Chapter 21 #6
Tears were falling down my face and Vail was visibly shaken.
Never have I wished for swift vengeance in my life.
Behind us, one by one, the girls were struggling to crawl beneath the small gap under the wiring and the dirt.
There were eleven of us left now, and Rebecca was seriously injured.
Taz half dragged her under while another girl helped move her legs.
“Hurry up! Hurry up!” Shaw hissed, looking back at the firefight.
All I could hear were shots firing off in rapid succession.
“Okay, Casey, you next.” He shoved me down to my knees, and I did my best to crawl as fast as I could.
The ground was cold, the metal slicing my back as I slid beneath.
On the other side, the ground was covered with grass and dirt, an expanse of trees surrounding the area.
“There’s a boat!” One of the girls called out, pointing to the water. I reached down, now helping to pull Shaw through, but quickly glanced over to see a power yacht approaching, its spotlight moving slowly along the shore.
“Scotty!” Taz waved his arms at him. “Here, bud! Here!” He hoisted Rebecca up and hurried down to the shore, the other girls following, but I waited for my boys as Lee now struggled to fit.
I clung to the chainlink as Shaw and Vail helped get Lee through, and watched in horror at the scene unfolding behind us.
The fire has spread, burning away the third warehouse, and now each member of the Spades and Beasts were indiscernible to the other.
They were just shadowed, dark outlines against the flames, and one by one, they all fell down, just dark, crumpled shapes on the ground.
One after another, after another. I didn’t know where James was, where he ran to.
I couldn’t tell if one was Animal or Gavin, or Aron.
They were just moving shadows that dropped from the bright blast from the guns of the Faceless.
Vail crawled under next, as Taz helped the girls wade nearly chest high into the water to reach the boat, while the captain lowered a silver ladder off the stern into the water for them to climb.
I glanced back to the carnage and noticed at least two shadows were hidden behind pallets far out on the dock, but the Faceless were moving in, led by one huge figure I knew to be Jeremy.
“Come on, we have to go!” Vail grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind him as he ran down the embankment to the water.
“What about those two?” I pointed back over my shoulder, desperate to save the last of them.
Lee looked, but shook his head. “It’s too fucking late. Jeremy is heading right for them.”
“But-”
“Casey!” Vail snapped. “It’d be suicide for us to go back!
We can’t! Now, fucking run!” He hauled me along, and we all jumped into the freezing cold water.
I coughed and spat as some got into my mouth, nevertheless kicking as hard as I could, swimming and determined to make it.
Taz climbed up as Vail reached the ladder, but reached back for my hand, pulling me to the ladder to go up first. I didn’t argue and climbed, coughing and breathless and reaching down to help Shaw up next.
He was shivering hard, his wet blond hair a mop upon his head.
Vail made Lee board next, and I heard Taz talking to Scotty, both men noticeably shaken.
“So that’s fucking it, then?” Scotty looked like he was about to go into shock.
“Not it. We still have a job to do,” Taz nodded to the steps leading down below deck, where I could hear the girls crying and talking amongst themselves.
“Right. Right! Fucking right. Let’s go. We got everyone on?” He glanced back at us just as Vail climbed up, pulling the ladder with him, nodding.
“No one else,” he confirmed, shaking his hair out of his eyes.
Scotty climbed up to where I could only assume the helm or command center of the boat was, and the engine rumbled, coming to life.
“Hang on!” he called down, and the four of us sank down onto the cushy seats, clinging to each other as we shivered in the cold night air.
The boat lurched forward, gliding across the water, and I couldn’t help but look back one last time.
The fourth warehouse had now caught fire, and as the four of them burned, embers and ashes floated up into the air.
It looked like hell, and the sound of gunfire had stopped.
The devil had won, but somehow, we had made it out together.
I nestled into my boys, trying not to think of the sacrifices that had been made to save us.
My heart was ripping apart, thinking of James and Maverick.
Of the others who so selflessly stayed behind.
We were all gasping for air, all clinging to each other, and I was reeling…
how was it that we made it out alive, together, while so many were gone?
“Thank fuck, I had the number memorized.” Vail got to his feet, shaking from head to toe, and headed over to Taz.
“What?” I asked, but he ignored me. He spoke softly to Taz, who disappeared momentarily below deck, and came back up with a cell phone. Vail returned to us, pulling me onto his lap, and rested his chin on my head. “What?” I asked again as he punched in a number.
“I’m going to ask someone to return a favour.”