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“Watch your back,” I told him, and we bumped fists. I didn’t wait for him to give me a lift; I headed across the street and down an alley. If any of the cameras on the street picked up on the firefight, we were going to have other problems.
Nonetheless, those could wait. Right now, I needed to see that Swan and Freddie were in one piece.
I found the first body just inside the mouth of the alleyway. The guy was dead from a slashed throat. The second body was three blocks over and down with at least two gunshots to the chest.
The third guy was groaning, head moving from side to side as he let out whimpers of sound. Blood soaked the area around him and he was sans three fingers.
Three fingers.
“Touched our girl, did you?” I said, staring down into the shocked eyes. The rattle of breath was him drowning in his lungs.
Brutal way to go.
But the sirens in the distance meant someonemightfind him. Someonemightget him help.
I shot him in the head.
I’d rather he suffered. Protecting Freddie and Swan from possible retaliation took precedence. Open war was bloody and reckless enough. Someone held this dog’s leash before they sent him after us.
After her.
We’d carve that pound of flesh out of their hide.
Seven minutes later, I found them huddling together in the dark alley. Freddie appeared, knife in hand, before he recognized me and lowered it. Blood spatter covered him, and when I pulled him in for a hug, he returned it swiftly then turned us both to Swan.
Her dress was shredded in places. Like Freddie, she was also covered in blood, even though her smile was as fierce as she was.
I held out an arm, and she collided with us. Freddie didn’t pull away as we cradled her between our bodies. The smell of sweat, gunpowder, and blood clung to them. I let myself have the moment.
They were safe.
However, we only got a moment.
Backing off, I stripped off my coat and held it open for her to slip on. Freddie took her gun, then passed it to me after she was wrapped up.
“Stay with me,” I said to her, then flicked a look to Freddie. “You got her back?”
He nodded once.
“We’re going around to the back, then straight inside. Don’t slow down for anything.”
Swan’s hand slid into mine, and not for the first time did I marvel at how tiny she was compared to the rest of us. The sharpness in her eyes and the strength in her grip told me our little Vandal was more than ready for whatever came next.
Good.
“Liam?” was her only question.
“He’s okay,” I promised her. “He went for Rome and Vaughn. We’ll know more soon.”
She shuddered, then nodded once before she raised her chin. “I’m ready,” she said, the barest of quavers in her voice.
I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. Just the one. A reminder to both of us that we were alive and a deposit for more later. “Yeah, you are,” I whispered. “You have this, Swan.”
Her tremulous smile lit me from within, and she squeezed my hand. “I have you both, too.”
Hell, she had all of us.
CHAPTER4
