He was about to unleash a bunch of angry bikers and psychotic clowns on a barn full of human traffickers and their victims. Well, possibly two barns. He wasn’t exactly sure what was happening at the other barn Marcus and Ace were investigating.
Throwing the door open, Niko and Caden jumped inside, shouting for everyone to put their hands up.
Of course, nobody did.
Instead, the men holding the big rifles turned and opened fire on their uninvited guests.
So much for a peaceful resolution.
Gunfire erupted as the men and children trying to sleep screamed and searched for cover.
Caden dove behind a bale of hay before unloading several rounds in the direction of the men shooting at them.
Niko was a bit more of a gentleman, grabbing Reid and throwing him down into one of the stalls, where men had woken up, startled, and began scurrying toward the open barn door.
Reid hoped that one of the other guys might get to them first, before they ran into one of the killer clowns and died of a heart attack. Perhaps using the Crimson Carnies wasn’t the best idea. It was great for scaring and catching bad guys off guard, but perhaps not so great for gaining the trust of already scared victims.
“You think you’re going to shoot at me?” Niko growled from somewhere inside the barn.
The sound of what could only be described as someone pounding a sack of potatoes against the ground could be heard just outside the stall.
Reid peeked around the corner, only to find Niko knuckles deep, pounding some guy’s face. Reid smiled. Watching his man go all gorilla beast on some bad guy was fucking hot.
Picking up his gun, Reid joined Caden and Niko and began shooting at any man holding a rifle. He aimed for body parts that would immobilize the men and not necessarily kill them—their hands, their kneecaps, even the junk of one man who was shooting at Niko from behind an open door. Reid wasn’t exactly a hardened, trained killer. The most he ever killed were fictional characters in theCall of Dutyvideo game.
All around them, chaos erupted. Men fell dead, and others shot at anything that moved—clown, biker, or victim alike—while some ran for the door, hoping to escape.
Next door, similar sounds ensued. Occasionally, he would hear Marcus bark orders or Ace telling his brother to fuck off, but overall, it sounded like they, too, were winning.
Then came the clowns.
More screaming began as terrified children clung to their fathers. Even some of the adult males began covering their eyes as they fought against their nightmares that had suddenly come to life.
Yup. Using clowns was definitely not a smart idea.
Reid took another step before being shoved to the ground by someone behind him.
His heart stopped when he stared up at a man pointing a rifle at his chest.
This was it. This was how he was going to die—in a barn filled with clowns, traffickers, angry bikers, and the love of his life. At least he was going to die trying to be a hero.
Reid startled when an arrow pierced the guy’s neck.
The man’s eyes went wide as he stumbled, coughing up blood while struggling to breathe. The man fell to his knees, staring at Reid as if begging for help.
Reid didn’t know what to do.
Finally, the man fell to his side and stopped moving.
Breathing heavy, Reid glanced up to the rafters. Sitting there, legs straddling a beam, was Lucas.
“Hey!” the smiling blond shouted, waving to him with one hand, while holding a crossbow with his other. “Are you okay?”
Stunned, Reid nodded. He wondered where Lucas had gotten off to, but didn’t have time to ask Caden.
“If Caden asks, I’m sitting in the truck under a mountain of bulletproof vests,” Lucas said as he held out his hand, waiting to be given another arrow.
To add to Reid’s ever-growing nightmare, a large clown with bright blue hair and big red shoes sat next to Lucas on an adjacent beam, handing him arrows to reload his crossbow.
