by Sedona Venez
The bodyguard threw the gun to the ground.
“Kick it away,” Ram ordered.
The bodyguard anxiously kicked the gun across the ground.
With eyes locked on Bigsby, I aimed the gun at his head. “Isn’t it ironic?” I hissed. “You’ll die by the same gun you used to murder my mother.”
“That,” Bigsby croaked, “was you? You little bastard!”
“Yes.” My lips thinned. “That was me. Now I’m all grown up. And I bet you’re wondering how I knew it was you,” I spit.
Bigsby nodded, swallowing hard.
“You fucking idiot. You still have that same fucking ring. The same piece of jewelry you wore the night you killed my mother.” I widened my stance. “Now I’m here to finish what you started… and I won’t miss.”
Bigsby laughed. “Do you actually think it’s going to be so damn easy? That van that I mentioned to you?” He grinned. “I wonder if your sweet-ass bitch Sin is inside it.”
“It’s not going to make any difference to you,” I finished and then pulled the trigger.
The bullet pierced Bigsby’s head. He slumped to the floor—dead.
The bodyguard scrambled to the ground to retrieve his weapon, but before he could touch his gun, Ram pulled his trigger. The man was dead.
I seized the ledger and thumb drive from Bigsby.
Kevin shouted in my earpiece, “Here they come.”
Outside the warehouse, gunfire erupted.
“Ram, let’s get the hell out of here,” I bellowed. I knew Kevin and Zuri could take care of themselves if attacked, but Sin, she had no weapon experience. “And make sure Sin’s safe.”
We jumped in our vehicle. Tires squealed upon our exit out of the warehouse.
“Core,” Kevin called in my earpiece, “incoming. Several hostiles coming at you.”
Bigsby’s men shot at our SUV.
Ram launched a grenade out the window.
Boom!
Some of Bigsby’s men fell to the ground. Ram raised his gun, shooting and taking the rest out. But more men streamed out from the buildings that encircled the warehouse.
“Fuck this.” Ram grabbed a walkie-talkie, yelling into it, “Sniper A and B, take the bastards out.”
I drove down the street, gathering speed. I saw bodies slumping to the ground from sniper gunshots. I dropped a gear and floored it away from the warehouse perimeter.
Looking into the rearview mirror, I could see Max slipping off the overlook of the warehouse like a ninja.
I grabbed the two-way radio receiver from Ram. “Kevin. Status?”
There was no response.
My heart raced.
Is Sin okay?
“Zuri?”
Nothing.
Shit! Are Kevin, Zuri, and Sin injured? Oh God… don’t let them be shot or… dead.
KEVIN, ZURI, AND I WATCHED and listened to Core’s verbal exchange with Bigsby while sitting inside the back of the completely furbished van with plush seats and a bank of monitors tracking the activities going down inside and outside of the warehouse.
My fists unfurled and the tension disappeared when I heard the gunshot. Then I saw Bigsby fall to the ground. Core had finally gotten his revenge for his mother, for my dad, and for Greer.
It was finally over. Bigsby was no more.
It was as if the dark cloud that shrouded my past and threatened to consume my future had disappeared, and my future looked—
I blinked in confusion when I saw several dark-clad men creeping toward the adjacent building I’d seen Core and Ram drive into earlier for their meeting.
Jabbing a finger at the monitor, I asked, “Kevin? Do you see that?”
He gave me the side-eye. “Of course, Sin,” he muttered with exasperation in his tone. “Sniper A,” he barked into the intercom. “Sniper B. Hostiles approaching Alpha and Beta.”
“Sniper B. Got it,” Rocco replied.
“Sniper A. Engaged,” Max relayed. “Shit!” he snapped when we saw on the monitors that more men were streaming from the buildings. “Too many hostiles. I’m going in closer. Sniper B, cover me.”
We saw someone dressed in all black slip behind some packing crates.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“Max,” Zuri answered before Max swung into action, squeezing off a series of shots, taking out a swarm of men.
More men converged to Max’s left, turning in unison and firing their guns. Max dived for cover.
“Sniper B. Shoot!” Kevin ordered.
