by Blue Saffire
“Babe, I think you’re trying to kill me,” I pant.
She laughs and sits up. Her dark skin is glistening with sweat, making me hard again. Damn my wife is sexy. I cup her breasts and knead them.
She turns toward the bedroom door. “Why must they play with the TV so loud? I should go make them turn it down.”
“They’re fine. We used to play with the TV that loud too. Come on, one more,” I groan as I lift and bury my face in her neck.
She giggles and gasps as I suck on her salty, sweet, wet skin. I grasp her waist as she starts to rock her hips into me. Her thick thighs are pressed against mine and feel like silk brushing against me.
“Yeah,” the twins cheer from the living room.
We both freeze. We know our kids. Something about that cheer is off. I groan as I release Kamara.
“I’ll check on them,” I mumble.
Something crashes and we both kick it into gear. I toss on my shorts and grab my Glock to place it in the back of my shorts just in case. The feeling in my stomach tells me not to leave the room without it.
“Stay here,” I say to my wife.
I rush from the room as my twins come running to me with wide eyes. “Bad guys. We got two but one broke through the window.”
“What?”
Kamara comes running from the room with a gun in her hands. A gun that she’s actually holding with the look of experience. She gestures with it for the twins to go inside our bedroom.
“Go, hide,” she says in a rush. The twins hurry into our bedroom. “Let’s go. The camera shows six more. We can handle this. Everyone’s under attack. We need to get to your mother.”
“What the fuck—”
I don’t get to finish. With the looks of training that has my brother written all over it, my queen runs forward with her gun lifted and lays down two bodies like it’s child’s play. I’m in total shock.
“Toby, snap out of it. Your mother. We have to get to your mother.”
Her words snap me into action. I pull my gun and move to shield my wife with my body. I notice two things at once. One, the guys are arguing amongst themselves. Two, they’re not doing it in the same language. They don’t understand each other.
Two are shouting in a Spanish dialect and one other is shouting back in Russian. It seems whoever was interpreting for them has gone down.
I turn and fire. The fourth one I was listening for tries to sneak us. Wrong move.
I turn back for the others and signal for Kamara to follow my lead. She nods and we move for the front of the house. I take in the remote controls to the cars that Felix gave the twins. Noah has been playing with them and those cars a lot when he’s here.
“Those assholes,” I mutter to myself.
“Those assholes are protecting our family,” Kamara snaps.
“Later,” I hiss and point to my right for her to take down that guy while I get the other two. “Now.”
We both fire at the same time. I move outside to make sure the coast is clear. I find the remote control cars along with the bodies my entire family has just accumulated.
I don’t have time to be pissed. I turn to Kamara as she runs out of the house with the kids heading for the car. She tosses me a T-shirt and shoes. She has my workbag with more ammo and guns on her shoulder.
“Let’s go,” she calls as she gets the kids in the car.
“What’s going on with Mom?” I ask as I get into the car.
“She’s not answering the phone. Faith and Jennifer aren’t answering either. Everyone has been hit and your Dad’s not here. We need to get there and make sure they’re all right.”
“Fuck,” I bellow. “You and the kids stay in the car when we get there. I’ll park somewhere safe.”
Chapter 47
Mama Bears
Wyatt
I’ve finally pulled up to the hospital. The anxiety coming off of Ryan is palpable. I hope this is some new father shit and not what I think. I know that uneasy feeling. In fact, my stomach is in knots.
I guess I’m feeling my brother’s pain. I got us here in less than ten minutes after he asked. He goes to step out of the car as all our phones start to go off.
“What the hell is going on?” I bark at Felix as our phones go crazy.
“I have no fucking idea. That’s the office and… holy shit. We’re being hit from every side.”
“What—”
“Hey,” Ryan bellows as two things happen at once. Glass explodes at the front of the hospital and shots ring out. Ryan takes off running.
I don’t think twice. I release my seatbelt to get out of the car and place my earpiece back in my ear. “Felix, get us all live. I need to know what’s going on.”
“On it.”
Cass
“Ye picked the wrong door to come knocking,” I snarl as I pump my shotgun and fire.
“Cass, you’re hit,” Jennifer calls.
“Ha! Took me first bullet in junior high. I’m fine. It’s these fuckers on my doorstep about to die, dead ye be ye hear.”
I fire again. I’m so mad I could spit. My shoulder burns, but I’m not ready to die today. If my name be Cassy Black I got this shit. I didn’t raise seven boys to be men just to die now.
“Get down,” Faith calls. “I got this.”
“I got you covered,” Jennifer says.
I go to reply, but someone grabs me by my injured shoulder and squeezes. “Motherfucker,” I cry out.
Now, I’m a wee lass and many underestimate that. I was picked on in school until I let everyone know I followed behind me brothers from the time I could walk. I was one of the boys.
Like this melter with his hand on me, they learned the hard way. I flip the shotgun in my right hand and catch it. Turning quickly, I ram it into this wanker’s nuts. My left shoulder burns, but I can still use me arm. I take the shotgun in my left and put it in his belly.
“Tell the devil Cass says hi.” I pull the trigger.
