Ice withdrew the knife and slammed it into the man’s shoulder. More screams filled the apartment and Cazzo casually walked to the front door and closed it as best he could with it being broken.
“We might want to wrap this up soon. I’m guessing The Broker will be here soon. He doesn’t like loose ends,” Cazzo said calmly.
“The Broker?” Finley stuttered.
“So, you do know who I’m talking about,” Ice said. “Tell me what I want to know! Who’s running the ring?”
The glass shattered in the window and Finley’s eyes went dead as a bullet pierced his skull. His head slumped to the side and then we were all taking cover, our guns out and at the ready. A clean exit would be difficult at this point, but on the upside, we had drawn out more men, even if we hadn’t gotten much out of Finley.
Cazzo was on the phone with Becky, asking for satellite imaging to help us out. A second shattering of glass sounded and then the distinct sound of something rolling across the floor filled the silence.
“Grenade!” I shouted as I leapt out of my spot and shoved Ice out of the way just as the grenade exploded. I was thrown from the force of the explosion into the chair holding Finley and then fell to the ground. The room was hazy and the ringing in my ears was so intense that I couldn’t hear Hunter as he stood over me. I could see his mouth moving, but no sound met my ears.
I let my eyes slide shut and then looked over at Ice, who was also laying on the floor, unmoving. Shit. I had done this. I choked on something, plaster or some other kind of garbage I had inhaled. I looked around the room, not wanting to move my head until the spinning stopped, and took in the destruction. There was a hole in the side of the building, and as I stared out into the night, I could swear that I saw men moving on the roof across the street. But when I blinked to get a better look, they were gone.
Hunter was smacking Ice in the face and he slowly came around and then stood. I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn’t gotten one of my teammates killed. Finally feeling like I could get my bearings, I rolled to my side and pushed myself up off the floor.
“Holy fuck!” The sound was muted to me, but I understood the urgency in Hunter’s voice. I started to turn to him, but he stopped me and I felt sharp pricks in my back as he pulled shrapnel out.
“We don’t have time for this, Hunter. We’ve gotta get the fuck out of here. Becky said they’re moving in!” Cazzo yelled. I didn’t wait to see what Hunter wanted to do. I took off for the door, following Ice, Chris, and Cazzo out the door with my weapon raised. I was still a little disoriented from the ringing in my ears, but I pushed on. Craig was already clearing the hallway ahead of us and Hunter was pulling up the rear.
We stepped out into the alley on the side of the building, our weapons at the ready. The darkness made shadows play across the buildings and the streets, but the images of men running toward us were easily discernible. Cazzo signaled for us to spread out along the alley, taking cover behind a dumpster, some garbage bags along the other building, and a doorway that was slightly inset for the building we just came out of. Hunter had the best view from behind the dumpster and was signaling that there were ten men, five on each side of the alley. That wasn’t the best odds for us, but we had the advantage of cover.
We waited as they approached until they were right up on the dumpster. Hunter gave the signal and we all popped up, taking out as many of them as we could. Four of them had time to run for cover before they were taken out, which left us in a bit of a standoff at the moment. We took turns firing at each other, but we were getting nowhere, and the longer we stayed in this position, the more time they had for reinforcements to come.
“I’ll draw their fire,” I said to Craig, who was hiding behind the garbage bags with me. “Cover me over to that fire escape. We should be able to knock a few down.”
“Are you fucking crazy? You’ll get shot.”
“If we stay here, we’re sitting ducks while they call for backup. Besides, I can’t be that unlucky, right?”
He was about to protest again, but I was already jumping over the bags of garbage. I heard him swear at me, but he started firing, covering my ass as I ran for the fire escape. I was just about to the wall and jumped, pushing off the wall with my foot and then twisted to grab the ladder that was hanging about ten feet off the ground. My hands found purchase just seconds before I swung myself up, using my upper body strength to pull my body up rung by rung.
