Four down. Again.
My breaths pant out far louder than I’d like, wetting the fabric of this ski mask and rendering the edges dewy. But that’s nothing compared to the discomfort of my thudding heart when a woman darts around the beam I’m nearing.
I crumple to the floor and slither behind a half-loaded skid, unsure if she saw me.
“Motherfucker,” Liam spits.
“That was fucking close,” Gage bellows. “Came out of nowhere. Stay down.”
“Tytan, I see you fucking pausing. Do not think about it,” Liam warns. “Stay in your goddamn lane. We’ve got her.”
Thud. Pound. Slam. Breathe.
It all swishes against my eardrums as I take in the scurrying workers, packaging something small that ends up in massive boxes. Pills maybe?
What the hell is Jax involved in?
“Got two more to go, Moonshine. It’s not time for a break just yet.” Liam’s voice infiltrates the somber, cautionary ballad that my body is intent on composing. “Get eyes on our lady friend, and when she’s occupied, you need to finish.”
Peering around the area, I finally spot her, making labels or something and chatting with another employee. That should be enough of a window, so I hustle behind the boxes and through the shadows to reach the last two beams.
Adhere. Strap. Ratchet. Move.
Five down. Again.
Adhere. Strap. Ratchet. Move.
Six down. Complete.
Keeping myself concealed between shipments and equipment, I race back to the I-beam below the skylight in a fuzzy daze. The fluorescent lighting makes my eyes ache, probably because I haven’t blinked since I dropped in here.
“She’s headed out,” Gage informs Ty, who must have been waiting for me to depart before he left.
It takes less than twenty seconds to scale my way back to the roof, where Ty’s comforting voice finally greets me.
“You’re amazing, baby girl. You did so good. But I fucking hated every second of it.”
Despite my spiraling thoughts and my erratic heartbeat, I giggle at that. This was a giant leap for Ty. Even if my participation was mandated by KORT, him relinquishing his grip long enough to permit it is a feat of strength in itself.
“Let’s finish this, sexy sailor, so you can rail me properly with all that pent-up angst.”
That has Liam and Gage chuckling in my ear as I move to the various ventilation pipes, plucking off the screens, pulling the pins off the CS gas grenades, and tossing them down the shafts. As I reach my final one, the sound of sirens cuts through the silent night. And they’re close.
“Fucking hell,” Gage hisses. “You got less than a minute until we’re under fucking fire.”
“Get the fuck down here! Now!” Liam hollers, nearly bursting my eardrum.
Which is precisely when utter freaking mayhem ensues. Screaming. Coughing. Running.
People scramble all over the parking lot as a red-and-blue glow illuminates the black sky and I crawl down the exterior warehouse wall with my heart in my hands.
“To the bike, Little Moon,” Ty pants, likely trekking his own breathless descent. “Get to the goddamn bike, baby girl.”
TY
In the chaos, everything calms. The world topples, but my brain quiets. Stills. Laser-focuses on the only thing that matters.
Her.
