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“Get off her,” I hear cried before a younger-looking Grayson comes bearing toward the guard and nails him in the jaw.
“FUCK,” the guy roars, flying back just enough for me to bring up my boot and shove hard against his chest. I scramble to my feet and grab the miniature Grayson by the elbow, shoving him hard toward the terrified children. “Go. Leave me,” I spit as the guard gets back to his feet and starts stalking me down the tunnel. “Run. The keys are in the fucking car. Head count before you go. Six kids, seven including you. Don’t look back until you’re back behind the gates of Ravenwood Estate.”
“Are you sur—”
The guard lunges at me. “RUN.”
He takes off like a fucking rocket, scooping up the kids as he goes and shuffling the rest in front of him, proving that he is, after all, going to one day be a hero just like his big brother.
I dart out of the way, not prepared to let this asshole get the drop on me a second time. My hands fall to my belt, feeling around for something to use when I find a small dagger, one I didn’t even know was there. I tear it out of the holster and flip it to my right hand, right where it belongs, while reminding myself to thank the boys for saving my life once again.
The excitement bubbles within me, feeling as though I’m finally back to my roots, but I hold back, listening to the sound of the kids escaping and making sure that they’re far enough away before taking this fucker out. Though I have to play it safe, too much confidence could end with him whooping my ass and getting to the kids before they can get out of here.
I need to bide my time and play it smart.
I listen to the sound of the guns. There’s still rapid fire but it’s not as consistent as it was five minutes ago. Perhaps this thing is finally coming to an end.
Bored of my waiting game, the guard lunges at me again, but this time, I’m ready.
I pull back and bring my knee up, just as he flies at me. My knee lands right in the center of his stomach, winding him, but his momentum is enough to throw me backward. I stumble, hardly catching myself before going back at him.
The dagger shoots out, but he has his wits about him enough to pull back, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade. I go again, slicing out in front of me, this time cutting a shallow arc across his chest. “Fuck, you little bitch. You’ll pay for that.”
I just laugh. “Fucking try me, asshole.”
He races toward me, going for the dagger, but I duck and slam my knee back into his stomach before dodging out of the way, letting his momentum move past me, only to step in beside him and slam his face straight into the concrete wall of the tunnel.
Blood spurs from his nose as he cries out, but I keep on him, determined to finish this.
I kick him hard in the ribs before getting him in the back of his knees, forcing him down to the ground. He falls forward, only just catching himself and the thought enters my mind—how easy would it be to slit his throat?
Am I truly losing any goodness that I had inside of me? Am I crossing some kind of invisible line?
The sound of tires screeching echoes through the tunnel and relief pulses through me.
The kids got away, but now I need to.
Not wanting to test my boundaries, I step around the side of the guard and nail him in the temple with the tip of my boot, knocking him the fuck out as I tuck the dagger back into my belt where I won’t be tempted to slit any more throats. Besides, slitting throats is a messy sport and I’m already covered in brains. I’m going to have to shower for at least an hour to get the stench of this shit off me.
Knowing the kids are safe and hearing the sound of the gunshots echoing down the long tunnel, I turn back to the bunker and stare toward it, seeing the small shadows of the few remaining men inside.
That room is hell on earth and everything inside of me is telling me to sprint back toward it and help the guys where I can, but they would be able to concentrate better if I wasn’t there. Right now, they think I’m safe in the car, speeding back toward Ravenwood Estate. They don’t need to know that I’m still here. Besides, if I ran back in there, guns blazing, it’s only going to increase the tension between us, and as much as I want to hate on them for the rest of my life, at some point, I would really love to get back to where we were in our relationships.
