When the screaming started, Blondie already had Lily halfway up a set of stairs. The grip on her hair didn’t ease, which meant she couldn’t turn around and look. Not being able to peek didn’t make her deaf.

Lots of shouts erupted along with pops and cracks of gunfire.

At the top of the stars, Blondie kept dragging her along, but she now had a side view of the action. A one-man show currently played out. When her abductor abruptly let Lily go with a shove, she broke her fall with her hands and crouched. From the catwalk ringing the first floor, Lily watched, and despite the leaden lump in her chest, she couldn’t help but admire.

It was insane and yet also beautifully elegant the way Calvin delivered death. He moved so fluidly, shifted in ways no man should be able to. His body ducked and flowed, almost as if he wasn’t entirely solid as he evaded bullets. Either the aim of those below sucked or he was just really freaking lucky because, despite the pops and cracks, he kept moving farther inside, his own aim steady as he took out those standing in his way. Headshots for the most part, which meant once they went down, they stayed down.

She felt no sympathy for those who died. Those men had allowed a little girl to be kidnapped and taken hostage. One of those men might be the one who’d killed her daughter. Scum like them didn’t deserve to live.

So she might have grimly smiled and cheered with dark glee as Calvin swept in and meted out a well-deserved justice.

Those he targeted didn’t die quietly. Nor did they run. They thought numbers would prevail…

“Shoot him!”

“Jesus, someone kill him.”

“How did you miss?”

“Holy fuck, he just shot—” Followed by abrupt silence.

Someone whimpered.

A low pop, and it stopped.

Everyone in the room below died.

It wasn’t enough to save her, though. To one side of her was a man wearing some kind of hood over his face. On the other side of Lily stood Blondie with a gun trained on her. She didn’t doubt he planned to use it.

Once the shooting stopped, the hooded one—who’d interestingly done nothing to stop the carnage—spoke, his voice oddly lacking inflection, the monotone almost machine like. “I see you got my invitation, Sicarius.”

At the words, Calvin finally looked up. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”

“I know all the boys at Bad Boy Inc. But you’re the one I was interested in. You’ve been poking around in things that don’t concern you.”

“It became my business when you dragged Lily into it. You should have left her and this town alone.”

“Why do you care what I do in this town?” Gloved hands waved, and she noted the man wore a long leather duster, the front of it closed. It hung down to the ankles, allowing the black combat boots to peek. The pure villainous look and lack of identifying characteristics spooked. As did his method of speech. “The academy teaches its students to not grow attached.”

“The academy taught us many things, but that doesn’t mean they’re all right.”

A short bark that was meant to be laughter emerged from the hooded man. “Don’t let them hear you. The academy doesn’t like those who speak against it. In many ways, you’re a rebel, like me, which is why you should join me instead of fighting.”

“Like hell.” Calvin snorted. “What makes you think I’d join a drug-dealing lowlife who threatens women and children? How about, instead, I do the world a favor and put a hole between your eyes?”

“Shoot, and your girlfriend dies.” The man in the hood tilted his head. “Then again, if you don’t shoot, she will still die. My compatriot has been itching to pull the trigger. Seems you embarrassed him. I warned him he was no match for someone academy trained. But…” The man in the hood shrugged.

“Who are you?” She could hear the curiosity in Calvin’s query. “Why do all this? And don’t say you’re doing it for money. We both know if you went through the academy that you have the skills to make it without resorting to drugs and other petty crimes.”

“But everyone loves drugs. Especially the rich.”

“Yet you’re killing your buyers.”

“Killing is such a harsh word. No one is forcing the little shits to snort and get high. They don’t even care that they might die. If you ask me, they rather enjoy the Russian roulette they’re playing because guess what? Business is as brisk as usual. You should thank me, not hunt me. I’m ridding the world of unfit future leaders. A Darwinism of sorts.”

“Why put the academy logo on the drugs?” Calvin kept talking, and Lily had to wonder why. It didn’t seem like him. He had yet to move from his spot. Was he waiting for something?

