Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Giana
“You’re seriously leaving me here in the van?
” Merrick grumbled from the driver’s seat.
The partition to the back seats was open for once as the four—well, three of us prepared to take off at a moment’s notice.
We parked a few streets over and watched as Angelo’s men rolled up in their blacked-out SUVs, manic smiles on their faces while they armed themselves.
“Yes,” Kellan said as our focus remained on the tablet. “We need someone to be our eyes while we’re out there, and since you’re still injured, you’re the perfect candidate.”
We all dressed in black gear, knowing we’d need stealth on our side tonight. “There’s more of them out than usual.”
“The entire town made a statement today, so this is their response,” Kellan said, a grim frown curving his lips as he watched ten more SUVs pull up. “We can’t take them on like we usually do. Not with this many.”
“We knew that already,” Spade said, tracing a heart into the fogged-up window before writing a G and S in the middle. He was so cute sometimes.
He grinned at me as though he had read my mind and pulled me closer into his side. The other teams were set up similarly to us, waiting for their orders as we watched the Barones.
We’d given the teams a block of stores that they’d be responsible for, but we’d need to direct them to each store to keep ourselves hidden.
“Bravo team, they’ve breached the hardware store,” Merrick said into his earpiece. Liam had given us a link to access the cameras on another device, so Merrick had a few tablets set up to monitor each section of the street.
Nicolas said, “10-4.”
We watched their team slink through the shadows, coming around the back of the building and entering through the rear door.
Merrick informed a few other teams before Nicholas came back over the radio. “We took out the four in the hardware shop.”
“Great work,” Merrick said, his attention on the camera feeds. “You have a team in the jewelry store.”
Nicholas and his group went around the back and into the next rear door.
“We have a party in the bookstore.” Kellan put the tablet down and geared up, fury blazing in his gaze.
Spade and I were right behind him, and after what happened at the house, I didn’t complain about the bulletproof vests.
We took a shortcut through a few backyards to get to the bookstore Kellan’s parents owned.
Mr. Richards had worked in the shop for the last couple of months while Kellan’s parents and Merrick’s mother hid for their own safety.
That didn’t stop the Barones from targeting the new manager.
They were going to ‘send him a message’ by roughing up the older man a couple of weeks ago until Spade and I stopped them and left them bleeding out in the back alley.
With the cleaning crew and the torrential rain we had a few days ago, there wasn’t a trace of the blood that had puddled on the pavement when Spade sliced into him.
“Oh, good times.” Spade sighed wistfully, keeping his voice low. His amethyst eyes glimmered with violence even in the dimly lit alley.
Kellan squeezed my hand in reassurance before he quietly opened the back door. We slipped into the store, barely holding the door open to ensure no light streamed into the dark interior. It took a few moments for my sight to adjust, so we ducked behind one of the shelves in the back.
The men were up at the cash register, attempting to pry it open—of course those idiots weren’t trying to steal books. They did throw them around, though. There were empty shelves scattered throughout the stacks; paperbacks and hardcovers littered the floor in their attempt at senseless destruction.
I could slice them open for that alone. No one throws precious stories around like they’re garbage and lives to tell the tale, not if I have anything to say about it.
“You’re doing it wrong,” a man grumbled, seemingly shoving the other man away if the grunt and muttered curse he emitted were any indication.
Some crashes echoed from the back offices, and Kellan motioned he was going back there.
I nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before he left.
There should only be four men in the store, and with at least two at the front, Kellan should only have one or two to contend with, leaving the rest to Spade and me.
We shared a grin, and he led the way, our boots barely making a sound as we skirted around the fallen books and made our way up the aisle furthest away from the cash.
Three of the men were there, one keeping a lookout through the front windows, while the other two tried to smash the register into compliance.
“You’re doing it wrong,” one man said as he pried the crowbar away and tried again. Most stores didn’t keep the cash drawer in the register overnight, so both of them were idiots for even trying.
Spade motioned me to the one with his back to us, and gestured from himself to the two by the cash.
