Chapter 31
We raced through the halls, clearing the open classrooms as we went, finding only corpses. Sinners. Sons. Only one SaintI recognized. Most of them seemed to have moved to the gym, which was where we were headed. Now that we knew the halls were free of anyone who might try to block the exits or come in behind us.
Amiasmal sense of dread thickened the air with every step we drew nearer to the gym.
Aodhánthrew his arm back, motioning for me to stay tight to the wall as we approached the open doors. It was absolute carnage inside.
Itsmelled of acrid sulfur and iron. Spent bullets and blood.
Everyfired shot made my stomach tense and my skin prickle. Men shouted and cursed. Cried out and growled.
Itwas a fucking bloodbath.
Therewere too many faces I recognized on the ground. Waytoo many.
Unintentionally, I began to count them—separate them. Trying to figure out how many of ours were lifeless on the ground compared to how many of them.
Andin all the cold, still faces, I searched for Dad. ForMa.
ForSéamas himself.
ButI saw none of them.
“Get to the tires,” Hardin bellowed, and we moved as a single unit into the pandemonium, pushing toward the now half collapsed wall of tires to a hail of bullets.
Atoo-close gunshot echoed like a thunderclap, and I spun toward the sound, weapon raised.
Thefirst shot had missed its mark but the Son standing fifteen yards away using a tipped over vending machine for cover was about to fire again. His sights trained on Becca.
“Vixen!”
Iunleashed a hail of covering fire, but the Son managed to get his second round off before he went down and Hardid moved in perfect time, putting himself in the path of the bullet as he shoved Becca behind the tires.
Herknees hit the ground and Hardin went down on top of her.
TheSon who’d shot at us was joined by three more, and I knew I couldn’t let up on my cover fire.
“Is he hurt?”
Hardin’slow grunt of pain reached me as Vixen struggled to get out from under him.
“Hardin! Hardin are you hit?” she all but screeched, helping him sit back upright. She looked ready to crumble, her face twisted in anguish.
“Aodhán! Aodhán, help her!”
Aodhángrabbed Hardin by his vest, assessing him with the cold precision of a warrior. “Where were you hit?”
Hardinseemed to come back around all at once, roughly brushing Aodhán off. I kept my head on a swivel, firing once, twice, then turning to make sure he was okay.
Hardingot out a hard cough and then winced as he swallowed. Was that red on his mouth?
“It hit the vest,” Hardin said finally, his voice strained as if he didn’t have enough air to speak. I didn’t believe him for one fucking second.
Aodhánwas around him in an instant, checking his back.
“Is he good?” I asked, and Aodhán’s violent green eyes met mine over Hardin’s shoulder.
“It hit the vest. He’s fine.”
Assoon as Aodhán said he was fine, Becca shoved Hardin hard in the chest. “Don’t you ever try to take a bullet for me again,” she screamed at him. “You fucking hear me?”
Shelooked like she wanted to hit him or scream, her eyes wide and wild.
Imean, we fucking told her. We told her we’d take a bullet for her. Did she think we were kidding? Or was it just different hearing us say it versus actually having to witness it happening?
Shepressed a hand to her stomach like she might be sick and then swallowed hard, a string of curses falling from her lips.
Iknew she was thinking the same thing I was. Asking the same question.
Whatif it hadn’t hit his vest?
Fuck! I couldn’t even think about it.
Weneeded to finish this.
Iturned to Aodhán. “Did you see your dad out there?”
Heshook his head. “Not yet.”
Whatif he didn’t show?
No. Hewould show. He had to. This needed to be over.
“Come on,” I said through my fucking teeth. “We need to help.”
Imoved to the edge of our hide, peering across the gym, searching for Séamas. Instead, I found Ma.
Shestood on the bleachers behind a half-destroyed barricade of desks with a machine gun. She cried out as she lit up several Sons who were trying to move up the steps toward her, laying them all out on the seats like discarded dolls.
Jesus.
I’dnever seen her like this. I’d heard how she was when we were younger and Dad was still fighting to claim this turf for the Saints, but I’d never really seen her in action.
FuckingSloaneSt. Vincent.
Dadwas right. She really was the OG badass.
Hergun stopped firing, and I saw the moment she realized the mag was out and ejected it to grab another from her vest—and took a shot to the chest. She was thrown back from the force of it, dropping behind the pockmarked desks.
Holyshit.
“Cover me!”