Bullets pinged off the metal around me, but the only ones I felt were the ones that hit my vest. I ignored the restricting feeling in my chest, knowing that if I didn’t push through, I would be dead in seconds. Luckily, I had caused enough of a distraction to allow Hunter and Cazzo to take out two more of the men.
I pulled myself up to the first landing and spun, taking out the two remaining men. Craig and Ice were the first to move forward, checking for any survivors, and then Chris followed up. When they gave the all clear, I made my way back down the ladder and let go, landing on my feet. Cazzo walked up to me with a grin on his face. I was just about to fist bump him when his fist caught me in the chin, sending me sprawling to my ass.
“What the fuck was that for?”
“That was for racing over here without a plan and almost getting us all killed, and then running out in the open like an idiot and almost getting yourself killed.”
“It worked.”
“It could have fucking failed and then you would be dead too. Who would get Payton back then?”
“You,” I said confidently, knowing that none of the guys would give up if I was gone. I ignored the stab of pain in my chest at the reminder that Morgan was gone now too. Cazzo reared back and punched me again. I didn’t try and block it. He obviously needed to get his anger out.
“What the hell was that one for?”
“That was for showing off with that fancy wall jumping move, trying to make us all look like slackers. You want to do that shit, go join the circus.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Cap
“CHANGE OF PLANS!” I shouted after I got off the phone with Craig. “Something’s going down at Chance’s place. I don’t have details, but I need a few guys to head over there. Everyone else, get your families here. If you can’t get ahold of them, go get them and haul ass back here. Irish, call Knight and Lola and tell them to get their asses back here. Make sure their families get here and if they don’t have transport, go get them.”
The room erupted in chaos as several of the guys stormed off toward the elevator to go over to Chance’s house. Everyone else was on the phone, calling anyone that needed to be brought in. I dialed Maggie but there was no answer. I hung up and called again, still no answer.
“Sinner!” He spun around, still on the phone with Cara. He finished up with Cara and gave me his full attention. “Freckles isn’t answering. I have to go get her and the kids. Make sure everyone gets into the panic room.”
I took off, not even waiting for confirmation from Sinner. I didn’t need it. None of the guys would leave anyone behind. It took more than ten minutes to beat the traffic and get back to the house. I kept dialing Maggie’s number, but she still didn’t pick up. The last time that something like this happened, Maggie had been taken and my child was left alone. But this time, we had two kids and Maggie was pregnant.
The lights from the house shone bright as I pulled into the driveway. I ran inside, happy to see Maggie on the couch with Clara and Caitlin playing a game on the floor. Everything was fine.
“Hey,” Maggie said with a smile that faltered when she saw the panic on my face. “What’s going on?”
“We have to leave. Grab whatever we need. We need to be gone in five.”
She nodded curtly, knowing that now wasn’t the time to ask questions. I grabbed Caitlin and ran out to the truck, buckling her into her car seat and then went back for Clara. After getting her buckled in, I ran back to help Maggie get the essentials. She was just coming down the stairs with a small duffel when I saw
someone creeping through the kitchen. I pulled my gun from the small of my back and crept toward the kitchen, signaling for Maggie to get back upstairs. With a quick glance around the corner, I saw the man mirroring my motions. I fired, not waiting to see what he wanted. No one walked into my house uninvited.
But he wasn’t alone. As soon as I fired, three more men came in through the back. I just had time to dive for cover before bullets peppered the walls. I only had one weapon on me and I was running out of bullets fast. Pinned down here, I wouldn’t be able to get a decent shot off and get us out of here. Calling for help wouldn’t do jack shit right now. I needed some fucking backup.
And then it came. One at a time, the three men fell as bullets pierced their skulls. Burg stepped through the back door, kicking the man on the floor that was closest to him. When the man didn’t move, Burg walked over to me, holding out his hand for me. I took it and jumped to my feet.
“Were you waiting to see if I could take them on my own?”