I frowned but nodded. He knew I could handle myself with the two men, but he’d always take the bigger threat rather than push me toward it.
I pulled my gun from its holster as Spade ambled back down the rows of shelves, trying to get closer to his targets.
I screwed on the silencer and took aim. It wouldn’t completely muffle the sound, but it should at least not alert any more of their men.
I kept my gaze trained on the man as I waited for Spade to signal he was ready.
“Got it,” one of them crowed in triumph. “Wait, there’s nothing in here.”
I knew Spade would use the momentary distraction to his advantage, so I struck. I pressed the trigger, and the bullet whizzed from the chamber, embedding itself into the back of the man’s head. Blood spattered across the window, startling strangled gasps from Spade’s targets.
The muttered curses were off as Spade slammed a knife into each of their throats at once, having snuck up behind them while they were distracted.
“Alpha team, you have five more coming in through the back.” Merrick’s voice rumbled through our earpieces.
I joined Spade and said, “10-4.” The two of us raced for the back offices just as the rear door opened. Kellan joined us a moment later, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. Blood was splattered across his brow, but he was otherwise unscathed.
The men filtered in through the door, and we knew we’d only have a few moments before they found the bodies.
“This is one of the places we’re burning, right?”
“Yeah, this and the ice cream shop.”
“Fuck, yes. That will teach these people not to side with anyone besides us.”
Kellan’s jaw ticked, his hands clenching at his sides.
We should’ve known they were planning to use fire to fight their battles.
They did burn down the old fire hall after all.
A shiver ran up my spine at the memory of flames surging toward me, the heat sinking into my skin, singeing everywhere it touched.
I inched closer to the corner and prepared to shoot.
There were at least two of them I could take out at this range.
Spade and Kellan snuck back into the aisles before they were seen, and I fired, needing to draw the men’s attention from the two Demons stalking them.
I took aim at the one partially obstructed, knowing he’d be the first to take cover once shots started firing.
I pulled the trigger; the shot was quiet, but still audible with the silencer.
I didn’t take time to relish the kill as I aimed for the other one in my sights and fired.
Blood sprayed over the three other men before they knew what was happening.
In the next second their guns were out, pointed in my direction.
I jumped back just as a bullet embedded itself in the wall next to me.
Dust perfumed the air as the dry wall cracked and crumbled.
I took a few more steps back as bullets struck the drywall, getting closer and closer with each one.
I was about to duck into the office when a strangled gurgle rumbled from their direction.
They gasped around the blood undoubtedly spilling into their airways, but it was no use; they’d be dead in a matter of seconds.
“All clear, sugar,” Spade shouted, his voice echoing off the walls.
I surveyed the limp bodies scattered among the tomes and grimaced. “They’re going to ruin all the books.” Sure enough, their life’s blood had already soaked into a few of the tomes the other group had knocked over. “I could kill them again just for that.”
Kellan chuckled and Spade grinned, but before any of us could get out another word, Merrick’s voice filtered into our earpieces. “Alpha team, a group of six just entered the ice cream shop with gas cans.”
Fuck. Alarm had our eyes widening as we jumped over the bodies, careening out into the back alley. “We’re on our way. Is the path clear?” Kellan asked, his gun out as he checked along the brick walls sheltering.
“Yes, go through the back though. There are still men on the street.”
Kellan screwed the silencer onto his gun, and Spade palmed his blades, each of us moving silently to the ice cream shop next door.
We eased the back door open and hid in the kitchen.
My brows furrowed and my ears pricked, waiting for any sign of movement, but there was none.
Our brows both knitted together, a ball of nerves roiling in my gut as Kellan took the lead, his boots silent on the tiles as we neared the partition to the parlor.
I cringed as the door squeaked open and readied my gun, preparing for a gunfight, but not a sound penetrated the silent storefront. There were men in here, but their lifeless bodies littered the floor while pools of blood spread around them.
We quickly cleared the area, making sure there wasn’t anyone else in the space before we inspected the bodies. “Who the hell did this?” I frowned down at them.