One body collapsed to the ground, then two more, and then the last two. Max looked up from behind cover. All five were dead.
My heart was in my throat. I’d only seen moves like those in action movies. “Who the hell are you people?” I muttered in amazement.
“Max and Rocco are former military,” Zuri answered. “The elite of the elite—Special Forces.”
“Well,” I muttered, “I’m glad they’re on our side.” And I made a mental note to thank them for their service.
Max started to retreat when a hostile came out of nowhere. My stomach plummeted with fear. Max lunged, wrestling the man’s rifle away and knocking it down. The man drew a knife and slashed at him, but Max grabbed his knife arm, twisting it at an awkward angle that caused the knife to drop, and then he seized the man in a two-handed neck-breaker.
“Jesus. He broke the man’s fucking neck,” I whispered, both terrified and awed by his badass but brutal display, “with his bare hands.”
“That’s what he gets paid for,” Zuri stated, nonplussed.
Boom!
The sound echoed outside our van.
Startled, I swung my head to the side, wildly glancing around.
I gasped in a strained whisper when our vehicle tilted slightly to one side, followed by the sound of lots of pings against the metal shell of the van. All of the monitors flickered and then went black.
Silence pushed from seconds to minutes.
“Kevin?” Zuri hissed. “What the hell was that?”
“Bigsby’s men,” he replied. “Grenade.” His fingers flew over the keyboard and then the console, pressing several buttons, as if trying to get the monitors online. “Then bullets.” He sat back, frowning. All systems were down. “Fuck!” he hissed, standing up.
I backed up a bit, giving him space. He was a massive man who had to be at least six-seven and looked like he could bench-press a car despite his Clark Kent nerdy appearance.
Staring directly at us, Kevin simply explained, “Now it’s our time.”
“Dammit!” Zuri’s lips drew into a straight line. “This is the last thing we need.”
Without another word, Zuri and Kevin pulled out their weapons.
“I’m sorry.” I blinked in confusion. “What are we doing?”
Zuri’s eyes locked on to mine. “Sin, stay behind us. It’s fixin’ to get rowdy.”
My eyes widened. “Rowdy?” I swallowed hard. “Holy shit! Please don’t tell me they’re going to try to get inside the van,” I squeaked, heart racing like a rabbit as the panic started to take hold of me.
Zuri gripped my shoulders. “Take a deep breath,” she ordered in a calm voice.
I nodded and did what I had been told.
Zuri spoke plainly. “Now get yourself together because shit’s about to get real chaotic up in here.”
What. The. Hell?
My limbs started shaking.
I’m going to die. In a van… out in Nowhereland. Fuck my life!
Kevin yelled into his handheld intercom, “Sniper A and B. Bigsby’s goons are at our location. We’re compromised and under attack.” He stormed over to the solid metal partition erected behind the front seats of the van, locking the fixed door in the center and sealing us inside the cargo area.
“We’re on our way,” Rocco answered.
Kevin shrugged off his armored vest, handing it to me. “Sin, put this on,” he spoke in an even tone once again.
There was a sour taste in my mouth
when I asked, “But what about you?”
“Don’t worry about me or Zuri. Our job is to protect you.”
Zuri took a position in the rear, as if guarding the back door.
Scared out of my damn mind, I followed direction, putting on his vest.
“Sin,” Zuri hissed, “brace yourself. They’re going to try to get inside the cargo area to kill us.”
“What?” I chewed my inner cheek so hard I tasted blood. “How do you even know that?” Sweat trickled between my breasts.
Kevin’s face looked grim when he responded calmly, “Because that’s what we would do.”
My pulse raced as I tried to keep from peeing myself. I was so terrified that bladder control was almost nonexistent.
I marveled at how unruffled Kevin looked when he explained, “Sin, we have two choices. Stay where we are and possibly get blown up in the van by more explosives or shoot our way out of this clusterfuck. We choose the last option. So let’s surprise the fuckers.”
“Shoot our way out?” I sputtered. “Are you kidding me? I’ve never touched a gun in my life.”
“You want to live, right?” Zuri asked, her voice just as tight as mine.
“Hell yes!” I clipped out with hands on my hips.
