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It never ceased to amaze me. Saff was so empathetic ninety-five percent of the time, but when it came to eliminating targets, she could be ruthless. It would make her a great Ops Commander one day.
We sprinted through the grand hallways of the villa, our feet making no noise on the marble floors. All around us, chaos reigned as security forces clashed with intruders in a desperate attempt to reclaim the space.
Saff stopped suddenly and cocked her head to one side. "Do you hear that?" she asked, her voice tense with anticipation. I followed suit and listened intently for a moment before I heard it—the faint pops of gunfire in the distance.
Saff's eyes narrowed and she began to move forward again, her steps more sure and determined than before. She was clearly focused on our mission now, and I had no doubt that she would do whatever it took to complete it successfully.
We rounded a corner and were met with a scene of carnage. Bodies were strewn everywhere, many riddled with bullets or stabbed through with knives. It was an almost surreal sight, like something out of one of those old war movies.
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to push aside my shock and focus on what mattered—finding Kira. She had to be here somewhere. But where?
My thoughts were interrupted by Saff coming to an abrupt halt in front of me. "There," she said quietly, nodding toward a door at the end of the hallway that stood slightly open but otherwise unguarded. Following her lead, we crept up as quietly as possible until we reached our destination—Kira's room.
Slowly pushing open the door, we peered inside cautiously before entering fully and taking in our surroundings. It was empty, save for Kira cowering in the corner behind a pile of discarded furniture. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked up at us pleadingly, and relief washed over me like a wave, knowing that we had found her safe and sound after all this time. As we exited the hall, Saff glanced around, just in case there were any more targets. Satisfied that all was clear, she gave me a nod and we made our way toward the egress point.
In the distance, we still heard the muffled pops of gunfire.
Kira mumbled, “I'm sorry Tabatha. I'm so, so sorry.”
I gently brushed stringy dark hair away from her face. “Don't apologize. Let's get moving. Are you in any pain?”
We heard footfalls thundering behind us, and Saff and I covered Kira protectively with our bodies. Our guns were at the ready, mine pointing to the west and Saff’s pointing to the east.
Thankfully, Saint and King came in from the west, both of them running with guns at the ready. Lock ran to his wife immediately.“ I do love a touching reunion, but we have to go. Saint left a mess and it’s only a matter of time before these arseholes see it."
"Two bodies I forgot to pull into dark corners and you won't let me forget it," moaned Saint.
Rook came in from the east hallway. “I saw bodies piled along the east gate too.”
Saint shook his head. “I incapacitated one. He’s taking a nap. The other one… Well, he resisted."
Saint worked feverishly on Kira's cuffs while Rook and Saff stood guard. I hastily grabbed a thermal blanket from my survival pack and draped it around my sister, feeling helpless as I watched her shudder. Our focus was diverted by the sound of gunfire and shattering glass. We all trained our weapons upward, except for Saint, who stayed focused on Kira, a gesture of loyalty and protection I would never forget.
Suddenly, Gabe appeared from the ceiling, his unexpected arrival sending my heart fluttering. His eyes locked onto mine and he flashed a knowing smirk. “We can’t go that way,” he said with controlled urgency. “The exit is blocked, and the water route is in the middle of a firefight.”
Finally, I heard the clink of the handcuffs, and Kira was free.
All exits had been closed off to us except the most treacherous. Right back the way we came. That archway we’d come through before was going to be a choke point if we weren't careful. And there weren’t a lot of places to hide, especially with Kira in tow.
My heart pounded as we moved. We were so close to being free. And that’s when the next attack came.
There was a smoke bomb thrown, and all I heard was cursing as my team dove for cover. Saint leaned Kira against a barricade and pulled out his gun to lay cover fire.
As we lay cover, Saff ran forward, taking out the closest assailant with a sweep of her leg and an elbow to the back of the neck.
I watched as Rook pulled out his gun, steadied his aim, and took out the sniper that had us pinned from our exit with two efficient shots.
Without their sniper, our attackers were weakened. Saint laid cover for Saff and Lock as the two of them engaged in hand-to-hand, easily subduing the other two shooters.
When one last armed man stepped out of the shadows, Gabe popped him easily then glanced around. “Everyone good?”
We all confirmed. Rook groaned and glanced at his shoulder, but from where I was standing it looked mostly superficial. He'd probably need stitches but nothing serious. He was already packing away his gun.
When I reached for Kira, the bottom fell out of my stomach. I glanced around. “Kira? What the hell happened to Kira?”
We all spun around and then froze. My sister, who had been immobile only moments before, had a gun to Gabe’s head.
I took a step forward, but he shook his head, warning me back. All I could do was stand there and watch as she backed him up.