Iran out before I could think about it, staying low as I moved from our hide to the next one, making my way to the edge of the bleachers.
“Kaleb!”
Theyshouted behind me, but I was beyond hearing them as I tripped over a body and went sprawling onto my face, my chin taking the brunt of the fall. Teeth clanging loud in my ears.
Fuckingshit!
Ipushed myself up and kept going as bullets hit the places where I’d just been lying.
Moveyour ass, Kale.
Ithrew myself behind the edge of the bleachers and started to climb.
Pleasebe alive.
“Sloane!” Dad was shouting somewhere on the ground.
“Sloane!” he cried out again when she didn’t show herself.
Fromthe sound of gunfire that followed his every cry, I knew he was pinned down. He wouldn’t be able to get to her. ButI could. I would.
Iwas almost there.
Holdon, Ma.
Themetal beneath my hands rattled, and I looked down, finding Becca, Hardin, and Aodhán all climbing up behind me.
Ijumped over the rail and dropped into a low crouch as a bullet ricocheted off the metal near my shoulder, scattering sparks across my chest. I slipped along the bleachers as a group of three Sons came racing up the stairs at the other end, eager to finish what they started with my mother.
Bigfucking mistake.
Ihad two of them down before the third and fourth knew I was even there. I pulled the trigger again, but it kicked into my hand uselessly. The mag empty.
Fuck.
“Go!” Aodhán finished the other two, coming over the top behind me, and I ran to the desks, finding a mess of bullet casings and a tangle of dark hair. I muscled Sloane over onto her back just as the bleachers clattered and Hardin and Becca came around the hide.
Ma’sslack jaw made my heart stop. Made it hurt so fucking bad.
LikeI was nine years old again. Seeing her lifeless on the floor in that dungeon of a living room with my dad standing over her.
“Ma!” Hardin’s anguished roar hit me like a fist to the gut.
Beccaput her hands to her mouth to cover a gasping sob.
“Ma,” I shouted over the cacophony of sound, shaking her. I looked over her vest for injury. For blood. I saw the bullet. Itwas embedded in the vest, just over her heart. It hadn’t gone through.
Ithadn’t gone through.
“Ma!”
Onemore hard shake and she inhaled sharply through her nose, her eyes rolling open, blinking, as her hands grabbed mine on her vest like she might try to rip them off.
“It’s me,” I blurted. “It’s me. You were hit.”
Shefelt her chest, wincing as the pain finally registered. She was going to have one nasty ass bruise and probably a cracked rib, but she’d live.
Damnit, we were all going to.
“IfI was hit, why’re you the one bleeding?” she croaked, pointing to my shoulder.
“What?”
Ifollowed her pointed finger to my shoulder, finding a deluge of red staining the navy fabric of my long sleeve shirt. I felt it now but barely.
“Oh my god, Kaleb,” Becca said, her voice strained.
Irolled it and shook my head. “It was a ricochet,” I said. “It glanced off. I’m good.”
“Then get your ass up,” Ma growled, shoving me back. “There’s still work to be done. Pass me that mag.”
Asif she weren’t unconscious thirty seconds ago, she reloaded her M16 and swung it over the edge of the upturned desks, raining bullets down into the pit of hell that’d become the Kilborn gymnasium.
“What the fuck are you waiting for?” Ma roared and Hardin, Becca, Aodhán, and I all fell into line on either side of her, rotating taking shots down into the madness below.
Isaw Dad trying to get free of where he was pinned down in the far-left corner of the open space and opened fire on the Sons opposite him to try to give him cover to get free.
Hesaw Ma was all right and gave me a nod before turning to give orders to Zade and the other Saints trapped with him.
Iwatched and waited, trying to be ready for whatever their next move was so I could help.
Dadsignaled for me to cover them, and I nudged Ma. “CoverDad!”
Ihardly got the words out when a massive explosion rocked the building. Sunlight spilled into the space as enormous chunks of the exterior wall crumbled, falling on Sons and Saints alike on the gymnasium floor. The wall that housed the door leading outside to the basketball courts was gone.
Beccacoughed as the plume of dust and smoke blew over us.
Andas the dust settled, we saw them moving in.
MoreSons. Too many more.
Andat the heart of them, SéamasO’Sullivan, dressed all in black like the grim fucking reaper come to claim even more Saint souls.
Hewas here.
Finally.
Timeto end this shit once and for all.