I didn’t stop.
Not when stoplights turned red on the way.
Not when I had to veer into the oncoming lane to get around cars in my way.
Not when the shitty old factory came into view.
I didn’t give a fuck if they heard me coming. I didn’t give a fuck if they knew I had a dozen men at my back. Let them get out guns and open fire.
At least then, if Evie was in there, she might have a chance.
No. Not a chance. Evie was walking away from this. There wasn’t another option. I’d lay down my own life if I fucking had to.
Sure enough, the pop of gunshots filtered over the growl of engines. Knowing taking a bullet to the head wasn’t going to fucking help Evie now, I swerved off into the tree cover beside the dirt road we were on.
I climbed off behind a big one, and everyone else split to both sides to do the same. I watched Sight, one of the Mayhem boys, speed assembling a semi-automatic with a scope on the other side of the lane. He’d been an Army man, trained as a sniper. I looked at the building, catching movement but nothing clear enough to help me.
Sight whistled, loud and sharp. My head flew his way. He started gesturing, counting off bodies he could see. Three upstairs east, one west. Two coming from the front. I looked over and saw the assholes coming out and watched as Sight drilled bullets into both of them.
At least four more inside, probably more. Last I’d be able to get a number, the Devils were sitting at around an even two dozen. Every one of those assholes could be inside.
Vic patted my arm. I looked back to see him on his phone.
“They’re at the other spot. My boy says there are at least ten guys inside. They’re surrounding it and going in.”
“They go in hard, but they do it carefully,” I warned.
He didn’t bother calling me on implying they’d do anything but. He stepped away, finishing the call. The second he hung up, I motioned to everyone that we were going in. I wasn’t waiting, especially not now that they knew we were there.
Just hang on, Evie.
Sight hung back, doing his best to get a shot on the guys in the upper windows, forcing them to duck behind the walls instead of picking us off. There was no good in stopping when we were barging right in the fucking front door, so I didn’t. Stepping right over the assholes on the ground, I burst in to see two guys coming at me armed.
I veered, keeping them from getting a clear shot even as the bullets flew. I fired at one as I recovered, clipping him in the knee and sending him staggering. Vic was right behind me, firing at the other. When he went down, I kept moving. Evie had to be here. She had to.
Another Devil came around the corner, but a bullet was already flying his way before I could adjust my aim. A glance behind me told me it was Slick who fired the shot. He and Vic stayed with me while the others fanned out, heading down a hall to the left and up the metal stairs. Instinct told me to forge straight on.
I didn’t make it into the large, open heart of the factory before gunfire coming through the open double doorway forced me to take cover. But not so fast that I didn’t see.
Evie.
She was there, tied up just like that fucking picture in the center of the room. All around was a mess of dilapidated equipment those cunts were hiding behind.
I felt steady. Despite the rage, despite the mortal fucking fear that she was hurt, my hands didn’t shake. The adrenaline was a powerful thing.
Taking a half-second look around the corner before bullets hit the same spot, I clocked one of them. Vic had gone to the other side of the doorway, so I yelled to him, “Three o’clock!” He took a breath, then leaned around the corner to make the shot. An agonized “fuck” carried across the room.
It worked, but we could only hold out like this for so long, trying to pick them off from around corners when they knew where we were.
Taking a chance, I stuck my head out again before ducking back, focusing on the sound. Two shots, clear and loud against the distant din of gunfire and yelling. Could be someone didn’t get a shot off, but more likely there were two left in the room, ready to fire.
“What do you want to do?” Slick asked.
What I wanted to do right fucking then was get to my feet and walk right in. Hopefully, I’d be able to get at least one shot off before those fuckers did, and one of the men with me could finish off the other. But it wasn’t smart. It was a suicide mission.
“Pres?” Slick demanded.
I looked around more closely, seeing the hall behind him that must move around the exterior of the room ahead. I nodded that way, Slick’s attention following my motion.
“Go. See if there’s a back way in, get behind those fuckers, and take them down.”
He looked reluctant. The brother probably knew where my head was at. If it was Deni in there, he’d be thinking the same fucking thing. He’d want to run in there, his own safety be damned if it meant she’d get out alive.
“Go,” I commanded.
His jaw tightened, but he crept off. I watched him inspect around the corner, then disappear. I hoped to fuck I hadn’t just sent him into a worse position.
I turned back to see Vic take another look. The responding shot hitting the corner of the opening before he’d fully cleared it.
“Can’t see shit in there,” he said, breathing heavy.
If Slick couldn’t get around behind them, we had no moves.
“One of you cock suckers the one this bitch belongs to?”
My blood ignited like gasoline in my veins, but I made myself stay behind the wall.
“She’s a really sweet thing, ain’t she?” the cat kept shouting. “Nabbed her myself. Didn’t even put up a fuckin’ fight.”
It made me fucking sick, but I knew Evie was smart. If she hadn’t fought, it’d been because fighting would have gotten her hurt—or worse.
