“Move, Boss,” Broadway urges, jutting his chin toward the sliding doors. “Upstairs. I’ve got you covered.”
I enter the house, gun drawn, every step calculated as I tear through the mansion.
“Main door,” Apollo tells his two goons, sending them off to the left—a surprise for Blaze’s men once they begin to amass in fucking throngs.
They nod, rushing away, their steps barely audible.
“Not that staircase, Boss,” Ryder clips in my ear. “Take the left corridor.” He keeps talking, his sharp commands leading us through the maze. “Turn right here, you want the back stairs.”
It’s a fucking godsend that he hacked the surveillance system, or it’d take me three times as long to find my way.
The place is enormous. A modern castle with tall ceilings. The motion lights flicker low on the walls, illuminating the rooms with every step I take.
I keep moving, front and center, while Broadway stays back with Apollo, covering the rear. Spotting a shiver of movement, I aim and shoot, shattering the reflection of Apollo’s combat-ready posture in a floor-to-ceiling mirror adorning the wall.
“Where the fuck is everyone?” Broadway hisses when we emerge out of a second hallway, and no one’s tried shooting at us.
“Upstairs,” I say, hearing muffled, yelled orders from above. “They’re grouping by Hailey’s door.”
“That’s right,” Ryder confirms. “Still just ten.”
“Not for much longer,” Koby pipes in. “I bet the place will be crowding with Blaze’s men inside five minutes.”
I inhale deeply, pushing forward, eyes darting left and right for any sign of movement as we enter a foyer.
I’ve retrieved kidnapped people while looking death straight in the eye, surrounded or trapped, many times before but I’ve never been this scared.
Now it’s Hailey’s life on the line, cold hands grip my throat shattering my composure. There’s no room for error. Staying focused while my pulse pounds my ears and my heart lurches into my throat takes immense effort.
Shaking off the stiffness, I start climbing upstairs.
A guard emerges from the hallway above, quick to take aim. I’m quicker. A shot rings out—his... missed. Mine’s nothing but a hiss. I’ve still got the silencer on, but his dead body rolling down the stairs echoes through the mansion.
With that distinct sound, the house becomes a warzone.
I take a deep, centering breath as I lose the silencer. There’s no point keeping quiet now. They know we’re inside.
Besides, the sound of my gun firing jolts me with the kind of invincibility I need. Broadway and I bolt the rest of the way up and plaster ourselves to the walls flanking the wide hallway.
Blaze’s men scramble, their shouts echoing through the house. Footsteps thunder closer.
And finally, bullets rain down on us in fucking clouds.
They ricochet off the walls, the floor, the gilded railings...
“I stall, you kill,” I yell at Broadway when he peeks around the corner and a bullet narrowly misses his head.
Dropping to one knee, I aim and shoot, aim and shoot, targeting their legs. Kneecaps shatter, throwing the goons off balance. Broadway takes the short window I’ve provided, picking them off one by one. Bullets find their marks, head, neck, head, neck. Even Apollo joins the fun, emptying his clip in seconds.
It takes a minute, maybe two, before the corridor is littered with lifeless bodies, blood staining the floor and walls.
“Looks like you’re all clear,” Ryder says, the tapping in the background telling me he’s checking the feeds.
“We need to move.” Broadway nudges my shoulder, reloading his gun. “Ryder, where—”
He falls silent when a muffled whimper perks my ears. I sprint toward that sound, not waiting for confirmation it’s Hailey. Iknowit’s her. A choked-back sob follows, stopping me in my tracks outside one of the many rooms lining the corridor.
Adrenaline overpowers my system as I brace against the wall opposite, and lunge forward, the sole of my shoe connecting with the hardwood.
