Page 204 of Bleed with Me

“An eternity,” I mumbled, glancing outside. Raw fear clouded my brain, pushing away every rational thought. My feet bounced against the car floor, my pulse hammered in my ears, but I only saw Nina and Aryna injured, and I wasn’t there to protect them.

“She hasn’t been gone long,” Zyon said, glancing at me worriedly. “She’s armed. Trained. Malin knows where she is.”

“We were right beside you when you were shot, remember?” I snapped, regretting the words the moment they left my mouth. My teeth sank into my lower lip, expecting a sharp retort, but Zyon didn’t say anything, just pushed the gas pedal down harder.

The next few minutes were the longest of my life, and I had to battle my own brain every fucking second. The buildings blurred behind the window. Cars honked. But all my terrified mind concentrated on was the blend of Caroline’s accident with Nina’s kidnapping.

I couldn’t lose them. Fuck! I couldn’t.

“There,” Malin stirred the fog that clouded my brain, and I blinked to clear my vision. “Third warehouse on the left. Northern entrance.”

A rusted building appeared beyond a broken fence. I looked outside, noticing two vehicles near the loading bay. Matteo stood beside one, an assault rifle hanging from his hands, looking impatient enough to start the war alone. Lucas stood on his left, shifting his weight from one leg to another, squeezing a semi-automatic gun in his right hand.

My heart thundered against my ribcage, and every instinct in my body screamed to run to Nina and Aryna. So I did. Zyon had barely stopped the SUV before I opened the door and jumped out.

“Dorian!” he shouted, but I ignored him. However, Matteo stepped into my path, blocking me from entering the building.

“There were gunshots,” he announced, pointing at the old door. “About a minute ago. We were about to storm in, but Lucas noticed you coming.”

Everything inside me went cold.

“How many?” I asked, my mouth dry.

“Several.” He shrugged. “Then nothing. And we’re going in blind.”

“Karen is backup.” Zyon caught up beside me and drew his weapon. “Jamal and the others are on their way. We’re good to go.”

I didn’t need more. In a few quick strides, I reached the door and grabbed the rusty handle. Locked.

“Move,” Matteo ordered, and fired twice into the mechanism. It fell apart instantly.

The smell struck me first. Gunpowder. Mold. Blood. My stomach twisted as my sight adjusted to the darkness. My boots crushed broken glass with every careful step, fingers clutching a raised weapon.

Then my eyes detected the first body. He lay near a pile of wooden pallets with a gunshot wound in his chest. Another body rested several yards away, his skull destroyed beside a bloodied shovel.

“Keep moving,” Zyon urged, as if anything could have stopped me. We rounded a stack of rusted machinery and entered a wide loading area.

I noticed another shovel first. It lay on the concrete, its metal blade covered in blood.

“Is that…” Zyon lowered his gun.

“I think so,” I whispered.

Sonny Carlile was barely recognizable. His limbs rested at unnatural angles. Blood pooled beneath his head, spreading into the cracks in the floor. The realization struck with brutal clarity, stunning me.

We were too late.

My gaze moved past him, finding Nina standing several feet away. Her clothes were torn and stained with dirt. A dark bruise surrounded one eye, blood ran from a cut near her brow, and angry marks circled her throat. One arm hung stiffly beside her body while the other remained curled into a fist.

Blood covered her hands, face, and clothes. She was literally bathing in it.

The gun slipped from my fingers and clattered onto the floor.

“Nina!” I yelled, running to her.

Before she could fully register me, my arms wrapped around her so tightly she gasped, but I couldn’t loosen them. I buried my face against her hair, breathing her in, searching for the warmth of her skin and the rise of her chest.

“You’re alive,” I mumbled. “Fuck, you’re alive.”