Right. Of course. He was likely one of O’Leary’s thugs, here to ensure there were no surprises. That Croft didn’t try anything underhanded. And that there would be no one to interfere with whatever O’Leary had in store.
Tara sent her and Holly a swift look. “Shall we?”
Melody nodded. If it was between this brute and Samantha, the choice was simple, and since they had to get past him to get to her, they had little choice.
Tara leapt forward first, her actions so swift and nimble it took a second for Melody to realize she’d already launched an attack. And then Holly was on him as well, her body spinning and dodging his blows.
Melody blinked at the sight. At the flash of metal blades glinting in response to each movement. A stab to the man’s side had him groaning. He thrust his fist at the nearest assailant. Holly caught the blow straight to her face. With a yelp she fell to her knees. He rounded on Tara next, his large hand circling her neck and pulling her upward.
Dear God, he was going to kill her.
“Melody.” Holly’s voice. “Don’t just stand there.” Panting heavily, she was already pushing herself upright. “Help us.”
The command broke the paralysis. Melody moved, instinct honed through hours of training propelling her forward. With one swift swipe of her left hand she grabbed the dagger Tara had left in the man’s right side while freeing her own from the sheath attached to her belt.
Not breaking her stride, she circled around him and jumped, embedding both blades in his shoulders and pulling herself up higher as he went down with a howl, releasing Tara in favor of trying to wrench himself free.
Teeth gritted so hard her jaw ached, Melody pulled the blades free as she and the man underneath her rolled sideways. Her legs wrapped around him, holding on tight while her arms shot forward on either side of his neck.
Two twin slashes slit him open. A sputtering sound followed before he went limp.
She fell back, her head in whatever filth covered the street. A life. She’d taken a life. Out of necessity, a quiet voice whispered from somewhere deep down inside.
Wrong.
Whatever the reason, she didn’t feel right about what she had done.
The weight of the man’s body eased, distracting her from any misgivings as Holly and Tara pushed him off her. They helped her rise, pulling her to her feet and ensuring she found her balance.
“Are you all right?” Tara whispered, concern clinging to every word.
Melody’s hands were already trembling. She needed to get that under control. A stiff nod — albeit a lie — might help convince herself and the others. “Yes. What about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Holly said.
“Me too,” Tara replied.
“We weren’t as quiet about this as we should have been,” Melody said, sending a sidelong glance down the alley. As she’d feared, two shadowy figures were already stalking toward them.
“There will be no stopping to chat this time,” Holly said, her voice low. “It’s either them or us. Now let’s go surprise them before they have time to prepare.”
She set off, Tara at her side. Melody sent the man she’d killed a final look, then jogged after the pair. They fanned out as they closed the distance with the two men who were coming toward them. Another pair of nefarious looking individuals, each with a blade at the ready.
Melody broke into a targeted sprint, the daggers she’d used on their colleague still clutched in each hand. The men raised their hands prepared to strike, when she dropped to the ground and skidded between them, each hand reaching out, the daggers she held slicing their thighs.
The two stumbled past her, their footing uneven. Cries of agony filled the air. Then came the startled grunts of pain as Holly and Tara shoved their blades deep into each man’s belly.
“Onward,” Melody hissed in urgent despair. O’Leary must surely know he was under attack by now. In which case, there was no telling how he’d respond. All she could do was pray that the woman she’d come to save would not be placed in additional danger.
Another man up ahead had her muttering endless curses under her breath. They couldn’t afford any more delays. They had to get to Samantha now.
She gripped her blades, prepared to kill him swiftly to avoid wasting time, when he shifted direction and vanished into a nearby building. Her breaths eased and she swept past the doorway through which he’d entered, toward the building that backed up against O’Leary’s headquarters.
Gaining a foothold on a ledge jutting from under a shuttered window, she leapt up and caught the edge of the roof, then pulled herself upward. Tara and Holly followed suit and settled into squats at Melody’s side.
“You’re sure he wasn’t a threat?” Tara pointed over her shoulder toward the building the unknown man had disappeared into.
“There was nothing aggressive about him, so he’s probably just a local.” That, or he was with Croft, in which case they were on the same side.