“It was too bad my orders were to knock her out when I had her. Might’a had some fun, she was still awake.”
My grip on my gun started to hurt, the metal digging into my hand. Every muscle in my body felt ready to snap.
“Started stirrin’ just before you fuckers got here. Thought I was going to get my chance to have a taste.”
Every heartbeat felt like an echoed command drumming through my body. Kill. Kill. Kill.
“Stone,” Vic warned, low.
“Maybe once we pick you assholes off, I’ll keep her alive for a bit. Get myself a little sweet before I unload a clip in her.”
Like fucking hell he would. I’d kill him with my bare hands before he’d be able to take me down. I’d bleed out knowing I did at least that.
“Hey, fucker!” he called again, trying to get me.
And then, he did.
Because the muffled scream that followed was one I’d never heard, but I knew right away.
Evie.
I didn’t think. Not even for a second.
I was on my feet, charging around the corner in an instant.
He was there, in the middle of the room beside her. His hand was wrapped in her honey-colored hair, yanking her head up. Her eyes were hazy, unfocused. Her face that of pure agony.
And his gun was aimed at her chest.
“Well, well, well,” he sneered, and I watched his buddy move through the room with a gun trained on me. “Looks like it is you, Stone.”
“Put the gun down!” the other one ordered.
I didn’t. Fuck him.
“See, Wrench had a special job for us,” the fucker with his hands on Evie continued, also ignoring his partner. “He knew you’d come if we got your girl. Promised a ten grand bonus if we managed to take you without killin’ you first.”
I hoped that motherfucker Wrench wasn’t at the other site. I hoped he was still out there for me to hunt down when this shit was over.
I wanted to be the one to make him scream before I put him down.
“Put down the fucking gun!” that other prick that was getting closer repeated.
I gave it a thought, counting back through the shots I’d fired. One bullet left in that clip. I couldn’t take them both down.
Fuck it.
I dropped the gun to the floor, watching the one that asked for it flinch at the sound like a little chicken shit.
The slimy grin the first fucker gave me didn’t do a damn thing to shake me. No, he had just the opposite impact when he turned his gun away from Evie to train it on me.
“That wasn’t real smart, was it?” he mocked.
The fuck it wasn’t. I got what I wanted out of it.
Evie was good. Vic was at my back to take a shot if they took me down. Somewhere in the bowels of this building, the Disciples and the Mayhem Bringers were taking down the rest of the crew that was here, a task I had every faith they’d manage.
They’d get Evie out, whether I was there to help or not.
I looked down at my beautiful bunny. Her eyes had dropped closed again, but her face was turned up toward me. I took in every feature, wishing I could have those eyes instead of seeing the streaks of her tears. Wishing I was seeing her smile instead of the gag on her lips. Wishing I’d done what I’d told myself I should two years ago and walked away instead of landing her in this hell.
If this was the price for that, I’d fucking pay. Anything to keep her from doing so.
It was only not wanting to see her in that state any longer that made me raise my head and see my opportunity.
Slick was sneaking through the room behind them, silent as the fucking dead.
I didn’t keep my eyes on him, not wanting to give away his position. It’d all be about the timing. No, fuck that. It’s all about fucking luck, but it was a chance.
Taking in a deep breath, I readied for it. To the cunt I’d shoot right now if any luck was on my side, it probably looked like I was bracing for death. Fat fucking chance. I’d never accept it so readily. Some motherfucker wanted to put me down, he’d have to take me down swinging.
The gunshot was my only warning. The instant I heard it, I dropped full speed to the concrete floor on my knees. A second shot went off right away, a reaction when the bullet hit. The jarring pain in my knees meant nothing. My only focus was getting my gun in my hand. A third shot, this one accompanied by an explosion of pain as it clipped my upper arm. It didn’t even slow me.
When the cool metal was in my palm, I didn’t bother aiming with finesse. I held my arm up, pointing high on that fucker, and took my shot. I watched with satisfaction as it hit right in that fucking asshole’s throat, and he dropped.
I looked to my Evie, focused only on getting her out of there. We did it. We fucking did it. She was safe. She was…
She was bleeding.
At her stomach, there was a dark stain growing on her scrubs.
That second gunshot.
No.
“No!” I roared, barreling toward her.
“Stone?” I heard Slick question. A moment later, I felt him behind me and heard his hushed, “Fuck.”
“Get her loose,” I ordered, yelling even though he was right there. My hands were on her now, pressing against that wet warmth. I pressed in hard to try and staunch the flow while he did as I asked. Slick didn’t waste time with the knots. He pulled out a knife and cut her free, breaking the rope again and again to get each loop free fast.
When her body started to slump toward me, I reached around her back. There was no exit wound. I didn’t know if that was good or bad. All it meant in that moment was only having to hold one wound.
“Get Doc!” I heard the footsteps running away from the room. Vic running off to do that.
Doc was here somewhere. He’d know what to do to help her fast. The man had been a fucking surgeon. He’d save her.
He had to.