Hayden’s voice sounds in my ear. “You guys need to wrap it up. The patrol car just passed again, and it turned around before it reached the end of the street—they know something is up.”
Sam freezes. Kole’s expression remains unchanged.
“Fuck! They’re going for the Original Sam’s house!”
Shit. Also, we gotta come up with something else to call him. “Original Sam” doesnotroll off the tongue.
“I got this, Sam.” I grab my discarded knife from the floor before shoving both it and my gun back in their holsters. Then I turn on my heel and sprint out the door. I’m not two steps out before I hear the pop of a silenced gun from behind me.
Dammit. I don’t know who fired that gun—if it was my guys or the bastards who work for Xavier—but I can’t turn back to check because the beige sedan is parked in Sam’s daddy’s driveway, both doors open, and two men are rushing for Sammy Senior’s house, guns drawn.
Without thinking, I pull my gun and aim for the one closest to me.
“Yoo hoo! Excuse me, gentlemen!” They freeze, turning to face me, and as soon as I have a clear shot, I shoot. The bullet hits him square in the heart, but when he knocks backward off his feet, I realize my mistake.
I’m a fucking idiot. I should have aimed for his head.
Of course they’re wearing bulletproof vests. The bullet was stopped by the Kevlar, and the bastard is still alive.
The second guard points his gun in my direction, and I barely move out of the way before he pulls the trigger, the bullet whizzing past me. Xavier’s men don’t bother to use silencers to muffle their gunshots, the inconsiderate bastards. My ears are ringing louder than the bells of Notre Dame.
“Shots fired!” Hayden calls in our ears. “Get your asses over there, guys!”
With shaky aim, I manage to land a bullet in the second man’s skull, but not before he hits me straight in the gut. Pain explodes at the impact, knocking the wind out of me and in the next second, I find myself blinking rapidly at the sky as Hayden’s voice echoes in my ear. “She’s alive! I can feel it in the bond!”
…Why…why is he telling me that I’m alive?
Oh, right. It’s all one channel, so Sam and Kole must be panicking.
Before I can get my wits about me, the first man I shot is leaning over me, a manic grin on his face. “You stupid bitch,” he laughs, but then the sound of a shotgun loading has him freezing.
A vaguely familiar deep voice calls out. “Step away from the lady, you piece of shit.” I manage to lift my head and see Samuel Senior standing in his doorway, shotgun in hand, and a hard look in his eyes.
“Perfect timing, old man.” The guard straightens, turning away from me as his attention lands on Sam’s dad.
Shit.
My abdomen throbs with pain, but I can’t let this fucker get a shot in at Samuel. Without another thought, I’m standing, grabbing his wrist and twisting it so he drops it. “Fuck!” he spits, but then I’m moving his hand up behind his back, putting his arm at the perfect angle to break it.
“On your knees,” I grit out, the sharp pain in my stomach making it hard to breathe. But then, relief fills me when I see Sam and Kole running out of the house next door.
“All your buddies are dead. You’re the only one left,” Sam warns, crossing his arms.
So much for not killing them all..
“Jo, don’t kill anyone,”he says. Two minutes later, it’s“All your buddies are dead.”We’re gonna have to have a talk about a little thing called double standards.
Grunting, the guard sinks to his knees, and I pull my knife out.
“Listen, I was just following orders.” The guy bites out. “I don’t got any vendetta against the old man—it’s just business. The fact we’re even having this conversation means I’m as good as dead to Prometheus anyway. Let me go, and nobody else has to die.”
I lean down next to his ear. “Do you think I care about how many men have died today?” I hiss, pressing the blade of my knife to his throat. “Do you think Icarethat we got you in trouble with your boss? See, you intended to murder my father-in-law, which just so happens to be the only decent one I got. So, you’ll understand if I’m just the teensiest bit upset.”
His voice is flat. “So you’re going to kill me.”
“Your friend shot me, asshole. If I don’t kill you, one of my men will.” I smirk as he glances nervously at Sam and Kole, who do indeed have murderous expressions on their faces. I sigh. “If I had more time, I’d make it last longer. As it stands, we have somewhere we need to be, so lucky for you, I’ll make it quick.”
Before I can move, the guard reaches up and swiftly yanks down on my bun, making me cry out as my knees hit the ground. My hand keeps hold of my knife, though I’m pretty sure that the blade nicked the asshole when he pulled me.
