Page 33 of Antonio Miles

“And you?” I wanted her to know her name mattered to us. She wasn’t just a number.

She blinked up at me. “Grace.”

I looked at Antonio. He was already on it, pulling a small vial he held to Casey’s nose and sprayed as she inhaled. It didn’t take long for her eyes to flash open. She gasped and came up swinging.

“It’s OK,” I said, trying to push past Tonio, but he refused to let me. “Concentrate on my voice.” She turned her head my way with a small cry. “Good. That’s good. Keep looking at me.” She held my gaze long enough for me to know she had at least some of her wits intact, but it wasn’t long before her eyelids drooped once again and she fell back into unconsciousness.

Finch said, looking from Tonio to Casey and back. “If they’ve got her heavily drugged and she’s not normally used to opioids, she’s not gonna last long even with the Narcan.”

“I got her,” Kass said, lifting Casey carefully, cradling her against his chest.

Then Grace stood on shaky legs, her gaze darting between all of us. I reached for her hand and we all moved back into the corridor.

“The next room should be behind that door.” I pointed to a heavy steel door with a keypad. “Two women,” I said. “Sometimes three.”

Antonio nodded at Finch, who punched in the code Rourke had provided. The lock clicked. Finch pushed the door open and stepped through. The room was stripped and empty except for a small cot, a sink, and a drain in the floor. The place smelled of bleach so no doubt they’d already sold whoever had been here.

“They’ve been moved,” Kass said, his voice flat and cold. “Good bet Denton knows we’re here.”

Knight’s voice came through the earpiece, tight. “Uh, guys? Security just cycled unexpectedly. There’s a new rotation inbound from the service stairwell. Two men are armed, heading for your position. You’ve got about ninety seconds to get ready.”

“Shit,” Hawk muttered.

“Back the way we came,” Antonio said. “Now.”

Grace moved between Finch and me, her steps unsteady as she stumbled forward. The third woman -- I still didn’t know her name – grabbed Sully’s arm when she stumbled and nearly went down. No doubt, she hadn’t been on her feet in a good long time. Kass carried Casey, with little effort despite her extra weight. Antonio stayed at my back, his hand never leaving my upper arm.

The corridor opened into a wider hallway. Amber light bled from under a door at the far end. The main room to Denton’s party.

“We can’t go back through the front,” I said. “The loading bay would be the better choice.”

“She’s right,” Knight said. “Go down the service corridor and take a left.”

Just as we turned to go, I caught sight of Denton. I almost cried out but Tonio stopped me with a hand over my mouth. I could practically feel his frustration and knew this was the moment he’d feared would happen. Denton would get away now because Tonio would not risk my safety for any reason whatsoever if he could prevent it. By choosing not to take on Denton and the armed security team currently surrounding him, he protected me despite his wants and needs. I knew in my heart the desire Tonio had to kill Denton was more than simple want. This is who Tonio was. A hunter. The wrath of his father and now, my wrath as well. But he protected those close to him with the same ferocity as he dispensed justice. This was the man I’d signed on with. I’d have to really think about this later.

Then, Denton did a double take. Tonio stared him down, not looking away but not raising his weapon either. Surprisingly, Denton didn’t have the two armed guards with him meet the threat I knew Tonio presented. No way Denton didn’t know it either. That thought was confirmed when Denton smirked at Antonio, giving him a chin lift in greeting. Antonio said nothing but held the man’s gaze until Denton had to look away or sic his guards on us. I found it interesting he chose the former rather than the latter.

As we left and moved deeper into the structure things changed. In this area at the back of the building, the walls were bare concrete, the flooring industrial tile, so the smell changed from exotic cedar to concrete dust and mildew. Finally, we reached a set of concrete stairs and hurried down them.

Knight’s voice cut in. “Movement in the main room. Denton’s pulling security. They’re mobilizing.”

“They’ve got us,” Antonio said, his voice calm as he drew his weapon. So did everyone else except Kass, who still held Casey.

The first shot came from behind us. A sharp crack that echoed off the concrete. I ducked instinctively, Grace beside me doing the same. Neither of us made any noise other than the occasional frightened whimper. Antonio shoved me hard against the wall, his body between me and the corridor we’d just left.

“Go,” he barked at Finch. “Get them out.”

Finch didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Grace’s arm and hauled her toward the open bay. Sully followed, the nameless woman behind him. Kass went last, Casey still cradled against his chest. Despite the desperateness of the situation, Kass acted like none of it fazed him.

Antonio stayed with me, his back to the wall and his weapon up. Hawk had already dropped to one knee at the junction, covering our back. Another shot pinged off the concrete near my head and I ducked.

“Stay down,” Antonio snapped.

I reached for the pistol at Antonio’s other hip. He looked at me and nodded. I’d never fired a gun before, but I figured I could aim and pull the trigger. Surely. I mean, I knew enough to turn off the safety and to keep my finger away from the trigger unless I intended to shoot. Which… I really hoped it didn’t happen.

The corridor behind us filled with the sound of boots, heavy and fast. Antonio glanced at me once, his expression unreadable, then pushed off the wall and stepped into the junction.

The room seemed to explode around us. Gunfire erupted. Antonio’s weapon barked out twice, then twice more. Someone shouted and a body hit the floor. More of Tonio’s men fired at the advancing forms and I tried my level best to keep my head down and just stay out of everyone’s way.