Raze kicked one of the soldiers across the room while slicing his knife into the second.
An Elite soldier jumped up, and Tace squeezed the trigger, hitting the bastard in the chest. He went down, dead before he hit the ground.
Sami gulped air and ran for the soup kitchen. “Clear,” she yelled.
Raze hustled for the war rooms, quickly returning. “Clear.” He ran for the stairs. “The quarters.”
Tace followed him, keeping Sami at his six. Which rooms had exploded? He counted in his head. They reached the landing and turned to see Jax kicking down doors. Smoke billowed through the entire hallway. He kicked open the door to Raze’s apartment and then leaped out of the way as bullets sprayed across the wall. “Blue?” he bellowed.
“Jax!” Lynne Harmony ran out, blood across her chest, a gun in her hand. “Sorry.”
Vinnie Wellington was right behind her, soot on her face and in her blond hair. “Raze.” She barreled into his chest with a muffled sob.
The soldier held her tight and dropped his face into her neck. His body shuddered.
Jax held Lynne away from him while smoke swirled around. “How bad?”
Lynne shook her head and wiped at her collarbone. “Just glass. Hurts but isn’t fatal.”
Tace pointed up.
Jax nodded and set Lynne to the side. “Go inside Tace’s place and barricade the door in case more grenades come from the other side. Both of you shoot anybody you don’t know.”
Tace’s vision wavered.
Jax waited until the two doctors had followed his advice. “We need the roof.”
“Yeah.” Tace let Jax pass him and lead the way. “Sami?”
“I’m not staying here,” she hissed through the smoke.
His chest compressed, and his left arm hurt. Was he having a heart attack? God, it felt like it. He tucked his arm against his abs and followed Raze to the landing and up the stairs, where they kicked open the door.
The firefight was in full force with the president’s soldiers shooting down from every angle.
“No mercy,” Jax said, dropping his chin.
“It’s way too late for mercy,” Tace said, ducking as debris rained down. More explosions sounded from several blocks away at the rear entrance to the territory. God, there were kids and pregnant women near that area. For now, they had to neutralize the most immediate threat. “I’ve got north.” He pivoted and crept toward the soldiers.
One soldier turned, and Tace shot, taking him down. Then the world exploded around them. He grabbed Sami and shoved her against a metal air duct, firing wildly.
Jax shot two men. His eyes widened, and he clutched his chest, dropping to his knees.
Raze sprayed the other side of the roof, and three of the Elite soldiers fell over the edge.
“Jax!” Tace yelled. “Sami, cover.” He ducked low and crisscrossed to his friend, grabbing Jax’s shoulder and yanking him across the rough rocks on the roof. He got him behind the duct work and yanked open his shirt. Thank God. He’d been wearing his vest.
Jax coughed and sat up. “Fuck.”
Sami screamed.
Tace pivoted to see a broad Elite soldier dragging her to the north corner, a gun held to her temple. His legs weakened, and he dropped to one knee.
Jax rolled to the side and up, yanking his arm. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Tace stood and wavered, lowering his chin to focus.
Sami’s eyes were wide, and blood slid down her neck. Had she been hit?
