Page 2 of Breached

“Barely, but there.” I smiled at the guys.

“Cole!” Savannah ran up, and her scream when she saw her son was something that would never leave me. “Easton!” Mark quickly grabbed her. “Let me go!” She was like a wildcat as he tried to hold her back.

“Savi, he’s alive, he’s alive,” he assured her, as Cole’s hands hovered above Easton trying to process the scene. Then, before we could make a move, we were shoved aside by paramedics. They went to work and lay Easton on a gurney and ran with him. Savannah whipped out of Mark’s arms and chased after the medics.

“Cole,” I grabbed his arm and made him look at me, “we got this and Olivia. There was a tracker in Easton’s coat,” I needed them all to know before we head back to the house. His look went from pure shock back to grief in a nanosecond. “Go be with your son. Your dad’s gone, my friend. Nothing else matters now but getting Easton to the hospital. We got this,” I repeated.

“I-I,” I’d only seen Cole lose it once before.

“Go, Logan. That’s an order.” I got in his face, and his wild eyes latched onto mine then moved over my shoulder, then he jumped to his feet and raced toward the ambulance. “Mark,” I pulled his attention away from Abigail’s still burning body, “you with me?”

“Yeah.” He looked off as if in a daze as the ambulance carrying Easton, Savannah, and Cole flew from the parking lot.

“Paul!”

“Nicole?” I jumped up and looked around. Was I hearing right?

“Paul!” I heard it again. Keith pointed. Nicole was running straight toward me with Chase in her arms. My heart leapt with pure joy as I ran toward them.

Zip! Zip! Zip! Zip!

Bullets rained as screams of fear erupted around us again. I grabbed her and pulled her to the ground with me. I took Chase from her and tucked him under us as I desperately looked around for the source of the gunfire. People were running in all directions, making it hard to know who the enemy was.

“Get ’em inside!” Keith yelled over the roar of confusion.

I pulled Nicole to her feet, handing her Chase, then used my body to shield them from the direction of the bullets. We started to run, but as pieces of pavement sprayed up in front of us, I dragged her behind a car. “Don’t move!”

“Two o’clock!” Mike huffed as he and Mark joined us. He slid me a weapon, and I grabbed it, pressed my back to the tire, and prepared to kill the fuckers who had taken out three of our own and left a little boy clinging to life.

I twisted onto my knees and slowly looked over the hood. I spotted a guy in a window next to Zack’s. I closed one eye, took a breath, and shot him in the neck. Another popped up around the trash bin, and I shot him in the leg. He yelped and stumbled backward.

“Your nine, Paul!” Keith shouted. I ducked and he fired twice.

I turned to Nicole as my heart thumped in my throat. “When I say go, you take Chase and run like the fuckin’ wind to Zack’s!” My voice cut through Chase’s screams. She flinched when more bullets rang out, but she nodded. I grabbed her around the neck and slammed my lips to hers. “I need you to make it. Go!” I stood and let go a volley of shots to draw the fire my way. “You want to hurt us, hurt me!” I boomed with my arms outstretched. “I’m right here, you cowards!” When I turned back to see if they’d made it, I lost visual, but I did catch the door swing closed and prayed they were safe.

Keith popped up from his location to try to see who fired at us.

“Stay down!” I shouted, but he didn’t listen. Suddenly, two fire trucks appeared and blocked the direction the shots came from, and the path to Zack’s was clear. Then the drivers jumped, waved madly at us to follow, and ran toward the steps.

Mike provided cover as they hurried up to the door. I looked back at the burning vehicle that had held the generation that had fought to prevent this.

I didn’t see him coming; it was just a blur of black. Keith body-slammed me and hooked my arm and practically dragged me toward the steps. “Move, brother!” he barked, and I snapped out of my daze, shook off his hold, and we raced up the stairs and inside Zack’s. The sweet sound of police sirens was deafening.

It took a moment for me to breathe and realize I was safe—at least for the moment. John, Mark, and the two firemen stood near the door that led to a room downstairs. They were all ready to fight, but their pale, blank faces wore the shock and pain of what was happening.

“Everyone accounted for?” Keith moved toward them as I pulled down the blind then peeked out a crack to try to spot one of the bastards who had attacked us—I begged for any of them to show themselves. I would ditch my weapon and use my bare hands to wring the life out of them.

“Paul.” John appeared; his voice told me something was wrong. “I need you.”

“I’m not leaving this post.” My need to focus on those bastards was too intense.

“Paul.” He shook his head, and the tone of his voice caught my attention. “Seriously, buddy you need to come.” I looked out the window one last time and tore myself away with a grunt. We went down the stairs where everyone was gathered. Zack was bent down next to someone. There were so many people I couldn’t see what was going on. Kids were crying, and I heard the voices of those doing their best to soothe them. I looked around for Olivia and saw her in Sloane’s arms. Poor kid was old enough to process what had happened and what the future might hold.

“Zack.” John touched his shoulder, and he shifted, and I saw Nicole. Her face was soaked in sweat, she was pale, and I heard her struggling to catch her breath. Cat held my son.

No!

“Shit.” I dropped to my knees at her side and tried to process even as I worried we were still under attack. Zack quickly filled me in.