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Finn hurled one dagger at the nearest guard, but the man dodged it. He wasn't so lucky with the second. Finn hurled it straight at the man, who stared in shock as the blade sank into his throat. The man dropped to the floor, blood gushing from the wound, and chaos erupted in the room.
The three women dived for cover on the ground.
The second guard opened fire, bullets ricocheting off the suit of armor as Finn crouched low, trying to avoid being hit, but many of them pierced the suit, splintering into the wall next to Finn's head. The guard then closed in, as soon as he had eye line on Finn, Finn was a dead man. Finn readied himself to try his best. But amid the noise and confusion of more gunshots from the guard, Mulberry lunged forward and grappled with the gunman, trying to wrestle the weapon from his grasp.
"Mulberry!" Finn shouted, hope surging through him at the constable's sudden change of heart. He took advantage of the distraction and sprung from his hiding spot, charging headlong toward the armed guard.
Finn tackled the man to the ground, they struggled, and the guard smacked Finn's jaw with an uppercut. He fell to the ground, momentarily dazed as the guard readied his shot. Finn staggered to his feet, but he was too slow. The guard pulled the trigger, and Finn watched in horror as Mulberry leaped in front of the gun to protect Finn.
A single shot rang out from the guard's handgun, and time seemed to slow down as Finn saw Mulberry crumple to the floor, blood blossoming across his chest.
"No!" Finn cried out, regaining his focus and lunging towards the guard. He grabbed the gun and used his elbow against the guard's nose. It broke, and the guard gasped. Finn then levied another strike with his fist and another until the man was unconscious.
"Mulberry...,” Finn said softly, turning to the constable, his heart sinking. He cast a furious glance at Drake, who stared back at him with a cold smile.
In a flash, Finn noticed Drake attempting to hobble out of the room, using his cane for support. With lightning speed, Finn sprinted towards the old man and threw him back into his chair.
"Going somewhere?" Finn snarled, securing Drake's hand onto a railing with a zip-tie from his pocket.
"Peasant!" Drake spat, weakly, glaring at Finn.
Ignoring him, Finn looked over at Mulberry, who lay sprawled on the floor, blood pooling around him. He rushed to the constable's side, his heart pounding in his ears.
"Mulberry... hang in there, buddy," Finn said, his voice cracking. Mulberry opened his eyes, struggling to focus on Finn.
"Sorry, Finn..." he rasped, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Inspector Winters..."
"Amelia? What about her?" Finn asked urgently, his hand shaking as he applied pressure to Mulberry's wound.
"Still... Time..." With those final words, Mulberry's eyes glazed over, and his body went limp. Finn's throat tightened, fury boiling within.
"Rest easy, Constable," Finn whispered, gently closing Mulberry's eyes.
Finn looked over to the three women. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," one of them said.
Standing up, Finn found a door that led into a smaller room.
"I need you to stay here, okay?" Finn said. "I'll phone the police to come and get you. Barricade the door, okay?"
They nodded and instinctively ran inside, closing the door behind them
Dismayed but determined, Finn grabbed one of the guard's guns and checked its ammunition. He then turned it on Drake.
"Tell me there's a shortcut to reach Amelia in time..."
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
“Cursed days,” Finn whispered to himself, checking the gun in his hand was ready.
As he moved into the bleak nothingness of the tunnels, he thought again about Amelia's words, and about the dreams. He had a horrible feeling they were a warning – a strange premonition that something awful was going to happen to Amelia.
Finn's heavy breathing echoed through the dark, eerie tunnels under St Martins Castle. The damp, musty air clung to his skin as he raced against time, trying to prevent Bryant from killing Amelia and Sheryl. He was fully aware of the danger that lurked in these ancient tunnels, but his determination outweighed his fear.
"Close," he muttered to himself, his phone casting a dim light ahead.
As Finn navigated the labyrinthine passageways, his gun gripped tightly in his hand, he listened intently for any signs of movement or danger. His mind raced, thoughts of his suspension from the FBI and his broken heart fueling his urgency to save the women he had grown close to during his time in the UK. He couldn't afford another failure. He couldn't afford another loss.
