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Snow yelps in terror.
"Fuck!" I growl, yanking her to her feet. "Stay behind me, low to the ground. Keep the dogs close! Constantine, find whoever fired that fucking shot."
"Already on it," he says before his flashlight clicks off.
I click mine off too, plunging us into darkness.
Snow whimpers, clinging to my hand like it's a lifeline.
"I need you to let my hand go, Magic. I need my gun."
"I can't see anything!"
"Here." I place her hand against the small of my back, fighting the urge to groan when she immediately wraps her fingers up in my shirt, placing her skin against mine. "Don't let go. Constantine is going to clear us a path to the SUV. As soon as you get inside, I want you on the floorboard with your hands over your head. Keep the dogs down low too."
Fucking hell. I hoped we'd have more time before they figured out that the guy who showed up tonight wasn't the one who was supposed to be there. But it's too late to do anything about it now. We're getting out of here.
"Wait!" she cries in a whisper. "Bear. I need to carry Bear so he doesn't do anything crazy. And Quack so he can keep up."
Shit.
I click my light on again, keeping it aimed low. As soon as I spot Bear, I scoop him up. He growls and snaps at me, trying to sink his teeth into my hand. "Settle," I bark at him before passing him to Snow. Naturally, as soon as she grabs him, he immediately calms down. "Which one is Quack?"
"Chihuahua."
I scoop the Chihuahua up, tucking him under my arm. He growls at me but doesn't try to bite me. I click the light off just as another shot rings out.
Snow sobs quietly.
"Low to the ground, baby," I remind her. "You can do this."
I shove the flashlight into my pocket and pull out my handgun. It's not ideal, but I can't very well operate the shotgun with a Chihuahua under one arm. And if they get past Constantine, we'll be in close quarters anyway. The handgun will do the job just as well as the shotgun.
"Shaman, Sloth, Dizzy, Rosy, Rabbit, to me," Snow cries quietly. "Come on, guys. Follow me."
We carefully inch forward, staying low to the ground. I don't know if the dogs follow us or not, and I don't have time to look. A bevy of shots rings out, ripping apart the night. They seem to come from every direction at once, echoing around The Falls. A shout goes up, only to end as several more shots crack apart the night.
Constantine.
There's a reason I called him for backup. He's a demon with a weapon. No one survives when they land in his sights. I'd almost feel sorry for them, but pity is for the weak, and sympathy belongs to those who deserve it. They came for an innocent girl. Let them suffer. If she didn't need me to get her to safety, they'd fall beneath a rain of my bullets instead of his.
Another shot rings out, and then silence.
Snow's terrified cries break my heart. I've seen fucked-up shit in my life. I've been responsible for more than my fair share of it. But this—targeting your own stepchild—is an entirely new level of evil. It's incomprehensible. I don't use the word lightly, but Delilah Buchanan is a straight-up, cold-hearted bitch.
Moonlight trickles through the trees as we edge closer to the mouth of the woods. I breathe a small sigh when I see Snow's dogs in a tight semicircle around her, protecting her. Bear growls in her arms, rumbling in fury exactly like his namesake. Even Dizzy, the goofy German Shepherd, is subdued and serious, scanning the woods attentively.
Constantine appears ahead, motioning for us to hurry. "We've got more company coming," he says, steely-eyed and grim. "We need to get the fuck out of here now."
As soon as we reach him, I see what he means. There are a half dozen men on the far side of The Falls, running this way. It's going to be close. Really fucking close.
"Get her out of here, Dimitri," he growls, already aiming at the figures rushing toward us.
I turn to Snow, placing Quack into her arms alongside Bear. "Run, Magic. Don't look at anything and don't stop until you're inside one of the SUVs." I don't want her seeing the dead men on the ground.
"What about you?" she cries, wide-eyed and terrified.
"I'll be right behind you. Run. Now."
She hesitates, sobs, and then takes off, racing as fast as she can across the clearing toward the SUVs. I want to watch her to make sure she makes it, but I can't. I don't have time. I turn to the men rushing toward us, training my weapon on them.
"The girl!" the cartel member closest to us shouts, veering toward her.
