I squeeze the trigger again.
Click.
Empty.
The closest guard lunges at me, his face twisted with rage. He's massive, with a neck like a tree trunk. His hands reach for my throat.
Before I can react, Danika moves.
She's a blur of red fabric and lethality. She closes the distance and slides under the guard's reaching arms. Her hand shoots out, catching his wrist mid-grab. She twists hard, using his own momentum against him. Something cracks, and the guard howls.
Danika doesn't stop. She pivots and sweeps his legs out from under him with a vicious kick to the back of his knee, and he crashes to the floor hard.
She drops with him and jams the barrel of her pistol against his forehead.
The shot echoes through the corridor, and the guard goes limp.
I'm already reloading, my hands moving on autopilot as I watch her. My magazine clicks into place, and I spin toward the fourth guard, who's raising his weapon.
I fire, and the bullet catches him square between the eyes. He collapses backward, his gun clattering uselessly to the floor.
I stare at Danika as she rises to her feet, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face.
"Fuck, darling, now that was something," I say, my voice rough.
She glances at me and winks, then looks toward the door.
"We need to keep moving."
Right.
Focus, Victor.
I grab her wrist and pull her past the bodies, through the loading area, and out into the cool Italian night.
The air almost stings, reminding me of how hot I am. The smell of the ocean feels like freedom waiting for us. We run down the casino's private docks, guns raised, scanning the area.
We pass the fancy VIP motorboats bobbing gently in the black water, my shoes hitting the wooden planks with a thud.
My speedboat sits at the far end. Dark mahogany, twin engines, and fast as hell. I paid a small fortune to have it staged here two days ago, just in case.
As we make our way toward it, behind us, the casino's rear doors burst open. Shouts erupt in Russian, followed by the sharp crack of gunfire.
Bullets zip past my head, one so close I feel the heat of it on my cheek. Another punches through the dock railing, sending splinters flying. Others bite into the water, causing water to splash up at us.
Neither of us slows down.
We reach the boat, and I yank the rope free, the knot coming loose in one smooth pull, and grab Danika's arm, hauling her into the boat with me. She stumbles but catches herself against the passenger seat.
I throw myself behind the wheel and jam the key into the ignition. The engines roar to life.
More gunfire, and a bullet pings off the side of the boat, chipping the polished finish.
I shove the throttle all the way forward, and the boat surges.
The front lifts out of the water, and we rocket away from the dock so fast that Danika loses her footing.
She stumbles backward, arms windmilling.