“I think it was pretty obvious that you couldn’t. Hell, the owner of a security company shouldn’t be cowering behind a counter.”
“I wasn’t cowering. I was waiting to make my move.”
“Yeah? What was that? Were you going to jump out and yell boo?”
“I was just gonna tell them to turn around. The sight of your face would have killed them in less time than it took you to shoot them.”
“You’re real fucking funny, Cap,” Burg snarled.
“I hate to interrupt you, but maybe one of you could help me?”
I spun around, gun raised, to see Maggie with a gun pressed against her head and her hand cradling her belly. My first thought was that something was wrong with the baby, but she didn’t appear to be in pain. The man was behind and slightly to the left of Maggie, maybe enough for a shot, but it wouldn’t be a sure thing.
“Put the gun down,” the man said calmly.
His head moved just an inch to the left and I took the shot, putting a bullet right through his eye. Blood spurted all over Maggie’s face and she leaned against the wall when it looked like she might pass out. I hurried over to her and grabbed her hand, dragging her with me to the door. Burg was on my six as we headed out the door. At the sound of gunshots, I ran faster, letting go of Maggie’s hand so I could get to my kids. When I rounded the house to the garage, I saw Sinner fire at one man just as another man snuck up behind him, about to slash his throat.
“Sin-”
I didn’t get a chance to finish. Sinner spun, grabbing the man’s hand and bent it back, shoving the knife right into his chest. The man stilled and then fell to his knees. Sinner yanked the knife out of the guy’s chest and shoved it right into his throat. The man fell over sideways, sprawled out on my driveway.
Sinner spun his gun around like in some old western movie and dropped it into his holster. “Just like John Wayne,” he said with a grin.
“I’m pretty sure John Wayne never had those moves,” Maggie said from behind me. I grabbed her hand and hauled ass to the truck, shouting over my shoulder to Sinner.
“No, he had better ones,” I countered. “Hell, no one would have gotten the drop on John Wayne.”
Sinner jumped in the passenger side of the truck with Maggie and Burg got in the back with the kids.
“No one got the drop on me. Do you see any knife wounds on me? Not a single fucking scratch.”
“You were about to have your throat slit,” I shot back as I tore out of the driveway.
“John Wayne fought cowboys that couldn’t shoot worth a damn.”
“Obviously these guys couldn’t shoot worth a damn either if you took out four in my front yard.”
“How did you know I would need backup?” I asked, confused as to why they had followed in the first place.
“Come on, Cap. It’s Maggie. If she’s not causing the trouble, it’s following her,” Sinner said.
“Hey, I have nothing to do with this!” Maggie said defiantly. “I was just sitting at home with my kids and then you three showed up and shot up my house!”
“Technically, the bad guys shot up your house,” Burg clarified. “My shots were all kill shots.”
“So were mine,” Sinner said. “What about you, Cap?”
“I got one.”
“One?” Sinner snorted. “Just the one?”
“He was hiding behind the counter,” Burg laughed.
“I wasn’t fucking hiding. I was taking cover so I didn’t get killed.”
“Like I said, he was hiding.”
Maggie was sitting closer to Sinner and Burg was leaning over the seat. I quickly threw back my elbow, hitting Burg in the face to shut him up.
“What the fuck! I save your ass and you fucking elbow me in the face?”
“Sorry, didn’t see you there, man.”
“Wait, why are you driving with us?” Maggie interrupted.
“Burg decided to crash his truck into their SUV. He wanted to take out the driver, except no one was actually in the vehicle.”
“Hey, the headrest looked like a person in the dark,” Burg said defensively.
“You crashed your truck to kill a headrest?” I laughed.
“Let’s laugh about this later,” Burg gritted out. “We’ve got company.”
Behind us were several pairs of headlights coming up fast. I slammed down on the gas and turned down the road to Reed Security.
“Get Becky on the phone and tell her to open the fucking gate!”
