Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
T he acrid smell of gunpowder fills my nostrils as the three of us stay ducked behind cover. Our attacker has us pinned down, but we've dealt with worse. I catch Teddy's eye and he switches off the flashlight and gives a slight nod.
Time to end this.
On his signal, we return fire in a coordinated assault. The attacker curses as he's forced to retreat. His footsteps echoing down the hallway.
"After him!" Teddy barks.
We surge forward as one, giving chase. The bastard is quick, I'll give him that. But he doesn't know this cabin like we do. Especially not in the dark. He’s put himself at a massive disadvantage.
We round a corner just as his shadow darts into the kitchen. Key and I flank the doorway while Teddy takes point. With practiced precision, we storm the room, weapons raised.
The hostage fires wildly as we duck for cover. Intermittently returning fire, we force him further back until–
Click.
The telltale sound of an empty chamber rings out. A feral grin spreads across my face as I meet Key's eyes. His expression mirrors my own.
Without hesitation, we charge. The hostage barely has time to react before we're on him. I tackle him to the ground while Key wrenches the gun from his grip. Teddy's there in an instant, zip-tying the bastard's hands behind his back.
"How the fuck did you get out?" I growl, pressing my knee into his back.
He sputters, face pressed against the cold tile. "It- it was the other guy! The one you had tied up with me. He let me out!"
Ice floods my veins as his words sink in. Jason. That sniveling coward.
"Shit," Key mutters, but Teddy's already moving.
"Atlas, secure him. Key, with me. We need to get to Grace. Now ."As they sprint from the room, I haul the hostage to his feet, mind racing. If Jason went after Grace...
I shove that thought aside. She's smart. She's resourceful. And she has three highly trained killers who would do anything to keep her safe.
Jason better pray we find Grace unharmed. Because if he's laid a finger on her, there won't be anything left of him to bury.
I quickly secure the hostage to a sturdy kitchen chair, making sure the zip ties are painfully tight, before knocking him clean out with a backhand to the temple with my gun.
My heart pounds, not from exertion, but from fear as I sprint after Teddy and Key, taking the stairs two at a time. Fear for our sweet, innocent Grace who's somehow wormed her way into the hearts of three hardened killers in a matter of days.
And I don’t fear anything.
I reach the bedroom door, finding it still locked with Teddy and Key hovering around it. A good sign, but it does nothing to quell the dread churning in my gut.
"Grace?" Teddy calls out, his usual commanding tone tinged with worry. "It's us. Open up, Little One."
Silence.
Key tries next, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "Sugar? You in there?"
Nothing.
I can't take it anymore. With a growl, I shoulder past my brothers and kick the door in, splintering the frame. Bursting into the room, weapons drawn, we search the room by firelight and the sliver of moonlight that’s creeping in, only to find it empty.
"Fuck!" I roar, panic clawing at my chest.
Teddy's already moving towards one closet while Key heads to the second, when the sound of glass shattering behind the bathroom door cuts through the air.
We freeze, exchanging tense glances.
Grace!