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I run down the hall, take a left, and—

TAK-TAK!

Two bullets fly past my face, forcing me to dive behind a stone statue.

Jesus!

Where the fuck are they coming from?

I shoulder the rifle, steady my breathing, and round the statue.

CLACK! CLACK!

I drop two of the assailants, but the remaining gunman fires back, and a bullet grazes my forearm.

Arggg!

Fuck.

I dive back into cover as dozens of bullets hit the statue, breaking its arm off at the shoulder.

I grab the stone arm, spin, and launch it down the hall as hard as I can.

The guy fires at it, but the arm is so thick it doesn’t shatter. Once he realizes this, he tries to move, but it’s too late.

The arm hits him in the face.

The second his gunfire stops, I step out from cover and put him down.

I steady my rifle and scan everything around me, but there are no more men in sight.

Okay.

Let’s move.

I sprint the rest of the way down the hallway, past the fallen men, past our rooms, take a corner, and freeze.

The twins aren’t at their post… and the master suite door is open.

Please be alive.

Please, Cil…

Please, please…

I step into the room and right into a nightmare.

Leo is on the floor near the bed, drenched in blood, with a knife discarded beside him.

Leif is shirtless, kneeling over him, both hands pressing his shirt desperately against the wound in his stomach to stop the bleeding.

Across the room, Björn is on his knees beside Finnian, who isn’t moving at all.

And Cillian… He isn’t here.

Cillian is gone.

My man is fucking gone!