Desiree
The man lifted his gun higher, aiming more accurately now. “I’m going to be fucking famous for killing you.” The man smirked at Khane. There went my theory that there was a non-death order out on Khane’s life.
“You’re a fucking legend. Khane ‘The Kannibal’ Vallin.” The man kept the gun in one hand with the butt pressed deep into his shoulder as he reached towards us. Peeking around Khane’s sturdy shoulder, I found the man’s eyes falling on me.
“We didn’t want any trouble. We had only come for the Evans’ woman. But, your people aimed and fired on us first. Now, you can give me the woman first, then I kill you, or you can risk her getting shot from me going through you to take her. Your fucking choice,” the man stated, his Spanish accent strong but sure.
Who the hell was he? Why the hell did he want me? I don’t believe he was an enemy of my father’s. The man Khane had tortured in his basement wasn’t Hispanic, but this man was. What did it mean? Were there two different groups after me now?
The gun. The hand Khane had used to shove me behind him had been edging around me during our standoff. He had taken ahold of my hand and splayed it across a chunk of thick metal, but it was only now that I understood what he was conveying.
The gun was right in front of me and stuffed down the back of his pants. Mecca had ensured I went to the shooting range with her, but I had never been in a position where I’d had to shoot someone. However, for Khane, I would do what was necessary.
I tightened my hold around the pistol grip before I eased it from his pants. The weight of it made me question what I was doing, but I couldn’t let Khane get shot because unknown adversaries wanted me for a reason only God knew.
I peeked at the man under Khane’s raised arm before I lifted the weapon with shaky hands. The barrel edged past his muscular side, and I aimed at what I prayed was the man’s chest. Hunched behind a living wall, this was nothing like the straight line of sight of aiming and firing at paper targets.
When I was confident of my aim, my finger put pressure on the trigger, but…
“Toss the gun, Ms. Evans, unless you want me to shoot him in the fucking face.” The man’s tone rang deadly, serious enough to make my hands shake with weakness. I had been too slow, and he’d caught me in the act of attempting to kill him.
Patrena seemed to forget the danger in front of us and peeked around my shoulder. Her mouth formed a wide O as she took in the weapon in my hand and pieced together what had just happened.
My actions in the face of fear weren’t fast enough, but my mistake had thankfully drawn the man’s attention away from Khane long enough for Khane to rush at him.
The long gun went skyward from the impact of Khane’s raging charge but didn’t fall. The weapon I held hung heavily in my hand as I stood in place, glaring at Khane and the man tussling for control of the weapon until it was knocked away and skittered across the floor.
“Run, Desiree now. Back door!” Khane didn’t have to tell me twice. A fight between him and the man ensued, a barrage of hard, pounding fists connecting with maximum force. I gripped Patrena’s arm in my shaky hand, and we ran like hell in the opposite direction.
Our escape attempt was stalled when two men appeared in front of us. They stood large and imposing and blocked our view of the emergency exit door that opened to the back of the building. The red letters above the door that spelled exit, beckoned as the men crowded us, their guns and menacing faces speaking for them.
By the time I attempted to use the gun in my hand, it was too late. The hard blow to the back of my hand sent the gun clinking to the floor and sliding into a corner. The man snatched my arm in a bruising grip that caused me to cry out in pain.
The second man had a tight grip on Patrena who fought, flailing and yelling as she attempted to escape. We were no match for them. All the while we tried to resist, I could hear Khane in the background fighting with the third man.
The squirming paid off when my right arm broke free, and I sucker punched the man in his face, my knuckles crying in pain at my attempt. The furious glare he flashed revealed that I had done nothing but piss him off.
He jerked my arm, twirling me in a half circle. His open palm struck my face so fast and hard, that I didn’t have time to prepare myself for the blow. The hard slap knocked me silly, my jaw liquefying as my eyes fought to stay in their sockets.
The sound of a thundering roar ripped through the air and pierced the ringing in my ears. It sounded like someone was yelling the word, No! Although I remained in the man’s tight grip, my noodled-legs fought to hold my wavering body upright. Adjusting my eyes, I attempted to focus on the view in front of me.
The shiny blade gleamed in the air when it was lifted, and the downward thrust was lightning fast as it connected with body parts, neck, chest, chest, neck, chest. Blood squirted from arteries in the frantic man’s neck as the top of his shirt was becoming wet like he had been dipped in a vat of red Kool-Aid.
Khane had stabbed the man he’d been tussling with, using sharp jabs that left gaping holes big enough for his soul to crawl through. The act had been so brutally vicious that it had paused the men holding Patrena and me, even as they aimed their weapons at Khane and the struggling man. Thankfully, they didn’t have a clear shot of Khane.
The one that held me with one hand, aimed and yelled for Khane’s surrender, but Khane stood facing us, standing behind the man he had put at least ten soul-ripping holes in.
When Khane let the man go, his lifeless body sailed through the air before hitting the floor with a resounding thud. I gawked, getting another up close view of what Khane did for a living.
My captor had a clear-line-of-sight shot at Khane who appeared oblivious that death was aimed at him. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to knock the man’s gun away, since he was ignoring me to focus on Khane.
Patrena was giving the other guy such a good tussle, he had tossed her over his shoulder in an attempt to get her under control. However, she found a way to make it to the floor where he attempted to subdue her.
Khane made his approach as the one that held me attempted to keep me under control while reaching towards his lower leg, for another weapon I assumed. A loud gun blast froze me as my gaze searched for the outcome.
The man who had finally gotten control of Patrena was on the floor, his body jerking from the shot that had taken a sizeable chunk from the top of his head. Patrena stood frozen, staring at Khane like the devil had vacated his flaming seat in hell and appeared in front of her.
Khane shot the man while he still held Patrena in his tight grip. With her being in such close proximity to the man when he was shot, she was likely in shock.