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“Let’s move,” I commanded through gritted teeth. My jaw clenched as I headed first through the tunnel, flashing the light on the dirt-packed walls and ground.
We hunched over as we jogged single-file through the winding tunnel. The air was stale and frigid, cobwebs brushing against my face. I did my best to guide them around rocks and puddles, trying to control the rage building inside of me. The thought of Nova’s terrified face had me moving with a quickness. I had to keep my head on straight and get back to her. She was all that mattered.
The tunnel seemed to stretch endlessly as we rushed through. The flashlights cast ominous shadows along the walls, heightening the anticipation of what was at the end.
The air grew colder, my breath visible in the chilly air. Every second counted. The longer it took us to get to the shed, the higher the chance of one of those assholes hurting my family. I pushed forward, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.
After several tense minutes, the tunnel sloped upward to another set of stairs and trapdoor. I held my fist up for the men to stop, my nostrils flaring as we stood in silence, listening for any sounds coming from above. Only after I was satisfied that nobody was waiting for us did I step up the stairs. Orin came up behind me, his gun raised as I lifted the trapdoor and peeked around.
“No lights,” I whispered and turned my flashlight off.
The men turned off their flashlights and followed me up the stairs into the darkness of the shed. The room was quiet except for the sound of our ragged breaths as we gathered the rifles and shotguns, loading them up with ammo.
There were three camouflage hunting jackets hanging on the wall, and I tossed one each to Orin, Valik, and Eros.
“No.” Eros shook his head and handed me the jacket back. “You take it. Harvey and I will head east around the lake. We’ll blend in more.” He motioned to his cream-colored snow suit, and I nodded as I put the jacket on.
“Orin and Valik, with me.” I threw my rifle over my shoulder and grabbed a ten-inch hunting knife from the wall. “We’ll go north towards the tree line. I counted six men, but there could be more. Our best bet is to come at them from both directions.”
The men all nodded; their faces were stony at what was to come over the next few minutes. I pushed the door open, looking around the corner. Headlights from Goodacre’s truck could be seen in the distance, and I clenched my hands into fists.
He was a dead man.
Harvey and Eros went east towards the lake, while Orin, Valik, and I moved north closer to the thick brush of the forest. The howling wind whipped snow around, creating a whiteout right in front of our eyes. Of all the nights to have a blizzard, it had to be tonight. We moved through the forest, the trees offering little protection from the swirling mass of snowflakes.
I squinted through the snow, trying to catch any glimpse of movement as we moved closer to where we thought the mercenaries would be. A million thoughts raced through my mind. The only thing keeping me sane was knowing that Nova was tucked away in the panic room with the others. If anything happened to her, I would burn down the whole fucking world. Nobody would be safe from my wrath.
The biting cold pierced through my clothing, numbing my fingers, making it difficult to keep a grip on my rifle. The snow was almost knee-deep in some areas, making each step a struggle as we powered ahead.
A noise to my right had me dropping low behind a thicket of trees, Valik and Eros doing the same. I pointed toward the sound and a moment later four separate LED lights appeared. They were three feet apart, as if the men were walking side by side, and they were only twenty yards away. Faint voices carried through the howling wind, and I aimed my rifle as they got closer. They had no clue we were out here, which was going to be their death sentence.
Valik and Orin flanked my left and right, disappearing around the bushes. I counted to twenty in my head, my finger steady on the trigger as they came closer. We had to be quick and thorough, otherwise we could lose them in the storm. If they turned off their lights, we were fucked. The lights came closer, the men laughing a mere five yards away. It was now or never.
I took aim and pulled the trigger. A scream echoed through the trees as I sprayed bullets. The lights moved frantically from left to right, the sound of men shouting growing closer as they realized they were the ones under attack now. A bullet whipped past my head, and I rolled to the side, lying hidden behind a fallen log.
Damn, that had been too close. I held my breath as footsteps pounded closer.
One man stumbled over the log, a groan leaving him as he landed next to me. His eyes widened at the sight of me, and I aimed my rifle right at his head. His teeth flashed as he kicked out, throwing snow in my face as he scrambled to his feet and ran. I pulled the trigger again and again, but it was fucking jammed. I roared with rage and took off after him, icy snow blasting me in the face.
Not today, asshole. You’re not going anywhere.
My arms shot out and I tackled him from behind, dragging him to the ground. We landed in a heap of snow, his body flailing as he tried to escape my grip. He was strong, but the mixture of anger and adrenaline coursing through me had me feeling indestructible. My arm angled around his neck, locking him in a chokehold from behind. I squeezed tight, holding on for dear life as he scratched at my arm. “You came after the wrong man, asshole.”
I squeezed tighter, angling my hips over him and yanking his head back with such force, I was surprised his neck hadn’t broken. My knee slipped through the snow, making me loosen my grip slightly. That was all the time he needed to throw his elbow back, landing a blow to my eye. Pain shot through my skull, and I grunted, my grip slipping even more. He bucked me off of him, and a second later he was on his feet. We circled each other, our fists raised. The anger in his face mirrored mine. One of us was going to die out here, and it would not be me.
My breath came out ragged as I lunged for him, landing a punch to his nose. He shrieked and stumbled back, touching the blood leaking from his face. If he thought I was going to make this easy for him, he was dead wrong. He threw a jab, and I ducked to the side, slamming my fist into his jaw. He blinked rapidly as he tried to orient himself, his face twisting in anger.
He launched towards me with a roar, his movements jerky and wild. I blocked the next blow and the next, his hands frantic as he tried to take me down. But it was no use. He was too disoriented and too slow. I slammed my fist into his jaw again, blood splattering across the white snow as he stumbled backwards and landed on his back. It was like I was possessed by the Devil as I pummeled my fists into his face over and over.
He came here to hurt Nova. To hurt my family.
I landed blow after blow until my knuckles were raw, and even then it still wasn’t enough to sate my rage. The only thing that would curb my thirst for blood was to watch his soul leaving his body. I pulled out my hunting knife, rammed it into his heart and twisted.
“Cian!” Orin shouted. I stood, satisfaction enveloping me as I tried to control my ragged breathing.
Valik and Orin rushed over, a wild look in their eyes. I gave them a once-over, not seeing any injuries.
“Three more down over there. He makes four.” Valik nodded his head at the man at my feet.
