Oath Bound
Page 119
“Kris!” Something scratched the phone, and her next words were muffled. “It’s Kris!” Then she was back. “Where are you? Where’s Kenley? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Julia’s around here somewhere, and I don’t know how many men she has, but I could use as many extra hands as you have. Kenley’s...in trouble. I’m going to find her. But I just killed the Jammer, so you should be able to track me.”
“Cam’s already on it,” she said.
“How’s Sera?” I jogged across the warehouse floor toward the panel of switches on one wall. “Is she okay?”
“Scared. Pissed off. Armed and dangerous. She’s something else, Kris.”
“I know. Tell her I’ll see her soon.” I hung up, shoved the phone into my pocket, then slammed my hand down on the bay of switches. The lights all went off at once, and the large room was now barely illuminated only by the light shining through the window into Kenley’s room. There was plenty of darkness through which Kori could bring in our allies, and just enough light to lead me to the door Julia had disappeared through.
I opened the door and aimed down the short hallway, but it was empty. Three doors opened into the hallway, but they were all closed. The first had a square window cut into it, glowing with light from within.
I peeked inside, and my heart stopped beating. Lincoln had my sister pinned to the wall, out of sight from the window.
When I opened the door, I could hear her sobbing. Begging. I crossed the floor in three steps and pulled him off her by one shoulder. He was huge, but I’d caught him by surprise. One more shove, and I had him against the wall. He shouted something inarticulate and went for his gun, but I was faster. I put the barrel of my .40 against his forehead and pulled the trigger.
Blood and brains flew everywhere. I let him go, and Lincoln’s body slid down the wall, then thumped to the floor.
The first sound I heard, while the thunder of gunfire still echoed in my head, was my sister’s raspy, shocked breathing. Her shirt was torn open. Her hair was splattered with blood and gray matter. Her eyes were huge. Her face was bruised. But she was fine.
Kenley launched herself at me, and I held my gun to one side while she hugged me, unable to return the gesture with my hands bound. “Are you okay?” I asked, right into her ear, to make sure she could hear me above the ringing in both our ears.
She nodded, and her hair caught on my stubble. “I want to go home, Kris.”
“I know. Cut me free, and let’s go.”
She pulled a knife from Lincoln’s belt and cut through my zip tie, then dropped the weapon as though it was on fire.
I glanced into the hallway, and when I found it empty, I led her into the main warehouse, still dark from when I’d left it minutes earlier. I had her hand in mine, my eyes closed, and my focus already on the hall closet in our hideout house, when light flared to life all around us.
“Drop your gun, or Kenley takes a bullet in the leg,” Julia said, and I froze, Kenni’s hand still trapped in my grip. Heels clicked on the concrete behind me, and a second later Julia stood in front of me, still coldly put-together in her dark suit and stilettos, while my sister and I were accessorized with Lincoln’s blood and brains.
Four men fanned out around her, pointing guns at us, and the shuffle of shoes on concrete said there were at least two more at our backs. Shit! Where were Kori and Ian?
“Drop it,” Julia repeated, and I clicked the safety on, then tossed my gun toward her. It landed almost halfway between us.
“Kris...” Kenley was terrified. “I’m not going to bind you to her. I’m not going to. I don’t care what she does.”
“Without a binding, your brother has no value to me. If you won’t bind him, I’ll have to kill him.” Julia gestured to the guard on her left, who raised a 9 mm pistol and pointed it at my chest.
Gunfire exploded and I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain.
The pain never came. I kept breathing. Something thumped heavily to the concrete.
Kenley gasped.
Julia shouted.
I opened my eyes to find the man who’d been aiming at me now lying on the floor with a hole in his forehead. Before I could process that, people started shouting and guards raised their weapons.
Kenley’s hands flew up to cover her ears. She dropped into a squat. I dropped with her and wrapped her in my arms, then turned my back to the gunfire.
Three more shots rang out in rapid succession, echoing over one another, half-deafening me.
Three more of Julia’s men hit the ground, without firing a shot.
Julia backed away from us, her eyes wide and scared. I let go of Kenley and lurched for my gun, then turned in time to see Ian and Kori each fire one more time, standing just inside the door. Julia’s last two men hit the ground, and suddenly Kenni and I were surrounded by bodies.
I stood, gaping at the scene around me, too shocked to truly process it, beyond the obvious blood spilled and lack of living opponents.
Kori lowered her weapon and ran for Kenley, while Ian held Julia at gunpoint from across the room. My sisters embraced, both bawling, and my own eyes watered at the sight of them together again.
Movement to the right drew my attention and I turned to see Olivia and Cam step in from the hall. “What, you didn’t leave any for us?” Liv pouted.
“The rest of the building’s clean,” Cam said. “If she has any more, they’re not here.”
