Chapter 27 #2
My temper snapped. I’d been in shock this whole time, but now it was like I was seeing everything crystal clear and I was furious.
These men were hurting the people, and animals, I loved.
I struggled to my feet and silently thanked my mom for her insistence that I join Keely in soccer.
Cocking back my leg, I let go with the hardest kick I could, straight to Bruno’s balls.
“You don’t hit dogs!” I shouted at him. He fell to his knees with a groan, cupping his junk.
That wasn’t the only transgression Bruno had committed, but I wasn’t about to waste time listing them out.
I hauled off and kicked him in the head for good measure, satisfied when he fell onto his back and Jecht landed on his chest, going for the throat.
Bruno managed to shove a forearm in front of his face and Jecht had latched onto that.
The dog had never been anything but sweet to me and the others at the clubhouse, but right now, he was out for blood.
It was as though he knew how much danger we were all in.
My gaze searched the area as I wondered what I should do. So far none of the men had pulled the weapons I knew they had, but it was only a matter of time. We were severely outgunned and soon we were all going to be in serious jeopardy if I didn’t do something.
A flash of metal caught my eye as Bruno struggled with Jecht. I reached out and grabbed the gun. I didn’t really know what to do with it, but worst case, I’d just squeeze the trigger until it stopped firing.
Straightening up, I looked behind me. There.
I ran toward the back of the room and grabbed a lighter sitting next to a pack of cigarettes.
It was a zippo, the type that would stay lit until the fuel ran out.
Eyes hardening with determination, I came up with a plan.
It might be stupid. And it might not even work, but it was our only chance.
No one knew we were back here. I doubted anyone could hear the scuffle thanks to the crowds out front and the layers of walls and insulation that were between us and them.
Our guys didn’t know that anything was wrong, and the tides were starting to turn in the men’s favor as I saw Kit get flipped off the man’s back she’d been riding.
“Hey, Assholes!” I yelled as loud as I could. My throat burned with the effort, but it worked. Everyone seemed to pause and look my way.
I flicked the lighter and held it up. Bruno’s eyes widened when he realized what I was about to do. He shouted in Italian. “Get her!”
I set the gun on the table, grabbed a roll of cash from one of the duffle bags and lit it on fire.
Dropping it into the nearest bag, I gasped when it went up in flames almost instantly.
I extinguished the lighter, then put it in my pocket before picking the gun back up and pointing it at the nearest man.
“I will burn everything here,” I warned, voice calm even though my hands were shaking.
Another yelp came from Jecht as Bruno managed to extract himself from the dog’s grip.
I heard Seek calling Jecht and Auron back to her.
I couldn’t spare a glance to see how anyone was doing because my eyes were locked with Bruno’s.
He was in charge here. It was going to be up to him what happened.
I kicked the burning bag into a pile of others and he swore as they lit up like the fourth of July.
He took a menacing step toward me, but I moved backward and took one hand off the gun.
I pulled the fire alarm that was on the wall and the loud wail of the siren started going off.
My eyes hardened, still locked with his.
“You can leave, or I can make this even harder on you. How is your boss going to feel if you come back to him empty handed?”
I pulled out the lighter again and flicked it to life. My gun was in my right hand and pointed at his chest. “You might kill us, but I’ll take you out first. And I’ll make sure every dollar bill goes up in flames even if I have to take out the entire building. Nothing will be left.”
His eyes were darting between the piles of cash nearby, my gun, and my face. “Get the bags,” he barked, finally making a decision. His eyebrow rose in question.
“We won’t stop you. Just leave us the fuck alone,” I snapped.
His nod was clipped, but he pointed at me and snarled, “This isn’t over.” They gathered up the remaining bags and left without another glance. It wasn’t until they rushed out the loading bay opening that I sucked in a shuddering breath.
“Oh my God,” Keely said, all but tackling me in a hug. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Everyone, including me and my sister were heading over to where Static was lying. “Is Jecht okay?” I asked on the way over, looking at Seek. The dog had taken on Bruno to help me. I hoped he wasn’t injured from where he’d been hit and kicked.
“I think so,” she said. “I’ll get him checked out as soon as I can.” She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and turned away from us.
“What about Static?” Jordan asked, kneeling down next to her friend. We all gathered around him.
Gwen had his head cradled in her lap. “He’s breathing. I think he has a broken rib. Definitely a concussion.” She nibbled her lip in worry. “He won’t wake up.” She sounded so lost and vulnerable as she looked up at me.
“He’s going to be okay,” I said. I sounded more confident than I was, but tears clogged my throat. “He has to be.” He’d saved my life. Nothing could happen to him or it would be all my fault.