“What the f**k are you doing?” I yell.

“No time. The guys are holding them off! They’re trying to get into this building!”

Oh, f**k!

My mind quickly starts thinking of where to put Winter. If I don’t think of something, she’ll get herself killed. My eyes quickly snap to the floor remembering the crawl space. I start dragging her to the utility closet.

“Storm, let go of me!”

Like hell.

“I think Tatiana went to the crawl space; help me f**king look for her!”

There, that was convincing, right?

“Shit, okay.”

Awesome. I almost breathe as I flick on the light, dragging her inside the closet. “Just in case they come, and we’re looking.” I answer her questionable stare.

“Come on.” I pull on the crawlspace handle and lift it up. “Follow me.” I whisper as I duck inside. When I see she’s following, I wait for her to get all the way crouched down, and then I shove her hard and bolt back through the opening.

“What the f**k Storm! What are you doing?” She screams. I reach for the door to try closing it and have to keep pushing her head back down. “You’re gonna get yourself, and your f**king baby killed!”

My tone shocks her, and she pauses just long enough for me to close it. She starts pounding on it. I look around the room for something to set on top of it. Nothing. Fuck, this is gonna suck. I take a deep breath and move quickly, dumping the metal utility shelves and all of its belongings on top of the crawlspace door. It’s loud, and the gunshots are ringing closer. I flick off the light, and open and then close the door behind me. Shadow comes bursting in, slamming the door behind him.

“Where’s T?” he huffs.

“I don’t f**kin know!”

Shit, this is not happening.

“The others had to pull back into the other building. I’ve called Braxxon.” He takes a deep breath before releasing. “FUCKING FIND HER.”

Shadow’s freaking out. Oh god.

***

Chapter 31

Storm

I take off running up the steps, and I’m halted as a blade presses against my throat. Oh, shit. Someone got in here when I was in the utility closet, that much is clear. “Where’s Winter Belov?” A deep Russian accent spits out as my gun is removed from my back pocket.

I close my eyes and prepare to die. “I don’t know.”

The blade presses against my throat harder, piercing my skin open. I gulp and immediately gasp, and it’s removed. At first I think it’s about to plunge into my throat, but the Russian groans. I pull back to see Mace fighting him to the ground, stabbing at his back.

“GOOOOOOO!” He shouts.

My feet take off running up the rest of the stairs and around the corner. “Tatiana,” I whisper yell repeatedly.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!”

My skin prickles and I take off toward her screams. She’s on the third floor, and my f**king feet can’t move me fast enough. I reach for the gun in my back pocket and remember the f**kin Russian took it. I can’t go back for it. SHIT!

I spot a hallway lamp and wrestle the cord from it as quickly and quietly as I can. Once I have it wrapped securely around my fingers, I tiptoe into the room I hear Tatiana’s screams coming from. A huge Russian is cornering her; I don’t even wanna know what the f**k is running through his head. All I know is I have to stop him. I pray silently that Tatiana doesn’t give me away. So far, she hasn’t seen me, and he can’t hear me over her screams. I close my eyes and reopen them, and then take off running, jumping onto his back and wrapping the cord around his neck as tight as I can.

“GRAB HIS GUN!”

Tatiana is shaking and screaming so loud while the Russian throws me about. They make these f**kers with steroids, extra strength.

“T, GRAB HIS FUCKING GUN!”

Damn that girl!

“IF HE STOPPED MOVING I COULD!” She screams back as I try and tighten the cord around his neck.

Fuck it!

“GO! LOCK YOURSELF IN ONE OF THE BEDROOMS!” She shakes her head ‘no’. “NOW!”

The Russian rears back his whole body, ramming my back into the wall, taking the breath outta me. Tatiana takes off running. Thank God.

I wrap my legs around him and tighten my hold as I continue to strangle him. Why won’t he just give up already? Just when I think I about have him, he reaches back and flips me over his shoulders. I fly across the room, landing on a nightstand and rolling onto the floor. I see his boots coming before I see him. He grabs me by the hair and yanks me up into a standing position as he snarls in Russian. I knee him in the balls, and when he gives way, I try to escape by climbing over the bed. He grabs a hold of my right leg and pulls me back. His hands wrap around my neck when he’s got me close enough. I start clawing at the bedspread as I gasp for breath, when out of the corner of my eye, I spot a gun handle from underneath the pillow. Oh Sniper, I f**king love you, you paranoid f**ker! I claw for it and claw for it, finally getting it in my grasp. If I had breath, I would scream because I don’t know where the f**king safety is on it. I throw my arm up and start beating him in the head with the gun handle, my movements loosening his grip around my neck enough to where I can rear back and head butt him. He groans, and I fling myself forward and roll off the bed. I quickly scamper back up and start throwing shit at him as I try working the safety on this gun. As he blocks the shit I’m hurling at him, he’s searching around for his gun. My eyes land on it first and I dive for it, dropping Sniper’s on my way. The Russian lands hard on top of me. I elbow him in the nose when I have the gun in my hand. He starts cursing at me in Russian again, and I push myself backwards as I take aim. A piercing sound rings out, and the Russian’s brains splatter across the room.