A cry came from beyond the window, followed by the distinct sound of automatic weapons.
All heads swung toward the window.
“Fucking stupid hick,” Mick growled.
Bill made a harsh gurgling sound, and my eyes honed in on the knife buried in his chest.
A great crash came from outside, screeching metal on metal, and the roar of an engine. The frozen occupants of the room surged to draw weapons and take cover.
Despite Mick’s determination that I might be tracked, I knew I couldn’t be. This moment was my one and only opportunity. Smaller and weaker I may be, but I was also fast and fierce, and had learned the importance of committing when it came to close fighting.
My bound fists swung for Karl. I moved my body with them, lending force to the blow.
He doubled over. My knee came up and my forearms came down.
I would never be a man’s equal. If they got a good hold on me, or worse punched me, it was over.
Disarm or disable and run like hell, Jodi had drummed into me.
Karl was surprised enough to release me. That was all I needed.
A man was on the back door, everyone else was at the windows, weapons trained.
The route to the lounge was open so that was where I ran.
Blaine
Our armored vehicle plowed through the front gates, ripping them clean off the runner and sending them crashing into a nearby trailer. The snipers had done good. I counted four bodies lying on the ground; another body bounced off the hood as Mitch drove straight over the corner of the collapsed gate and plowed into the farmhouse porch.
Updates bombarded my communicator as we came to a juddering stop, wood and glass raining over the vehicle’s nose.
“Hold!”
Bullets sprayed my door before ceasing abruptly.
“You’re clear.”
We dropped out the side, returning fire. I could see Ava’s dot on my visor display. She was in the house, moving toward us, then running away.
Twenty feet separated us.
I gave the signal to Mitch and Jodi that I was going in.
Mitch slammed his back to the left of the busted-up door, Jodi took the right.
I gave the countdown… Three… two… one.
Kicking the door down, I stormed inside, Mitch and Jodi right behind me.
We took the room like the new apocalypse had arrived. Precise, deadly, making every shot count.
Blood sprayed, and dying men screamed.
Then I saw her, hands tied, and the thick-necked biker thug with his hand around her waist. No clean shot—I ran full tilt toward her. Their tussling slammed them up against a table. My little wildcat grabbed a thick, metal-based monstrosity of a lamp and slammed it in his face.
Good girl.
He released her, and my bullet went straight through his chest.
She screamed when I plowed into her, taking her down to the floor and putting my body between her and the firefight in the room. I ripped my helmet off when she continued to thrash and fight. “It’s me, baby. Are you hurt?” Her small bony fists connected with my ear.
“Fuck! Ava, it’s me!”
The fight left her as quickly as it arrived. Around us, the room fell quiet other than our hard breathing, the occasional groan, and the heavy tread of boots as the team moved around.
“We’re clear in here,” Mitch called. “Team’s mopping up outside, so sit tight for a while.”
I rocked back onto my hands and knees so I could see her. “Are you hurt anywhere?” Her cheek was all banged up where some asshole had taken a swipe. Taking my knife out, I cut through the binding on her wrists, ready to pound the shit out of the dead bodies when I saw the split, bruised skin. Her sobs as the blood rushed back filled my gut with rage and ice. “I know, baby, let me see. Wriggle your fingers for me.”
Her clothes were still on, and I hated that I even needed to worry about that.
She didn’t wriggle her fucking fingers, the little brat. “Move your damn fingers, or your ass is going to pay the price.” The scowl she cut my way was pure evil, but weirdly, it settled a notion that she was going to be okay. She finally did as I asked. “Good girl, now make a fist for me.”
“It hurts!”
“I know, but hurting is good in this case, and you can make a fist, so that’s even better.” I turned her face so I could see the shiner on her cheek, running my thumb gently over the swelling. “Any dizziness?”
“No, I just feel bruised everywhere and exhausted. I’m so exhausted.”
Footsteps approached, and I knew from Ava’s expression who it was going to be.
They were always going to meet at some point. I needed not to act like an asshole about it. Especially now when Ava was hurting after her ordeal.
Steeling myself, I got to my feet and helped Ava up. My eyes played ball between them as I relinquished Ava’s hand. There was a world of emotion between the two women. A guttural sob from Ava. A deep groan and devastation on Jodi’s face as she wrapped the smaller woman in her arms.
I felt like an intruder.
I wanted to rip Jodi away.
Instead, I snatched up my helmet from the floor, pulled the ear communicator out, and tucked it in my ear.
The compound was dealt with, but we had an angry horde of Grimm’s Law incoming and their leader who had been sighted here, was missing.
It wasn’t over yet. Time to head home.
Ava
Jodi was holding me so tight, I could feel my ribs creak—a steady, comforting presence that had been part of my life for many years. The how or why she was here with Blaine and that they had found me didn’t matter. In this precious interlude, I had everything I needed.
“Tell me you’re really okay with him, Ava,” she whispered in my ear.
“I’m really okay,” I said.
“Good,” she said, and I could hear the amusement in her voice. “Because I think I like the asshole, and I’d hate to have to kill him.”
I snorted out a tired laugh. It felt so good to laugh.
“We need to leave.” Blaine’s gruff voice roused me. I lifted my head.
The slightest tightening of Jodi’s arms preceded her releasing me. “Stay strong,” she said to me. “Things are about to get much better.” Then to Blaine, she said, “I’ll take point with Mitch.” Her lips tugged up in a wicked smirk that told me anyone getting in our way was about to get fucked-up.
When I looked at Blaine, I saw the questions on his face… and fear. There was no hesitation when I went to him, cupped his face, and pulled him down so that his lips could meet mine.
Heaven right here, right now.
A distant sound of automatic fire and the moment was over. His head swung in the direction of the door, and a veil lowered over his face. The flashback of him storming into the room, taking down the threats, brought a full body shiver.
At the time, I hadn’t realized it was him—now I did.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Ava
I COULD HEAR the roar of approaching bikes as we climbed over the shattered wood and the busted door. An SUV had mounted the farmhouse porch steps and taken out a support pole for the porch roof, which had partially collapsed over the vehicle. Jodi ran across the compound yard, calling to another man as Blaine directed me into the vehicle.