The hooded guy must have wondered, too. “Do you expect me to break down and give you some grand speech about how the academy screwed me and owes me? They don’t. The academy saved my life. It brought me out of the shit pile that used to be my existence. It gave me purpose and skills. It seems only right I give something in return. Enough chitchat, though. I know you’re stalling, waiting for your friends. However, they won’t arrive in time. I’m afraid they’ve been detained.”

“I don’t need help.”

“You don’t, but your girlfriend does. Any last words before she dies?”

Blondie grinned as he steadied the gun aimed in her direction. Even if Calvin got off a shot, chances were he’d be too late. Her captor was too close to miss. She looked death in the eye, and it sneered as he pulled the trigger.

She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see it coming.

Bang.

Thud.

A body hit the ground, and it wasn’t hers. Lily opened her eyes as she heard a second gunshot and only briefly noted the blond-haired fellow sporting a third eye in his forehead. His mouth gaped as he sank to his knees, a dead man.

Good riddance. But then, who was the body on the floor in front of her?

A glance had her gasping. “Brock?”

Her ex-husband lay on the metal catwalk, a hole in his chest pumping blood, some of it frothing at his lips. She scooted to his side, horrified because that should have been her. Shock gripped her as she realized Brock had stepped in front of a bullet for her. She stared at him, knowing he wouldn’t survive, and she could see by the resignation in his eyes that he knew it, too.

“Take care of Zoe.” He gasped. “Tell her—” A bloody cough. “Tell her I love her. Don’t let her know her daddy was a crook.”

She didn’t have the heart to tell him it was too late. Zoe was dead.

With one final gasp of air, he died. To her surprise, she cried. Hot, fat tears rolled down her cheeks, and it took a moment for her to remember that, even with Blondie dead, she wasn’t safe. Where was the masked man? She whirled behind her to look, but he was gone. Calvin, however, had arrived, and he pounded across the metal catwalk. She half rose before she was gripped tightly in his arms.

He buried his face in her hair. “I thought I’d lost you.”

She couldn’t help but sob. “Zoe.”

“Is fine. Mason has her.”

At those words, she froze and raised a tear-streaked face. “She’s alive?”

“And well. Probably twisting Mason around her little finger as we speak.” He brushed the hair out of her face. “Come on. I’ll take you to her.”

“But…” She couldn’t speak, just stared around at the carnage.

“Don’t worry. I know people who will clean this up.”

“Clean?” For some reason, she couldn’t help a hysterical giggle as she imagined a tiny army arriving with mops and spray bottles. She felt so out of her depth.

“Let’s get you out of here and back with Zoe.”

Yes. Zoe. The most wonderful thing she’d ever heard.

As they headed for the stairs, someone came jogging into the warehouse. Calvin briefly raised his gun and lowered it.

Lily recognized Benedict, and he seemed a little agitated. “Get your ass moving. This place is about to blow.”

At those words, Calvin grabbed Lily and tossed her over his shoulder. He took the stairs two and three at a time, leaping down them, jostling her hard, but she didn’t care. She held on. He sprinted across the warehouse floor toward the open door, and as he ran, she managed to look back, saw past the bodies and violence to the red lights gleaming in the shadows at the back. A clock counting down.

Eleven.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

She kept a silent count as they hit the outside.

Four.

Three.

Two.

Calvin dropped and covered her with his body.

Boom. The explosion was louder than she would have imagined, and though they’d escaped the heart of it, the blast still hit them in a wave of pressure and heat.

Debris rained down, chunks of the building and even a body part or two.

So gross. But who cared if she had to wash guts out of her hair? She was freaking alive, and so was her little girl.

Calvin didn’t stick around to watch the blazing inferno left behind. Once again, he scooped her up, this time into his arms, and followed Benedict, who’d appeared out of the smoke and shadows to beckon.

In moments, they had piled into a large SUV and sped out of the way, to who knew where. But Lily didn’t care because from the moment she heard, “Mommy!” she couldn’t see through the tears.