Page 93 of Guarding Glenda

Allie unbuckled and turned, grabbing my shoulders, shaking me hard. “Hey! Get it together. We’re gonna find him, okay? But I can’t take you like this. I need you focused. Alright? I know you can do this.”

Nodding furiously, I said, “Okay. You’re right.”

“You are a bad bitch.” She shook me again. “You’re a trained marksman. And you’re part of the Royal Bastards.”

I rolled my eyes and wiped my cheeks. “We’re women. We’re not Bastards.”

“I’m not one of them,” she scoffed. “But you are. Now, deep breath.”

I pulled in a deep breath, then wiped my cheeks once more. She let my shoulders go. “Alright. So we’re sneaking in. You good?”

Grabbing both pistols, I blew out another deep breath. “Let’s fucking go.”

Chapter 34

Glenda

Random shots were still popping off as we crept through the edge of the woods. We didn’t want to walk down the driveway in case anyone was lurking around.

We walked through the tree cover, trying to move quickly but not make too much sound. Still, if one of us stepped on a branch or pile of crinkling leaves, we kept moving. We made it to the end of the driveway that opened into what used to be a parking lot.

It was covered in sandy dirt, and weeds peeked through broken concrete. We hunched down, each behind a tree, although the thin pines didn’t provide much room to hide.

I didn’t see anyone outside of the buildings. They were both concrete and one-story. They probably used to be white, but as the clouds moved and the moonlight beamed down, mold and dirt had accumulated at the corners and where they met the ground.

“What is this place?” I whispered. There was a spot for a sign, but it had been removed.

Allie shook her head, her voice quiet. “Not sure. And I don’t know which one to check first.”

One was off to the side with a truck bay, the other had double doors in the front. “That one over there is probably a warehouse. It’s all open I’d bet. The one in the front probably has rooms.”

“Easier to hide. Let’s start there.” She looked over, her dark ponytail swaying as she stood. “You good?”

I stood up and looked around once more. “I’m good. The coast is clear. Are we going in hot or should we pretend to be bunnies?”

Her brows shot up. “Depends on if they shoot first I guess, but we’re taking ‘em out anyway–right?”

“I suppose so.” I’d only ever had to open fire when our battalion came under fire during a move. The insurgents underestimated our numbers and the fight was over fast. “We can act like bunnies until we make it inside in case anyone notices us moving across.”

“So strut over with our tits out?”

I waved her off. “I think walking casually will suffice. Plus, we need our shirts for cover.” At this point I was more worried about her than me. I didn’t know how much powder she’d had all day, but she looked ready to tell these dudes to say hello to her little friend. And bravery was sometimes confused with stupidity. But we came this far, and we knew Leigh was in one of those buildings.

I tucked both hands into my oversized hoodie pocket, holding a gun in each hand. “Coast is clear.”

We stepped onto the driveway and started walking towards the building like we were meant to be there. The shots had slowed, but there was still occasional yelling and shots.

My heart hammered inside my chest as we walked to the door. My head was on a swivel, making sure we made it to the door without being spotted. The closer we got, the harder it pumped. Loose gravel crunched as we walked, but we made it without any interference.

The doors were glass. If anyone was on the other side, they’d already seen us coming, so I grabbed the handle and pulled it. Allie walked in and I followed. We entered like we were going shopping or grabbing a bite to eat.

We weren’t met by anyone once inside but as we walked down the hall, we had to step over a body that fell across the floor. The walls were concrete brick painted white. The inside hadn’t been weathered like the outside. Some of the doors were open and held desks and old office supplies.

The echo of boots running slapped down the hall, so I grabbed Allie’s shirt and pulled her into a room, quickly but quietly pushing the door closed just enough to hide behind it without shutting it completely. None of the doors so far were fully closed, so it would’ve been too obvious.

I waited on the other side of the door, and when the sound got quieter, I blew out the breath I was holding.

Allie whispered, “Old print company. Must be abandoned. These are dated like twenty something years ago.” She shuffled through a few stacks on the desk.