Page 87 of The Hunter's Empire

I turn toward her. "You are not helping either."

"I'm sorry."

She isn't sorry at all. But for the first time since Fergus's room, she almost looks normal again. Then another explosion rattles the estate hard enough to shake the walls.

A burst of gunfire suddenly erupts from the corridor ahead, bullets tearing through the wood-paneled walls and showering the hallway with splinters. Before I can fully process what is happening, Nico grabs my arm and drags both Roisin and me sideways behind a thick stone pillar.

The impact knocks the breath from my lungs. "What the hell…"

"Company." Nico mutters.

Peering around the edge of the pillar, I immediately spot two armed men moving down the corridor toward us. Neither belongs to Keegan security.

One of them raises his rifle. The other spots our position. The exchange begins instantly.

The sharp crack of Nico's pistol echoes through the hallway, dropping the first attacker before he can fire another shot. The second man throws himself behind cover, swearing loudly as bullets chip pieces of stone from the wall above our heads.

I lean out just long enough to squeeze off a shot. The bullet catches the attacker in the shoulder and he stumbles.

Then another man appears from a side corridor farther down the hall. My stomach drops.

His rifle is already aimed directly at Nico.

"Lucien!" He turns.

The attacker squeezes the trigger. At the exact same moment, so do I. For one horrifying fraction of a second, my bullet appears to be heading straight for Nico's head.

The shot passes so close to him that I see his eyes widen. Then the man behind him collapses.

Nico slowly turns toward me.

"I was aiming at the man behind you."

"I know you’re trying to kill me, woman."

"Oh, shut up."

Before either of us can say anything else, another barrage of gunfire erupts from the foyer below, sharp enough to shake us back into reality.

"Keep moving." Nico orders.

The deeper we push into the mansion, the worse the situation becomes. As we reach the upper landing overlooking the grand foyer, several more gunmen suddenly emerge from below.

Nico immediately shifts position beside me. Then behind me. Until our backs touch.

"I'll take the right side." He says.

"I've got the left."

The attackers open fire. We answer. The foyer explodes into motion. Every time I shift position, Nico adjusts instinctively. Every time he moves, I compensate without thinking. There are no instructions, no hesitation, and no need to communicate beyond the occasional warning shouted over gunfire.

At one point I duck beneath a spray of bullets and fire over my shoulder without looking. A second later I hear a body hit the floor.

Somewhere behind me, Nico does the same. The realization hits me unexpectedly. We trust each other. Not emotionally. Not personally. But with our lives. And in our world, that might mean even more.

By the time the last attacker drops, the Keegan security teams are finally beginning to regain control of the estate.

The fighting hasn't ended. But it is turning. That becomes painfully obvious the moment I look out across the foyer.