Chapter 19 Whiz
WHIZ
THIRTY SECONDS EARLIER…
“Watch your footing.”
Zoey stands to the side at the bottom of the steps, her gaze never wavering from the casket that’s being carried down to the hearse. She watches that, I watch her, and my brothers watch everyone else.
The first shot barely registers before the second one hits, but as soon as it does, I react on instinct.
“Down!” I shout, lunging toward Zoey.
I grab her hard, pulling her with me as I drop and twist so her back hits the ground first. I come down over her, the impact knocking the wind out of me, but I don’t stop moving. My body covers hers completely, one arm braced beside her head, the other already pulling my gun.
More shots ring out, echoing off the building.
“Return fire!” Trick yells from somewhere behind us.
I raise my head just enough to figure out what direction the shooting is coming from, but it’s almost impossible to determine because dozens of guns are being fired. I start to return fire, not letting up, not wasting a single second.
Quake slides in near the hearse, using it for cover. Romeo is positioned behind a low wall on the other side of the steps, and Goose ducks around the corner of the building.
We all move fast, in sync, like we’ve done this before.
Because we have but never like this, never here.
Zoey clutches my cut, her fingers tight enough to feel her grip through the leather. She’s completely still under me except for the trembling I can’t ignore, and her breaths comes fast against my chest as another round of shots cracks past.
“I’ve got you,” I mutter without thinking, pressing her harder into the ground as a bullet shatters something nearby. “Stay down.”
She doesn’t argue, doesn’t move as more shots are fired. After what feels like a lifetime but is more like one minute, all sound and movement stops. Everyone holds their position, weapons still at the ready, eyes scanning, waiting for the next round that doesn’t come.
“Clear!” someone calls.
“Clear!” another echoes.
I remain over Zoey for a few seconds longer, and try to catch my own breath, which is coming harder than I’d like because of the adrenaline coursing through me.
“You good?” I ask, looking down at her.
She opens her mouth, but no words come out so she nods instead. Her body still trembles, and her face is pale. She stares at me in a way that tells me she’s stuck in her terror.
Yeah, I get it.
“C’mon,” I say, pushing up carefully and offering her a hand only after I’m sure the immediate threat is gone.
I scan the area again as I straighten to my full height, gun still in hand. The lot is a mess with people pressed into whatever they used for cover while some are moving around cautiously, and others are slowly standing as reality sinks in.
“Fuck,” Zombie mutters, stepping out from behind a truck, his gaze trained on the road. “They didn’t stick around.”
“Of course, they didn’t,” I reply, already moving away from Zoey to check angles and sightlines, searching for anything that might give us direction.
“This was quick and dirty,” Quake says as he crouches down by something I hadn’t noticed before.
“What’d you find?”
“A brick,” he replies. “With a piece of paper tied to it.”
Everyone starts closing in.
Quake unties it carefully, then unfolds the paper, his expression hardening as he reads it.
“Care to share with the class?” I bark.
My brother shifts on his feet, clearly uncomfortable. “We got one of you last time…”
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
“…and we won’t stop until we get the rest of you.” He clears his throat. “There’s a symbol scrawled beneath it,” he says as he turns the paper so we can all look.
The rough drawing is unfamiliar.
“That mean anything to anyone?” Zombie asks.
We all shake our heads.
I take the paper from Quake, looking at it myself, committing every detail to memory, not that there’s much. No colors, no names, just the threat.
“New players,” Quake says quietly.
“Yeah,” I reply, jaw tightening. “And they just made it real fucking personal.”
My phone is already in my hand before I think about it, and Lyric answers on the first ring.
“Talk.”
“We got hit,” I say, keeping it short and to the point. “Death’s Door. During the funeral.”
“Status.”
“No injuries,” I answer. “They didn’t stay. In and out. Left a message.”
“Read it.”
“We got one of you last time, and we won’t stop until we get the rest of you.” I pause. “There’s also a symbol that none of us recognize.”
“Send me the symbol,” Lyric says. “We’ll run it.”
I snap a quick picture and send it to him. “Done,” I reply.
“Got it.” Lyric’s quiet for a second, and I imagine he’s looking at the photo. Then he asks, “Where’s Zoey?”
My eyes shift automatically, locking onto her position near the hearse. She hasn’t moved far from where I left her.
“With me,” I say.
“Good,” Lyric replies. “Keep it that way.”
My jaw tightens. “She’s not—”
“She’s associated now,” he barks. “She works at Death’s Door. She was present during an attack aimed at us. That makes her a target.”
Fuck.
“Get her to the cabin,” Lyric continues. “You stay there with her.”
“I’ve got shit to han—”
“Handled,” he snaps. “Zombie and the others can finish things there. You’re on her now.”
I hesitate because babysitting isn’t my job. Because this feels like another sanction when I’ve done nothing wrong. Then I look at Zoey again, really look.
Her hands are still shaking despite her trying like hell to hide it. The memory of her underneath me surges in my brain. I can still feel her trembling, clinging to me like her life depended on not letting go. I suppose it kinda did.
“Whiz.” Lyric’s voice drags me back.
“Yeah, I’ve got her.”
“Good,” he replies. “We’ll talk later.”
He disconnects the call, and I tuck my phone into my cut before closing the distance between me and Zoey. She looks up when I get close.
“We’re leaving,” I tell her.
Her brows draw together. “What about—”
“Handled,” I say, repeating Lyric’s assurance . “You’re with me.”
She hesitates for a split-second and then nods, tucking herself against me as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. I guide her toward the gravel path, and we make our way to the cabin.
When we reach it, I open the door and let her step inside ahead of me. I hover in the doorway as one thought settles in my mind.
We’re fucked.