Sinner was on the phone just seconds later. “We’re coming in hot. Open the gates now!”
In the distance, I could see the lights on the gate flashing, I just hoped they would be open wide enough by the time we got there.
“They’re gaining on us, Cap.” Burg lifted the seat and pulled out my weapons I had stored.
“Sinner, set the charges.” I tossed the remote that I kept in the truck back to him. “973476. Set it for two minutes.”
The tires squealed as I broke through the gates. They hadn’t fully opened yet and the front end of my truck took a beating, but we wouldn’t be able to use it after this anyway. After we cleared the gates, Burg leaned out the window and fired at the sensors placed around the gate, triggering an explosion that took out the first vehicle behind us.
The garage was open already and instead of heading toward the elevator, I drove to the back of the parking garage and hit the button for the hidden door. The truck just barely fit in the single lane tunnel and just moments after we entered, the entry exploded, crumbling to the ground and blocking the way.
“I really don’t think we use enough explosives,” Sinner said as he handed back the remote I had given him.
“Two in one night isn’t enough?”
“Maggie hasn’t even gotten to throw a grenade,” Sinner pouted.
“She’s pregnant.” I emphasized the pregnant part, hoping he would get it that now wasn’t the time for her to play with explosives.
“She got to play with them on her wedding day. I don’t see why a baby should make any difference.”
I parked in the garage at the end of the tunnel and flung open my door. I really didn’t want to get into a debate over what weapons were good to use while pregnant. And the fact that Sinner was encouraging it was pissing me off. Oddly enough, Maggie was quiet about it the whole time. I stopped at the truck bed and headed back to the truck, standing by the passenger door. Maggie sat in the front seat with her purse pulled tightly to her stomach.
“Hand it over,” I said, holding out my hand to her.
“What?”
“You know what.” When she looked at me strangely, I narrowed my eyes and gave her my don’t fuck with me face. She rolled her eyes and pulled open her purse, snatching a grenade out from inside.
“Here,” she said, slamming the grenade into my palm.
“You want to be a little more careful with that?”
“Whatever.”
“Now, the other one.”
“What o
ther one?”
I motioned for her to hand it over, but she still pretended like she didn’t know what I was talking about.
“Maggie, I know you have another one. Hand it over so we can get the fuck out of here.”
Her lips tightened, but she pulled out the second grenade and handed it over. I turned to walk away, but then remembered this was Maggie we were talking about. I appeared one last time in the doorway of the truck and held my hand out once again.
“And the gun.”
She pulled the gun out of her purse and handed it over.
“And the one at the small of your back.”
“Right, like I could have one there while I’m pregnant,” she snorted.
“Give it to me.”
Sighing, she pulled out the gun at the small of her back and handed that one over as well.
“Now the ankle holster.”
“What am I supposed to use for protection?” she asked in exasperation.
“That’s what we’re here for,” I chided.
She bent over slightly and pulled up her pant leg, pulling the gun out of her ankle holster.
“And the one at the back of the car seat.”
“Sebastian, I-”
“Maggie, we talked about storing guns near our babies.”
“It’s at the back,” she grumbled. “It’s not like the kid can reach around and unstrap the gun, slam a magazine into the gun, flick off the safety, and still have enough strength to pull the trigger.”
“Now, the knives.”
She looked at me in shock, but I knew her too well. This woman would pack any weapon she could into any space available, which was kind of a scary thought.
“I can do this all night, Maggie.”
Slowly, she unstrapped five knives from various parts of her body and threw them down on the ground. Scowling, she hopped down out of the truck.
“You can get the kids.”
She stormed off, her ass shaking as she made her way to the secondary entrance for the panic room where everyone else was waiting. Burg and I grabbed the kids and bags while Sinner grabbed the car seats. At least she was heading off to Colorado and she would be Cash’s problem. I hadn’t told him yet, but when I did, I didn’t want to be within a hundred feet of him.
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