“It could be a trap.” I grabbed Giana’s shoulder before she could make a move.
“Please, let me go,” a woman whimpered, the terror coating her voice making me see red.
“Why would we let a pretty thing like you go?” a man asked, the condescension evident in his tone even from our place hidden in the shadows.
I pulled Giana to the back of the building as a group of shadowed forms turned into the mouth of the alley. We peered around the corner, staying out of sight as one of the men glanced around the seemingly abandoned alley, making sure there were no witnesses to the horrors they were going to subject that innocent woman to.
“I’ll go around the other side to take out their watchdogs,” I whispered, my lips brushing against the shell of her ear. “I’ll draw them out to me. Wait for me before you move.”
She nodded, the motion jerky and stiff as she clutched her hands into fists. I sucked in a long breath, needing to trust her, because if she showed herself before they were distracted, I knew they would switch their target to her in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t be able to leash the violence churning in my head if they captured her and took her to the sick fuck they called boss.
Her shoulders slumped slightly as I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and slunk back through the shadows, my hands nearly shaking at the jolt of exhilaration that zinged through me.
“Alpha team has eyes on four rogues,” Giana said into the earpiece. “Going silent. Bravo team is on standby.”
“10-4,” Kellan said, tension obvious in his tone.
With the reassurance that Kellan and Nicholas would be here if my sugar needed them, I kept close to the wall, slinking through the shadows on the other side of the hardware store. No one was in the alley, but it didn’t mean they didn’t have someone keeping watch on the street.
I scanned the front of the shop while keeping myself hidden in the shadows. There were two of the Barone’s men standing in front of the store windows; one was looking down the street while the other was glancing inside the shop. The rest of the street was clear, giving me the perfect opportunity to strike.
I kept my steps silent as I crept closer to the two men, palming a knife in each hand. Just as the one looking into the storecaught my movement in the glass, I was on him. He reached for his gun, but I was faster. I slammed my knife into his throat, cutting off the warning he was about to shout, leaving only a gurgling sound to cut through the otherwise silent night. Blood muffled his words, but it was enough to alert his buddy.
He was on me in the next second, his fist flying, but I deftly dodged him, jabbing my knife into the side of his gut before bringing my other one up to plunge into the side of his neck.
“What the fuck was that?” a man rumbled from the alley, coaxing a grin from my lips. The warm splatter of blood still coated my face as I readied for the next volley of assholes.
“Your worst fucking nightmare,” I growled and then pounced.
Chapter Seven
Giana
“Please,”thewomancriedas I pulled my gun from its holster.
“I love it when they beg,” one of the men taunted, fisting his micro-penis through his suit pants.
Bile rose in my throat, and I fought off the cloud of rage that clouded my vision. I pinched my thigh, needing the bite of pain to focus myself.
Pulling in a steadying breath, I willed the tremor out of my hands. I wouldn’t be any help to Spade or this girl if I let my anger get the best of me. I squeezed my eyes shut and counted to five, willing my heart to slow with each inhale I took.
Two of the men were holding the woman’s hands back against the rough bricks while the other two surveyed her, taking asmuch pleasure in her trembling as they were from devouring her with their lecherous gazes.
I bit the corner of my lip, finally finding my center as I aimed my gun down the alley. From this far I might be able to take one or two of them out, but I wouldn’t put it past the sick fucks to use the girl as a shield. I had to wait for Spade to make his move before I could strike.
I had to time it perfectly, though, because if I waited too long, Spade would be in the middle of the melee, and I’d lose my shot.
The men closest to the street turned in that direction, their heads tilted as though they were on alert. “What the fuck was that?”
I struck. Taking aim at the man who cupped his micro-penis, I pulled the trigger, landing two shots to his back. Euphoria lit in my chest as he doubled over. The men holding the woman abruptly let her go, one joining his friend on the street while the other turned to aim at me. I only had a moment to hesitate, letting the woman flee from between them before I took my shot.
His groan vibrated through the alley as I ran to close the distance, needing to make sure they were dead, not just down. I glimpsed the glint of his gun in the dim lighting as he shakily aimed for me, and I dove for the ground. His shot ricocheted off the brick wall, causing an explosion of red powder. I ignored it along with the ache pulsing in my shoulder. Taking aim, I got a shot off, the bullet embedding itself in his shoulder and sending the gun clattering to the pavement.
“Bitch.” He grappled for his weapon, but I was already up and descending on him with a knife gripped tightly in my palm. The blade sliced through his neck like butter, blood splattering over my face and throat as he took his last gurgling breaths.
I didn’t let my guard down as I clambered off him and checked the other man. He was still conscious, his eyelids fluttering wildly. I caught his arm with one of the bullets, so blood pooledbeneath him, but they’d both been wearing vests—meaning the shots hurt but weren’t enough to kill them. Wasting no time, I sliced my blade across his throat, his life draining from him as quickly as the blood ran down his chest, soaking into his white shirt and staining it crimson.
Spade.