“You want to see Core again, right?” Zuri barked.
I screamed, “Fuck yes!” The thought of dying, of losing him, made my heart race with fear.
“Good,” Kevin answered. “This is an automatic weapon.” He handed me the gun. “All you have to do is point at the bad guys and pull the trigger, and don’t stop fucking squeezing until the weapon has no more ammo.”
My hands trembled while holding it. I took a deep, calming breath.
Sin, you have to do this.
I steadied the gun.
Kevin picked up another weapon and readied himself beside me. “Zuri? You ready to rock and roll?” he roared.
My head got a little lighter from holding my breath.
“I stay ready,” Zuri shouted before grabbing the handle of the back door and swinging it open, which surprised the bad guys, dressed in all black, who were getting ready to place the explosive clutched in one of the men’s hands on the back door.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I heard Core’s commanding voice through the two-way radio receiver. “Kevin. Status?” There was a slight pause. “Zuri?” Core hissed.
Shots rang out from inside the van. Kevin and Zuri were unloading their weapons in rapid succession, and all I could remember was Kevin’s instruction to point at the bad guys and pull the trigger.
Sin, do it… or you’ll die. You’ll never see Core again.
I aimed the weapon at the bad guys and squeezed the trigger… surprisingly hitting the guy holding the explosive, which exploded in his hand.
“Damn, Sin!” Kevin yelled. “Boom shakalaka!”
I didn’t stop shooting until my weapon clicked. It was out of bullets. Glancing over, I saw Kevin laid out on the floor, covered with blood. I went into reaction mode, picking up his weapon, and I continued to squeeze the trigger along with Zuri, who was holding her own.
I have to protect Kevin as he protected me.
Perspiration rolled down my forehead as I fired at the hostiles, taking out one.
Then, blam! The burst of bullets killed two more men. Then there was another burst, and two more went down.
Then there was silence.
I couldn’t believe I could kill so effortlessly.
It is all surreal.
I killed at least five men.
Not in a million years had I thought I was remotely capable of doing something like taking a life. No, several people’s lives. But I had. And I felt no remorse, just relief and gratefulness that I was here, alive.
Now I truly understood the primal survival drive that coursed through Core and his team. When it came down to it, if the only thing that stood between life and death was the will to survive, who wouldn’t fight until their last breath?
My thoughts snapped back to the present when I heard wheels squealing outside and the sound of guns blazing. I wondered if someone was shooting at the bad guys.
And then there was utter silence again.
I crawled over to Kevin. His chest area was a bloody mess, but he was breathing. “Are you going to live?” I asked, cradling his head on my lap.
“Sin.” Kevin glanced up at me with a grimace of pain. “You can be on our team anytime.” He looked like he’d been through hell, but he still grinned at me.
Frantically, I glanced around for Zuri. She seemed fine. Her weapon was still pointed, at the ready.
“Sin!” I heard Core yell from outside the van.
“Shit!” Zuri’s body relaxed. “About damn time. The cavalry is here.”
It’s over.
My shoulders sagged with relief.
Core’s alive… and here.
Core appeared at the back of the van… and I’d never been so relieved to see his face.
In a rush of adrenaline, I scrambled to my feet to meet him. There was a soft thump behind me.
Kevin yelled, “Dammit, Sin!”
Looking over my shoulder, I saw that my sudden movement had caused Kevin’s head to hit the van’s floor. “Oops! My bad,” I offered before hopping out of the van.
Leaping into Core’s waiting arms, I wrapped my arms and legs around him. The man felt so good under my hands.
“Thank God,” I whispered. “I didn’t want to kill anyone else. Five is enough,” I finished, burying my face against his beefy neck, inhaling his familiar masculine scent.
Core protectively wrapped his arms around me. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”
I slightly leaned back, feeling secure with his grip under my ass, pinning me to him. “But you’re here. Alive. And that’s all that matters.”
His lips quickly took mine, claiming me. His tongue curled around mine, coaxing it to join in. We both groaned at the contact, and my eyes slid closed as his grip tightened, pulling me closer. He pulled his mouth away from me, allowing me to get to my feet but keeping me pinned to his side.