I turned to Julia, aiming at her chest. “How many more are there?”
“I’m fine. Julia’s around here somewhere, and I don’t know how many men she has, but I could use as many extra hands as you have. Kenley’s...in trouble. I’m going to find her. But I just killed the Jammer, so you should be able to track me.”
“Cam’s already on it,” she said.
“How’s Sera?” I jogged across the warehouse floor toward the panel of switches on one wall. “Is she okay?”
“Scared. Pissed off. Armed and dangerous. She’s something else, Kris.”
“I know. Tell her I’ll see her soon.” I hung up, shoved the phone into my pocket, then slammed my hand down on the bay of switches. The lights all went off at once, and the large room was now barely illuminated only by the light shining through the window into Kenley’s room. There was plenty of darkness through which Kori could bring in our allies, and just enough light to lead me to the door Julia had disappeared through.
I opened the door and aimed down the short hallway, but it was empty. Three doors opened into the hallway, but they were all closed. The first had a square window cut into it, glowing with light from within.
I peeked inside, and my heart stopped beating. Lincoln had my sister pinned to the wall, out of sight from the window.
When I opened the door, I could hear her sobbing. Begging. I crossed the floor in three steps and pulled him off her by one shoulder. He was huge, but I’d caught him by surprise. One more shove, and I had him against the wall. He shouted something inarticulate and went for his gun, but I was faster. I put the barrel of my .40 against his forehead and pulled the trigger.
Blood and brains flew everywhere. I let him go, and Lincoln’s body slid down the wall, then thumped to the floor.
The first sound I heard, while the thunder of gunfire still echoed in my head, was my sister’s raspy, shocked breathing. Her shirt was torn open. Her hair was splattered with blood and gray matter. Her eyes were huge. Her face was bruised. But she was fine.
Kenley launched herself at me, and I held my gun to one side while she hugged me, unable to return the gesture with my hands bound. “Are you okay?” I asked, right into her ear, to make sure she could hear me above the ringing in both our ears.
She nodded, and her hair caught on my stubble. “I want to go home, Kris.”
“I know. Cut me free, and let’s go.”
She pulled a knife from Lincoln’s belt and cut through my zip tie, then dropped the weapon as though it was on fire.
I glanced into the hallway, and when I found it empty, I led her into the main warehouse, still dark from when I’d left it minutes earlier. I had her hand in mine, my eyes closed, and my focus already on the hall closet in our hideout house, when light flared to life all around us.
“Drop your gun, or Kenley takes a bullet in the leg,” Julia said, and I froze, Kenni’s hand still trapped in my grip. Heels clicked on the concrete behind me, and a second later Julia stood in front of me, still coldly put-together in her dark suit and stilettos, while my sister and I were accessorized with Lincoln’s blood and brains.
Four men fanned out around her, pointing guns at us, and the shuffle of shoes on concrete said there were at least two more at our backs. Shit! Where were Kori and Ian?
“Drop it,” Julia repeated, and I clicked the safety on, then tossed my gun toward her. It landed almost halfway between us.
“Kris...” Kenley was terrified. “I’m not going to bind you to her. I’m not going to. I don’t care what she does.”
“Without a binding, your brother has no value to me. If you won’t bind him, I’ll have to kill him.” Julia gestured to the guard on her left, who raised a 9 mm pistol and pointed it at my chest.
Gunfire exploded and I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain.
The pain never came. I kept breathing. Something thumped heavily to the concrete.
Kenley gasped.
Julia shouted.
I opened my eyes to find the man who’d been aiming at me now lying on the floor with a hole in his forehead. Before I could process that, people started shouting and guards raised their weapons.
Kenley’s hands flew up to cover her ears. She dropped into a squat. I dropped with her and wrapped her in my arms, then turned my back to the gunfire.
Three more shots rang out in rapid succession, echoing over one another, half-deafening me.
Three more of Julia’s men hit the ground, without firing a shot.
Julia backed away from us, her eyes wide and scared. I let go of Kenley and lurched for my gun, then turned in time to see Ian and Kori each fire one more time, standing just inside the door. Julia’s last two men hit the ground, and suddenly Kenni and I were surrounded by bodies.
I stood, gaping at the scene around me, too shocked to truly process it, beyond the obvious blood spilled and lack of living opponents.
Kori lowered her weapon and ran for Kenley, while Ian held Julia at gunpoint from across the room. My sisters embraced, both bawling, and my own eyes watered at the sight of them together again.
Movement to the right drew my attention and I turned to see Olivia and Cam step in from the hall. “What, you didn’t leave any for us?” Liv pouted.
“The rest of the building’s clean,” Cam said. “If she has any more, they’re not here.”
I turned to Julia, aiming at her chest. “How many more are there?”