Feeling someone at my back I turn and aim. I sag in relief when I lock eyes with my son. He fires a few shots before rushing to me. I grab the back of Toby’s T-shirt as he wraps me in his embrace.
“I’m here, Mom. It’s okay. I’m here. It’s over.”
I shake my head. “No, no, this is the beginning. This is what’s been coming. Call me boys. Check in with yer brothers.”
When he stiffens, I look up at him. His eyes are hard and haunted. Fire only a mother in rage could know fills me.
“What?”
“Nothing, let me get you to a medic.”
“What, Toby? I have a bullet left. Ye’ll be getting stitched up with me.”
He blows out a breath. “You weren’t the only one targeted.”
Tears fill my eyes. “Christ. What aren’t you telling me?”
“Ry needs us.”
Chapter 48
Team Matsumara
Kiyoshi
“Hmm.”
“That’s the third time you’ve made that sound. What is it?” My wife asks as we walk into the hospital with our daughter to pick up our granddaughter.
I roll my shoulders and place a protective hand on her back. I smile as I feel the scabbard there. My little warrior is always prepared.
“Something is off here. We’ve been coming here for more than two weeks. I’ve learned the staff by face. This is not the staff we know,” I whisper to my wife.
“Is everything okay?” Carmen asks.
I move to kiss my daughter’s forehead. “Everything is fine. Go get your little one. She misses you. Bekia, Calu you go with her, we’ll be right behind you.”
Carmen smiles and nods. My wife’s companions also nod at their instructions and follow my daughter into the elevator. I’ve trusted them with my wife’s life, I know they’ll take care of my daughter.
“You are right. Something is amiss. It’s too still in here,” Paloma says at my side.
“Yes, this is what I’ve noticed,” I say to her in Japanese.
I narrow my gaze and look around. I pull my phone out to mobilize my men around the hospital. As I send the text, I see the security guard that’s approaching me from the corner of my eye.
I lift my head as he stops before me and Paloma. “I’m going to have to ask you to put that away. No cell phones are allowed inside the hospital.”
I clench my jaw as I note the others that are on their devices. That’s not the only thing I take notice of. While I note this guard’s heavy Latin accent, I also take in his tattoos that stick out of the collar of his shirt and cover his knuckles.
To my right, there are two other guards hovering that I’ve never seen before. The one with the ash blonde hair catches my attention. He keeps looking between the exit and the elevators my daughter just went to.
“Sure, that is not a problem,” I say with a smile as I place my focus back on the guard in front of me.
He looks to my wife and narrows his eyes. Meanwhile, one of the other two starts for the elevators after the doors close behind Carmen and the others. My cheek twitches.
I unbutton my suit jacket and nod to my wife. She tosses her duster and moves to stand back to back with me. At once the room reveals itself as others that were sitting as if innocent visitors, stand to their feet. I shrug from my jacket and wrap the sleeves around my fists.
“I warn you now this isn’t wise,” I say in a claim that is completely deceptive.
“We’ll see,” the guard says before lunging at me.
I sidestep him and wrap my jacket around his neck. My wife pulls her Kodachi blades and runs for the guard by the elevator as he tries to step in a car. I snap the neck and dispose of the guard in my hold as one of the false visitors attacks me.
Whipping the jacket at his face, I spin into him and thrust a hand into his throat. Two others charge me and I take them down just as quickly. Paloma is handling her own as well. She fights her way back to me and we work together on those that have surrounded us.
My men have arrived to do their part. “Block the elevators,” Paloma commands. They move into action at her word.
My wife and I don’t slow. We stand back to back like warriors in sync, breathing one breath. I duck and she flips over my back to slice at the guy wielding a machete. When I stand to my full height, I wrap an arm around my wife’s waist and she flips in my embrace while spinning her blades.
When she lands back on her feet right side up, we switch positions and I thrust my palms into the chest of one of the men still standing after her attack. He falls to the ground as a big guy appears. He’s wide and tall. A brute of a man.
He claps his hands together and rolls his big shoulders back. I grunt and snort. Then I groan as I hear my wife’s battle cry. I brace myself, knowing what’s coming. She runs up my back to propel herself in the air and comes down on him with her blades aimed at her target.
His focus is on my wife, giving me the opportunity to take him by surprise. I spin around him and thrust my palms into his back in a one, two combination. He stumbles right into Paloma’s attack.
However, when she draws back, he’s still standing. He stumbles a little as a growl comes from him. I go to kick his mid-section, but he blocks the blow.
Paloma lands a kick to his stomach and I spin in the other direction, landing a kick to his other side. He stumbles to the left and we both attack relentlessly. I throw an undercut and he flies back through the glass front doors.
I see the man with the gun seconds before I toss my body over my wife. Pain sears my side, but I grit my teeth against it. More gunfire rings out, but it doesn’t register as being aimed toward us.
“Kiy, are you all right?” Paloma says beneath me.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Where’s Carmen?” I lift my head and find Ryan over us with a gun in one hand and the other outstretched to help me up. I roll from over my wife and watch as Ryan’s eyes narrow. “Shit, you’re hit.”
“Flesh wound. Get to Carmen and the baby. We will finish this.”
