Ohmygodwhatthehellishappeningstarts all over on loop in my head.
What the fuck did I just witness?
They die or we die. I repeat to myself knowing it is true. Did I come here tonight for this? Am I not willing to put a bullet in Jacob? I am.
I clamp a hand down on Ares’ shoulder and he whirls wildly on me. Using his free hand, he checks me over. “You hit? Tell me. I need to know. Are. You. Hit?”
I shake my head. “No.” The fear in his eyes at me possibly being hurt shocks me. No one ever cared that much about me. Except for my sister and Ellie, that is. But others? They rather hurt me for their own benefit. I tuck this little bit of information away to analyze later. Like when I don’t have bullets flying at me.
“Are you okay? Look at me. Are you okay?” Hurried hands take my face.
“I said I’m fine. I’m not hit.”
I see Ares’ lips moving but my ringing ears don’t let me hear his voice over a muffle. I give him one final nod and he seems to be satisfied with that because he moves into action. Plaster dust clouds the air and through it I spy Ares reloading; his hand is a blur of movement over the metal weapon.
My hearing comes back full in time for more bullets to pepper our last remaining shield. From my vantage point, I can see there’s no other table but this one. Shit. What have I done? We’re all going to freaking die in the middle of a dingy dive bar on the trashy side of town.
Ares snatches the phone from me. “You said you wanted a chance to prove you are on our side.”
There’s a long pause I feel goes on forever before Ares speaks again.
“I’m turning on my location. Ping it and meet us in the back alley and don’t let red lights stop you from getting here as fast as you can. We’ll need to set a reservation with a crew who can work fast. Maintenance on this will need to be thorough before the law gets involved. Fire is eating most of it but there are other aspects to secure.”
Another silence and then Ares ends the call, tossing the phone back to me.
Ares pulls a cartridge from his pocket and tosses it to his friend. Together they work to clear a path toward the back entrance.
“When I tell you to haul ass and get outside, you run and don’t look back.”
Maddening tears burn at the back of my eyes from the idea of leaving him to deal with my mess while I get away. It’s the smoke and not from frustration, I tell myself. Pure frustration.
What the hell am I in the middle of?
“No.” From the corner of my eye, I lock onto my target. “You can leave. I came here for something.”
Jacob is standing across the bar, reloading a gun that looks like it can level this place in less than ten rounds. Through the chaos I never let the gun Devil shoved into my hand go. One silver lining I am not about to waste. I raise my arms and aim down the barrel. Jacob needs ending. God only knows how long he’s been hurting innocent women.
My heart explodes into thundering beats. My hands tremble. But all those girls I will be saving…I take a deep breath and squeeze the trigger.
A blow to my hands has the bullet hitting the wooden floorboards fifteen feet away.
“What the hell, Ares?” I’m so angry hands are shoved down before I can bury a bullet in Jacob’s back.
Riot and Devil are pinned down, each fighting back a new wave of men. Where the fuck do they keep coming from?
“Not happening. You will not get blood on your hands. Never. I will take that burden. At this rate one more asshole’s death might actually earn me some brownie points.” A dark part of me wants to laugh at his admission, but the reasonable side of me who still cares for other humans feels horrified ad his admission.
Ares disarms me, tucking the weapon in the band of his pants.
“You don’t get it. I don’t know how it all works but he’s the reason I was at the stupid auction. Why my sister is there now, Ares? You owe me this.”
“I know,” Ares grates.
My brain stutters. He knows what?
He doesn’t get a chance to clarify. Pellets from a shotgun determined to finish us off bury themselves in the wood of the table we’re tucked behind and the wall over top of my head. Beating back the assholes trying to end us is now all-out fight or die.
Ares and Rage both peel around opposite sides of the table. One. Two. Three pops and as many bodies fall.