Three men come out of the house, and then all fucking hell breaks loose as they open fire on us even though we're too far away for them to get a good shot. They’re just shooting up the stretch of grass between us.
“They’re playing for time,” Demitri says. “More are coming.”
Alexei and Demitri move forward as one, and it’s as if the power coming off them pulls me into action. I fall into pace with them.
Demitri is the first to bury a bullet right between the eyes of the guy in the middle.
Pulling the trigger repeatedly, I riddle the one in the middle with bullets. Watching the man drop to his knees, a satisfying high feeds the darkness, making the corner of my mouth curve up.
The sight of the blood strips me of all control, and I move forward.
“Tristan!” Alexei snaps, but I’m unable to stop as I break out into a run.
Hana’s in there.
So close.
I fire at the remaining man as a growl builds in my chest, sending him staggering back inside the house before he drops like a sack of shit.
Once I’m inside, my senses go into overdrive. I hear everything, feel everything, smell everything.
Alexei comes to stand next to me. “Fucker.”
Reloading the gun, I let out a dark chuckle, and then we move forward. Nearing a doorway, a shadow catches my eyes and pointing the gun at the wall, I fire three shots. A body drops, and Alexei puts a bullet in his head just to be sure he’s dead.
I hear Hana’s shriek, and then it feels as if I’m sucked into a tunnel of vengeance, with Hana shining the light for the only way out.
I stalk into the kitchen and begin to empty my clip in the nearest guy. A bullet to my chest sends me staggering backward, and the breath is knocked from me.
Hana’s devastated wail fills the air, and my eyes lock with hers as I slam into a wall.
HANA
A scream is ripped from me, and something cracks in my soul as Tristan stumbles backward.
Our gazes lock, and I fight against the hold on me so I can get to Tristan. My eyes are glued to him as he pushes away from the wall. Only when his lips pull back from his teeth, and he glances down do I realize he’s wearing a bulletproof vest.
My entire being sighs with relief, and my legs go numb.
As Alexei and Demitri shoot three of the men, my body sags. The man holding me didn’t expect me to just drop, and as he claws at me to keep hold of my neck, Tristan pulls the trigger of his gun.
I’m yanked back as the man who was holding me captive staggers backward.
Falling to the ground, Alexei grabs hold of my arm, and I’m pulled back to my feet and away from the man.
Tristan moves like an enraged demon, and he shoots the man again, this time in his gut.
“Lleshi will hunt you for this,” the man sputters, sending a spray of blood over his shirt.
Tristan straddles the man, bracing himself on a knee, and then I watch with heady satisfaction as he begins to beat the shit out of him while growling, “You took the wrong girl.”
Alexei begins to turn me away from the brutal sight, but I pull against him.
“This is not for your eyes, Hana,” Alexei murmurs.
I shake my head. “It is. I deserve this.”
Tristan pulls a knife out, and as he begins to bury the blade in the man's chest, vicious growls are ripped from Tristan. The sight is gruesome, as if he’s intent on cutting the man’s heart out. He rips through the man's shirt and skin, and then blood gushes. The dead man jerks with every blow, and it looks like Tristan’s whole body works to tear his chest open.
Seeing the man I love lose his mind because of me – there are no words to describe how I feel. It’s intoxicating and… exhilarating.
I feel Alexei behind me.
Demitri guards the doorway.
Tristan – my avenging angel – guts the man who dared to touch me like a pig.
My breaths explode over my lips, and my heart pounds in my chest as I take in the blood covering Tristan’s hands and forearms.
He rises to his feet like a towering God.
Dark. Powerful. Pure destruction.
I watch as he stumbles a step back, dropping the bloody knife on the ground. When his top lip twitches and a snarl rumbles from his chest, I rip free from Alexei.
Tristan takes the impact of my body slamming against his. Lifting his hands to my neck, his fingers dig into my skin as his mouth crashes into mine. The kiss makes my bruised lips ache, but I drink the pain in. I bathe in it, knowing death himself came for me.
Our tongues stroke, our teeth bite until the adrenaline begins to fade. Then Tristan’s lips soothe mine, and it makes a relieved sob rush up my throat. He drinks it in as his arms wrap around me, locking me to the safest place on earth – his chest.
“Are you okay?” his voice rumbles deep and hoarse by my ear.
“I am now,” I murmur, still soaking in the feel of his arms around me.
“They’re coming,” Demitri suddenly says, ripping me back to the now.
I turn to look at Alexei and Demitri, and placing a hand over my heart, I say, “Thank you.”
Alexei gives me a warm smile. “Stay behind Tristan.” Then Alexei’s eyes lock with Tristan’s, and he points to a sink. “Wash the blood off. Tsk… you got it all over our Hana.”
Tristan lets out a dark chuckle, but he does as Alexei says.
Crouching, I pick up the knife Tristan dropped, and following him to the sink, I rinse the blood off. I grab a ratty rag and dry the handle.
When I turn around, my fingers tightening around the handle, Alexei shakes his head at me. “No. Give it to Tristan. Killing isn’t meant for you.”
Tristan takes the knife from me, pushing it back into the pouch by his belt, and then he goes to pick up his gun. I watch as he takes out the empty clip before shoving a new one in place. When Tristan cocks the weapon, heat instantly pools between my legs.
Our eyes meet for a moment, and he must see the desire in my eyes because his lips curl into a hot smirk. He holds his left hand out to me, and when I take hold of him, he links our fingers. His body moves in front of mine, and then we follow Alexei and Demitri out of the house.
As we walk out of the lopsided front door, fright ripples through me when I see two more men.
“They’ve parked west of here. Two miles out,” the man on the left says.
Tristan nods at him, then he gives me a quick introduction. “Nikhil and Sacha.”
I nod at the men. “Thank you for being here.”
They both give me slight smiles, too focused on their surroundings for anything else.
“Let’s move,” Demitri says, and I watch as he and Alexei take the lead as if they’re one person.
Tristan tugs at my hand, and I stay behind him, with Nikhil and Sacha bringing up the rear.
We make our way across the stretch of grass, but before we can reach the lining of trees, something slams into the grass near me, and then gunfire fills the air.
Chapter 27
TRISTAN
Hana’s shriek makes me spin around, and then bullets start flying from our left.
Yanking her behind me, my right arm comes up, and I open fire.
“Keep moving,” Demitri shouts as he steps partially in front of Alexei.
We break out into a run while trying to hit a target simultaneously, which is almost impossible.