Chapter 31 Astra #2
I open my mouth as my eyes connect with the huge guy with a big, bushy beard coming up behind him.
Torrin must see my worry, because he starts to turn around.
I get nothing out as the guy’s meaty paw palms the side of Torrin’s head and slams it into the wall.
I’m close enough to hear the sound of flesh splitting open as his head connects with the brick.
That will haunt me for a lifetime, I’m sure.
Torrin staggers and tries to break the guy’s hold, but the big man does it again.
Tears well in my eyes as Torrin’s legs seem to turn to jelly. Then he drops like a ton of bricks, the side of his face bloody.
I flinch as a gun goes off beside me. Big man’s eyes are dead even before his body starts to fall to the ground. The hole in the middle of his head tells me he’s not getting up.
An arm snakes around my waist, pulling me back before I can reach for Torrin.
I slam against something metal, and when I open my eyes, I look up to see Donovan’s worried expression already staring down at me.
He presses his body closer to mine as a few more shots go off.
It takes me a second to realize we’re in a little alcove and there must be a door behind me.
I swear I’m only half-thinking as I blindly reach for the handle, finding it, and then giving it a hard turn. But it’s locked, go figure.
More shots are fired, one nicking the brick dangerously close to Donovan’s head.
“Not like this,” I say, smiling up at him. “We’re not going out like this. Blaze of glory, okay?”
He stares at me for a long minute, blinking like he can’t quite figure out if I’m real or not. Then he nods, sending me a smile that’s probably as psychotic as the one I’m giving him.
“Behind me,” he instructs as he pivots. I duck out of our safe alcove long enough to snatch Torrin’s gun, which lies on the pavement next to his hand. As hard as it is, I do my best not to look at his crumpled, unmoving body.
I’ll cry for him later. And hate myself for getting him dead.
Donovan shoots the lock, and a second later, we duck into the store. It appears to be empty, thank goodness. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.
Boots thunder behind us. There’s no way out.
So I reach for him and kiss him hard. He kisses me back with the same frenzy, wrapping his arm around me as he holds me tightly. I feel his gun digging into my back as he holds me close, but it doesn’t scare me.
Yeah, okay. My feelings for this man are deep. They are a part of me now. As I look into his eyes, I know I wouldn’t go back, even if I could.
We duck behind a display case for purses.
I pay no mind to what else surrounds me.
The moment I see something moving, I pull the trigger with no real clue of what I’m doing.
Beside me, Donovan is firing off rounds more controlled than mine.
The gun is heavy in my hands, both physically and metaphorically.
I might kill someone tonight, but I can’t help thinking they probably deserve it.
I fire, doing my best to brace for the horrible kickback, until I hear the empty clicks telling me I have nothing left.
My ears are ringing, and it’s a little disorienting.
“Donovan Falco,” someone taunts. “Come out and we won’t kill the girl.”
When he looks at me, gun limp at his side, I know we’re out of bullets and time.
“Run out the front,” he tells me in a low tone. I shake my head. I won’t leave him. “Do as I say, Astra. Now.”
“Give me your knife,” I whisper, holding out my hand. If I’ve got to run, I need some room to move my legs.
His expression turns grim before he says, “I don’t have it.”
What?!
I’ve only been around him for a week, but I know he always has his gun and his knife on him.
“Now, Astra,” he orders, leaving no time to ask what the heck is going on.
I reach down and grab the hem of my skirt. I cringe as I pull as hard as I can, popping the delicate seams on the side until about mid-thigh.
He steps out from our hiding spot, arms raised in surrender after he drops his gun.
“Oh, look at this,” Donovan says, that deadly tone in his voice that makes me shiver. “Got the whole fucking squad down here, huh? I take it this isn’t official police business, given that you’re not in your uniforms.”
“Shut the fuck up, Falco.” I can hear the disgusted snarl in the man’s tone.
I don’t turn to look and see if I recognize the man. I run for the front of the shop, planning the best way to jump out through the broken front glass window.
That’s when I realize there’s no actual way out.
They’ve got us surrounded.
“Grab her!” someone yells. They sound pissed, and I swear I can feel a wave of anger suddenly surging through me, nearly stealing my breath.
“Astra!” Donovan yells.
I’m tackled from behind before I even have a chance to decide if I want to try to fight my way out. I might not know my abilities yet, but practice makes perfect, right?
Panic freezes my whole body as I hit the ground hard, and all the air gets knocked out of my lungs. When I’m able to breathe in again, I’m sucking in dust and strands of my now loose hair.
Damn, I worked so hard on getting it just right. I just wanted this night to be… perfect.
A hand tangles in my hair, grinding my head into the scratchy carpet. Shards of glass bite into my skin all over, one cutting into my forehead as the man above me roughly holds me down. I grit my teeth because I refuse to give him the satisfaction of hearing me cry or whimper in pain.
“Mr. Aubert just said I had to deliver you,” says the man who yanks me to my feet. He smells like egg salad and blue cheese, and I’m trying my hardest not to puke in my mouth. “He never said nothin’ about you being in one piece.”
Now is not the time to try my magic.
As my hands are tied behind my back with something rough and itchy, I tuck away all my emotions. I’ll save it for the one who deserves it.
My father.