“I’ll go up with him,” my wife says.
I nod. “Yes. Hurry.”
Carmen
I chew on my lip as we step off the elevator. Something wasn’t right in the lobby. I could tell by the look in my father’s eyes.
I’m anxious to get to my baby and make sure she’s okay. However, as we step off the elevator something’s off. There are more guards on the floor than usual. Calu and Bekia both stiffen at my sides.
I see Dr. Omid as he walks briskly in our direction. He grabs my elbow and covers me with his body before anyone else sees us. He shoves me into a nearby room which turns out to be a closet.
My eyes widen when the terrified nurse holding a baby in her arms comes into view. When I realize the baby in her shaky hold is mine, my knees nearly give. I look up at Dr. Omid.
“When I stopped by for rounds I knew something was off right away,” he whispers. “Nurse Beckett here heard one of the guards asking for baby Black several times. She grabbed her and hid before contacting me.”
The shivering nurse starts to cry. “She’s been so good. I was so scared she’d start crying and they’d find us.”
I lick my dry lips and nod as I start to make a plan in my head. “We need to distract them and get them away from the baby. Calu, you’re going to stay with nurse Beckett and the baby. Bekia, you come with me.”
“What can I do?” Dr. Omid asks.
“When the coast is clear get my baby to safety.”
He nods. “I can do that. I’ll get her away from here.”
“Okay, everyone. Bekia, let’s go.”
I step out of the closet and look around. There’s even more activity than earlier. Everyone seems to be moving in confusion.
I step away from the closet my daughter is in as if nothing is wrong. Moving toward the nurse’s station, I paste a smile on my face. I’m halfway there when one of the guards turns in my direction.
He freezes and narrows his eyes on me. When he starts toward me I see the malicious look in his eyes. I start to back away and Bekia pulls her swords.
“Run,” I call out.
She hesitates for a moment but turns with me to lead the guard and the others around the nurse’s station away. I head for the staircase. We can run down to the main floor where my parents are.
As we run my phone starts to ring. I wrestle it from my pocket not pausing for a single step. Hope fills me when I see Ryan’s number.
“Ry, we need you,” I puff into the phone as I keep running.
“Where are you?”
“We’re being chased on the sixth floor. I’m heading for the stairs with Bekia.”
Once in the staircase, I start down, but commotion below causes me to look down. There are men running up the stairs. “Shit, go, go, go. We have to go up,” I say to Bekia.
We turn and the guards from the nurse’s station are filing into the stairwell. Bekia takes a stance to guard me. It looks like we gave my daughter a path to safety all right.
“I have this. You head up,” Bekia says. “Get to safety.”
“I can help,” I say.
“No, this is my job. Run.”
I hesitate. “Carmen,” Ryan calls into the phone. “Listen to her. I’m coming. Run.”
I don’t want to leave her, but I nod and take off. I go up a few floors and peek my head out to see if the coast is clear. It’s not. A dark haired guy locks his eyes on me and starts to run toward me.
“Crap. Ryan,” I huff out. “I’m headed for the roof. I’m being chased.”
“I’m… baby.” My phone starts to break up as I run further up the stairs.
My lungs burn as I push forward. When I get to the top, I push through the door and stumble out. I look around for someplace to hide, but there’s nowhere to go.
The door behind me bursts open and the tall dark haired guy comes through. I back up looking for a weapon. There’s nothing I can grab. I’m going to have to fight him hand to hand.
He laughs as he mov
es forward and I back up. Fear starts to rise, Ryan better hurry up. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to fight this guy off.
He swings at me, but I duck out of the way and kick at his leg. Surprise is clear on his face as he stumbles. I gain a little confidence and bounce on my feet.
Mom has always drilled into me that I’m to fight to the death, even if my blades are lost. I dig deep ready to fight back as I realize that I wasn’t trained for sport but to protect my life. I move forward swinging, taking advantage of the element of surprise.
I land two more blows before he blocks the third and punches me in my chest. The wind is knocked out of me. I take a few steps back as tears well in my eyes.
“You make lucky hits, little girl. It won’t happen again,” he growls with a Russian accent.
He charges me. I block his hits, but I’m unable to counter attack as he tries to overpower me. I’m forced back toward the edge of the roof with each blow. In my head, I plan to use that to my advantage. He rushes me and I make my move, I duck and flip him over me. However, the momentum takes me over the edge with him.
In a swift move, I hook my arm over the edge and catch myself before I drop off to the ground below. My skin burns and my muscles scream in protest. “Oh God,” I cry out as my grasp slips.
I’m not going to be able to hold on. This hold is awkward at best and I don’t have the strength to pull myself back up. My heart sinks. I’ll never get to see my little girl grow up. I’ll never get to see where my love for Ryan will take us.
My aching breasts are a reminder that I’m leaving my baby behind. Tears run down my face as I fight to hold on, too scared to move an inch to try to pull myself up. How did I get here?
Chapter 49
Don’t Let Go
Ryan
Paloma and I charge off the elevator and rush straight toward the staircase where all the commotion is coming from. As we approach, Bekia comes into view fighting in the tight space.