His free hand went to my throat. Gritting my teeth, I stayed calm and fought the urge to wiggle free. That would only make me lose steam and not free me. With my feet still on the ground, I had just enough leverage to send another swift kick to his balls. His hand loosened and I spun around.
Still holding his other wrist, I used all my force with my other hand to hit his elbow. He let out a wail. I kicked the backs of his knees. Once he was on the ground, I whipped behind him and gripped his shoulder with one hand, his jaw with the other, and twisted hard and fast.
His body went limp and he crumpled to the ground. I reached into his pocket and pulled out the knife, then grabbed the assault rifle before draping the strap across me.
Mama Hen had Jeannie on the floor but she was still putting up a fight. I grabbed the gun on the floor, then went to help her.
Right as I was crossing the window, glass shattered. I hit the ground, hoping it missed me. Shards fell around me, but I didn’t feel anything.
“Katya!” Mama Hen shouted.
I stayed low, practically crawling across the floor. “I’m okay, I’m okay.”
When I got to them, I used the butt of the knife to hit Jeannie’s temple. She stopped struggling and Mama Hen looked down. “Shit.” She put her fingers to her neck. “Still kicking.”
“We gotta move fast. We need something to tie her up with.”
“Go check his pockets for more zip ties. I don’t think she’s smart enough to know how to break free.”
Crouching, I went back to the man’s body as shots continued to ring outside. Feeling around his pockets, I found a few more zip ties in the cargo pockets and grabbed two. “Got some.”
I stayed low, hustling back, when the door flung open. A man had a pistol aimed at Mama Hen. I couldn’t get a shot on him without hitting her, so I plowed into her instead, rolling her out of the line of fire. A searing pinch sent a scream from deep in my throat.
Still, I’d already turned the safety off the rifle and flung the barrel in his direction and squeezed the trigger. My body shook from the impact, but he went down.
Mama Hen pushed the door and laid me on my back. “Oh my God. I gotta move you. We can’t be by the door.”
“I can try to stand,” I gritted, trying to fight through the pain burning my chest.
“Just stay down.” She grabbed me under my arms and pulled me further inside, through the kitchen and laid me between the island and the counter. I held my breath to keepfrom crying out. “Can you manage the pistol?” she asked.
“I think so. It hurts really bad,” I said, fighting tears. “I know I shouldn’t say that, but it does.”
“Honey, if I had my cut on, I’d rip my patch off and give it to you right here. You’re a first lady, not a fucking robot. Here,” she said as she grabbed a towel off the counter. “Give me the rifle.”
She pulled the strap off carefully, then pulled me to her lap. “I’m gonna press on this. I gotta press hard. It ain’t gonna tickle.”
A garbled laugh escaped me. “It’s okay.”
She squeezed both sides where the bullet had gone through. She was right, it did not tickle.
“Looks like it’s a through and through,” she said. “That’s good. Won’t have to dig it out.”
“Is it bad?” I asked, trying to look up at her but it hurt to move my head that way.
“You’re gonna be just fine, hon. I promise.”
The door flew open and she let me go to ready the rifle but then I heard Hawk.
“Kat! Ma!”
She lowered the rifle. “Over here. We need help!”
Lots of heavy footsteps and shouting filled the cabin.
Hawk’s face turned pale as he rounded the corner and looked down at me. He fell to his knees and his voice cracked. “K–Kat. My Kitty Kat.” His hand pressed over Mama Hen’s andhe leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.
“Katya, Katya,” Niko said as he flew inside and knelt next to Hawk.