Core asked, “Zuri? Is everyone okay?”
Zuri shakily breathed out. “Yes. Kevin took a bullet, but it looks like it went in and out. He’ll live,” she finished with eyes assessing the dead bodies littering the ground outside the van.
Ram patted Zuri on the back before hopping into the van.
“Watch it, Ram,” Kevin yelled from inside. “Bro! I’m fucking injured. Handle with damn care.” There was a slight pause. “Zuri!” Kevin shouted. “Get in here. I need protection from this asshole.”
“Jesus.” Zuri rolled her eyes. “He’s such a big baby.” She moved out of sight and farther into the van.
Core and I watched as both Ram and Zuri got out of the van with Kevin in tow. He was walking between Ram and Zuri—one arm over Ram’s shoulders and the other over Zuri’s.
“He’s good,” Ram stated. “The bullet went straight through,” he muttered while they carried Kevin toward the waiting vehicle.
Then they leaned him against the hood while they caught their breath. Kevin was a big man.
“I need a fucking drink,” Zuri grumbled, bent over with hands on her knees. “No, several drinks,” she tiredly huffed out. “And you”—she shot Kevin a dirty look—“weigh a ton. How many times do I have to warn you about the perils of using muscle-enhancing drugs?”
Kevin, who was slumped against the vehicle’s hood, grunting as if in pain, abruptly popped straight up. “This is all natural,” he growled while stripping off his T-shirt and then pointing to his six-pack abs. “It’s called excellent DNA.” His entire body was one sheet of pure, rippling muscle.
“Sure it is,” Zuri grumped.
“Woman…” Kevin warned.
Core shook his head. “This is like kindergarten.”
I laughed, enjoying the fun, sibling vibe. Frankly, it eased any tension that lingered from the danger we’d just lived throug
h. “Give her hell, Kevin,” I urged playfully.
Core pinched my ass. “Don’t encourage them.”
“Bro?” Ram shot Kevin an irritated glare. “Will you shut it?” Ram snatched Kevin’s shirt out of his hand. “And no one wants to see this shit.” He sneered at Kevin’s bare chest while balling up the material in his hand and then slapping it against Kevin’s wound.
Kevin yelped. “You fucker!” he yelled. “That hurts!”
Ram scowled. “Press it against your wound to stop the bleeding… and zip it, bro.”
Max and Rocco pulled up and then got out of their vehicle.
“I took a bullet,” Kevin directed at Max and Rocco.
“So what?” Max frowned. “You want a fucking medal for that shit?”
“Where’s the fucking appreciation on this damn team?” Kevin grumbled.
“Kevin,” I called, “I appreciate the hell out of you.” And that was an understatement. I was damn grateful because both he and Zuri had saved my ass… big time.
“Ditto,” Kevin grunted. “Because you’re a badass. Shit. I can’t believe you took out four men without blinking an eye. Damn, I like your style.”
“Four? Oh, hell no,” I sputtered, slightly stepping out of Core’s embrace, eyeing Kevin. “I got five men in total.”
“That’s my woman,” Core declared, pulling me closer and kissing the top of my head.
Wrapping an arm around his waist, I tenderly squeezed him.
“Well, you don’t have to brag about it, Amazon warrior princess.” Kevin grinned at me.
“I’m just saying. Do the math,” I finished.
“But here’s what I can’t figure out,” Kevin interjected. “Why were your eyes closed while shooting?”
“Oh, be quiet,” I scolded and then burst out in laughter.
“Sin, the designer gunslinger,” Ram retorted.
“That shit has a nice ring to it,” Kevin quipped.
“Kevin!” Zuri snapped. “Will you shut the hell up? You’re bleeding like a stuck pig, and we need to get you patched up.”
They loaded him into the back of the SUV, and both Ram and Zuri hopped in and pulled away.
Core touched my cheek before saying, “Give me a minute. I need to make this call.”
I nodded.
Core pulled out his cell and voice-dialed, “Doctor.” There was a slight pause before the person answered, and Core said, “You need to get over to the penthouse. Kevin. No. Flesh wound. Yes. They’re on the way. Yes. See you there.” He ended the call.