“Come on,” one of the girls shouts, grabbing my arm, yanking me through the hole and outside. “We have to move!”
Twenty-Three
Ashton
Coms are down. There’s smoke billowing from the opposite side of the compound. We have to trust that Harper will be able to find her way out. Without video or audio surveillance, we’re going in blind. The EMP makes sure of that the moment we approach the house.
Rhys directs the team, taking lead as we sneak in through the main door. It’s unlocked, left open perhaps for the guests in attendance.
There haven’t been any new arrivals in the past few minutes, though I imagine if anyone had been planning on coming and saw the smoke, they likely turned away.
I’ve memorized the map, our blueprint for rescuing Luca. It seems Rhys has, as well, as he leads up the staircase and we hug the wall, careful not to be seen.
There are no smoke detectors going off due to the EMP, and it’s a welcome relief not hearing the blasted high-pitch scream as we hurry down the hallway.
There are men storming downstairs, running and shouting out orders, but none of them notice us. They’re too busy dealing with the girls escaping, which concerns me regarding Harper, but there are only three of us and splitting up is a piss-poor idea.
I glance up at the camera in the hallway, grateful that’s permanently disabled.
Every door is shut in the hallway, and we make it to the room we believe Luca is being held captive. Rhys glances back at me, making sure I’m in agreement.
I offer a brief nod, confident that we’ve approached the right door.
Rhys retrieves a lockpick from his pocket. He works quickly at it before turning the handle, slowly opening the door.
I hurry closer as he opens the door, poking my head in to make sure it is, in fact, the correct room. “Luca,” I quietly shout, trying to keep my voice down but grab his attention.
His eyes widen and he hurries like a bolt of lightning right out of the room. “Did you hear that explosion?” Luca asks, glancing past me as he comes out into the hallway. “Where’s Harper?”
“Hopefully, she made it out,” I say, biting my tongue. There were a lot of guards, and it sounded as though all of them were heading toward the girls.
“You didn’t rescue her first?” Luca’s eyes widen, and I hand him a pistol from my hip, giving him a weapon to defend himself.
“We don’t have time for idle chit-chat,” Rhys says as he turns and heads back down the stairs toward the front door. It’s still unguarded, which is lucky for us.
“Where are you guys going?” Luca hisses, chasing after Rhys. He grabs him by the arm, shoving him around. “Harper is that way!” He points in the opposite direction where Harper had been kept locked behind the iron gate.
“If we’re lucky, she made it out. We blew a hole in the wall. We have to trust that she can handle her own. We’ll catch up with her outside, where we have better odds.” Rhys gestures for the door and we sneak out.
Gunfire erupts, and I wince. Knowing Harper is still out there makes my stomach flop. I chance a quick glance at Luca and he’s steaming.
Rhys steps out first, making sure no one is waiting to ambush us and then we skirt around the property in the opposite direction that we came before sneaking around the compound. We make our way in the direction of the smoke, the plumes cast high overhead, not the least bit slowing down.
Smoke fills the air, the wind whipping it in our direction, making the air hazy and thick. I choke on the smoke, eyes watering, and my throat burning, but I ignore the discomfort.
We need to find Harper.
Luca stumbles in front of me over a rock, and I reach out to grab his arm.
“I’m fine,” he grumbles, managing to catch himself before he face plants.
Immediately, I let go and offer a nod. Luca keeps the gun between both hands, pointed downward as we skirt the edge of the compound. The exterior is a beige stucco, and as we gather closer to the area of the explosion, there are flames licking the exterior of the building, climbing like ivy over the walls.
Girls flee in several directions, but there’s no sign of Harper.
Gunshots erupt from inside the building, and that’s when I catch sight of her golden hair and soot-coated skin. There’s ash falling across the blonde tresses and flecks of blood speckled to her like freckles.
“Harper!” Luca shouts, gathering her attention as she slides through the exterior wall with the help of another girl.
