reptile's upper jaw, closing it only inches from Flora's already wounded leg. The gator thrashed, shaking me off easily, then lunged again. There was so much blood pouring down my face from the scratches that I had trouble tracking the beast.
I had to throw myself on top of it and hope to land on something that wasn't teeth. Fortunately, I hit its back and was able to close its mouth with my hands. The sting in my eyes made it so I had to do everything almost entirely by feel.
I punched its eyes repeatedly. It bellowed and thrashed, but this time, I refused to let go. This thing was a killer?
So was I.
It finally started to retreat, and I knew that any fight the beast had left was gone. It had mistaken us for easy prey. No doubt Tully had been feeding it unwelcome company for some time.
I jumped off of it, watching as it crawled towards the water. Looking back to Flora, I could see that her bleeding wasn't as bad as I initially thought. As long as we could get that bullet out of her, she'd be fine.
“Fucking hell.” I knelt down to catch my breath and stripped off my belt. “Is everyone still whole?”
“I think so,” Flora said, wincing. I walked over, tying off her leg with the belt to halt some of the bleeding. Seeing her in this much pain renewed my anger at Lucky. I picked her up and carried her to the boat.
