“You hurt?” I ask, rushing toward her, my chest constricting in concern. She’s like a mother to me, the only one I’ve ever known.
“I’m fine, little bug. Just a scratch.”
I still let my hands roam across her body, making sure. She wasn’t lying. The only place she’s injured is her forehead, whichI’ll get patched up as soon as every motherfucker who infiltrated this place is dead.
“You keep watch over her,” I tell Casey, and then grab onto Ellery’s hand. I know they’re new, but I feel a kindred spirit with them.
“Come on. You can throw that, right?”
Ellery nods. “I sure can. I’ve got great aim as well. Never done it in real life until today, but I can feel I was made for this.”
“Jesus,” Jax murmurs, but I let it go. I believe what Ellery is saying, and honestly, I want Casey to stay behind to keep Agatha safe.
“We need to find everyone else,” I tell Ellery and Nova. They nod as Jax leads the way through the rest of the house. We move past some guest rooms and into the conservatory, where Mikhail and Angel are surrounded by dead bodies. Blood is splattered everywhere. Plants have been blown to bits, leaves and dirt still fluttering in the air. It’s destroyed, as if someone came at them with a machine gun.
“Who’s there?” Angel calls out, his voice angry and full of ire.
I mean, anyone who knows him knows not to go after his plants. It’s a death sentence.
“Bane! Don’t shoot,” I call out and proceed forward with Jax, Ellery, and Nova.
Angel is standing in the middle of it all with a machine gun in his arms, smoke still coming from it. Ah, so it was he who blasted through it all. He had a good reason.
“I killed them all,” he says softly as Mikhail steps toward him, his own gun in his right hand.
He grins wickedly. “You did.”
“They were trying to get you, and Jake and Teddy,” he says, and Mikhail touches his lips before pulling him in for a kiss. They look like they’re about to fuck right here in the midst of the chaos.
“No time for kisses. Have you guys seen Kit or Georgiy? Luca or Viktor?”
They shake their heads as Teddy comes out from behind a large pot, Jake shoved behind him. I see Jake’s frightened eyes, a shovel clutched in his hands. He’s trembling.
“You okay?” I ask and sign at the same time.
Jake nods and then shakes his head, allowing Teddy to reach around and pull him into his side.
“We’ll find out who’s behind this,” I murmur and then continue forward, needing to find Georgiy. Needing to touch him, to make sure he’s alive and unhurt.
If he isn’t, I will burn the world down.
We leave Mikhail and Angel with Jake and Teddy, knowing they can take care of themselves, and move outside. It’s there that we see the guards who work for Anthony hunkered down behind whatever they can throughout the property. They’re behind benches, the fountain, and a few large vases Angel had imported from Italy.
And most seem okay. But there are several who are dead. I can tell just from looking at them. Their eyes are unseeing, blood seeping from between their lips.
Hell and damnation. Georgiy better not be hurt. If he’s bleeding, I will tear everyone apart. I will make sure they hurt for weeks. Months even. I’ll keep them alive so they can suffer.
My eyes blink, and behind a large statue is Doc. He’s hovering over an injured soldier, his hand pressed on a man’s leg, blood seeping out.
“Who’s that?” Jax asks, his voice low and angry. “Oh fuck, it’s Apollo.”
Someone recently hired, it seems.
“You know him?” I ask Jax.
He swallows and then nods. “I recommended him for the job.”
“He’ll be in good hands with Doc. He won’t let him die.”
