Smoke plumes hang heavy in the air as we step into what’s left of the hallway, the armory’s one wall down.
Thank God for small mercies.
My eyes dart up to the second floor, a gaping hole giving me a slight view of what used to be a suite.
It’s eerily quiet on our side, and it only sharpens my senses as we slowly creep forward.
Reaching the nearest vent, I say, “Winter, you’re up.”
Demitri grabs hold of Winter’s waist, lifting her into the air while Isabella and I watch their backs. Winter uses the small power drill to take care of the screws, and then the cover drops to the floor. Demitri gives her a shove, and Winter grabs hold of the hole in the ceiling, hoisting herself into the ventilation tunnel.
“Good luck, little one,” I say as I watch her disappear.
The three of us begin to move down the hallway, and when we reach the armory, there’s no sign of Miss Dervishi, the trainer of the assassins. Hopefully, it means she left along with Madame Keller.
Demitri throws an incendiary grenade into the armory, and then we hightail it down the hallway. The explosion shakes the floor beneath my feet, and then guards dart from the rooms used for training.
Sonia’s men.
A bullet whistles past my head, and I take down the man responsible before he can get another shot in.
Reaching the archway where the hallway splits, I order the men that are still left from my group, “Spread out.” Then, taking a moment as the men scatter deeper into the castle, I ask, “Winter, update?”
‘Another five minutes,’ she grunts.
I glance at Demitri and Isabella, making sure they weren’t hit, then say, “Winter, let me know as soon as you’ve delivered the package.”
Taking a deep breath, I move into the hallway leading to the office where Sonia will likely be. Carson’s team will move to the second floor to check the suites in case I’m wrong.
The first stretch to the medical section is way too quiet for my liking. When we round a corner, and there are no custodians stationed outside the office door, apprehension trickles into my veins.
“Something’s not right,” I advise the others.
Just then, the castle shudders and deafening blasts make my ears ring. The ground behind us crumbles away, exposing a gaping hole with fire, smoke, and debris beneath. I fight to keep my balance while it feels as if the rest of the hallway will give way at any moment.
Fuck, Madame Keller blew the basement and cellars.
I shake my head to try and lessen the ringing in my ears, and then the door to the office opens, and fucking Hugo sprays a round of bullets our way.
In a matter of seconds, I drop my guns and grab hold of Demitri and Isabella, yanking them down, and then one bullet after the other slams into my armored vest, forcing me backward and robbing me of my breath. Intense pain radiates through my chest, most likely from a couple of ribs being broken.
Demitri swings, trying to grab hold of my left arm, but he falls to the side and slides over the edge of the hole torn in the floor. A gasp of horror shudders from me, but then he grabs hold of an exposed rod and stops his fall.
I take a shot to my left arm, and then I lose my footing.
As I fall backward, I see Isabella delivering two shots to Hugo’s armored vest, and then Winter drops from the vent behind him, burying a KA-BAR in his skull.
Throwing my right arm out as I fall, I grab hold of the torn-up concrete, and the momentum of my body slamming into a solid wall slices my palm open. I bring up my left arm, but the fucking thing is useless from the bullet I took, sending white-hot pain tearing through my shoulder and rib cage.
Blood flows from my palm, making it hard to hold on so I can pull myself up, and then I begin to slip.
‘Alexei,’ Demitri breathes hard in my ear. ‘Hold on.’
Unable to, I try to get a foothold against the wall as I brace myself for the fire and shards of concrete below.
“Fuck,” I whisper, and as my hand slips from the edge, Isabella falls half over, grabbing hold of my wrist.
My fingers tighten around her slender wrist, and our eyes lock.
“Left arm!” she shouts at me as my weight begins to drag her over the edge. When my feet grapple for purchase against the wall, I pull Isabella another couple of inches over the ledge and immediately stop.
My body stills and panic floods me, my heart stuttering in my chest. “Let go.”
Isabella frantically shakes her head, and as our eyes lock, I see the future we could’ve had flickering in her brown irises.
Then she grabs hold of my right arm with both her hands, giving her zero leverage to stop herself from falling over. My body jerks as she slips again, and then she lets out a scream as she fights the inevitable.
Christ, have I ever loved her more?
“Let go, baby,” I breathe. I try to twist my wrist free from her hold. “It’s okay.” I give her a pleading look. “Let go.”
“Shut up! I’m not losing the man I love,” she snaps angrily.
“Isabella,” I breathe, accepting my fate, “Let go. You need to kill Sonia.”
“Shut up,” she cries, and then she puts all her strength behind her and pulls hard, letting out another scream.
Winter grabs hold of Isabella around the waist, helping her pull, and they actually manage to get me close enough. Forcing myself through the pain, I grab hold of the ledge with my left hand.
Then Demitri appears next to Isabella, and grabbing hold of my coat by my neck, he yanks me onto the ledge, the concrete taking a slice from my thigh.
I fall partially over Isabella and Demitri and suck in a painful breath of the dust-filled air.
Then Isabella delivers a punch to my shoulder. “Asshole!”
I let out a relieved chuckle as I push myself up until I’m in a kneeling position. Glancing over my shoulder, I look at the fire below.
Fuck, that was close.
Wrapping my left arm around my waist, I breathe through the deep ache in my ribs, and then I climb to my feet.
Winter waits beneath the vent for us, and I let out an inward groan, knowing this is going to fucking hurt like a mother. Unfortunately, there’s no other way out of this side of the castle, so I suck it up and begin to walk toward Winter, not sparing Hugo’s body a glance.