Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
brEXLEY
Bang!
The singular gunshot popped in my ears as we came running out of the tunnel, watching a body drop to the ground. An armored truck tore off, swerving out of the way of a falling piece of debris.
My brain took in the fact this room was collapsing on itself, guards running around like rats trying to get out, no one paying us any attention now. All I saw on the ground was white-blonde hair dyed red from blood and Caden dropping to his knees next to the figure, screaming her name.
“Birdie!” I cried out, my legs tearing off across the room, a sickness knotting in my chest as I dodged and weaved as the room started to buckle. My knees hit the pavement hard, falling next to Caden, Ash coming on the other side.
Birdie’s eyes moved frantically between us all, trying to take in enough air. I couldn’t even see where she had been shot because there was so much blood. Her lids closed a little longer each time she blinked.
“Hell no . . . you stay with me. You hear me?” Caden was frantic, almost looking like he wanted to cry. “Help her!” he barked at Ash. “Do something!”
“I am.” Caden was already tearing at her shirt, trying to find the wound. “Put pressure on it!” Ash ordered Caden. The commotion around us seemed to haze out. “We need to slow the flow of blood. Give me your shirt.”
Caden ripped off his coat, yanking his shirt over his head in a second, giving it to him. Ash tied it around her shoulder/chest area, trying to ebb the flow of blood pouring from her.
“We need to get out of here.” Ember guarded us, Eli next to her. Their heads swiveled around frantically, watching more trucks and the last train pull out of the bunker.
A crash vibrated the ground near us, another section of the underground crumbling down. We had barely made it out of the labs before it collapsed. The space the dead soldier left in the doorway gave us enough room to escape before the whole thing buckled.
This room was about to do the same.
“Kovacs,” Warwick growled against the back of my neck, the real man standing over me, ready to scoop me up at any moment if he needed to.
At that moment, when the whole world felt against us, death snatching my friends and family from me like retribution, he had my back.
Literally and figuratively. The sensation dug in so deep, realizing something like that went even beyond mates.
A trust so absolute . . . love felt like a foolish word to utter.
We went beyond words.
A howl screeched from above us as if screaming out in pain, a huge section of the ceiling ripping in half, starting to drop.
“Move!” I bellowed, jumping up. Warwick’s hand latched onto my arm, yanking me forward as more shrills came from the deteriorating structure.
Caden gathered up Birdie, her head falling limply back, no longer conscious, his beefed-up physique sprinting forward.
All of us ran for the exit, feeling the ground echo with the weight of the ceiling collapsing, pieces shooting out like darts, cutting into us.
In front of us, Wesley waved us on, climbing into the last caboose of the moving train.
“Give her to me!” Wesley yelled as Caden ran along the train as it was picking up speed.
Wesley leaned over, grabbing Birdie’s tiny frame, while Caden leaped on the steps, reminding me so much of the countless times he and I used to jump on moving trains, robbing them of a few trinkets before escaping.
How naive, cocky, and entitled we were then.
So unaware that one little misstep, which landed me in Halálház, would lead us here.
“Move, Kovacs!” Warwick yelled at me. Ear piercing booms blasted out behind us while more of my friends jumped on the train.
Warwick and I leaped for the steps, his hand pushing me up to the highest rung, using his massive frame to engulf me while the shock waves and wreckage sprayed out, the train barely slipping away from the collapsing tunnel.
The Wolf pinned me so tightly to the side, his bones bruised mine, holding on for dear life while the train tottered and squealed, trying to stay upright.
The wheels sparked against the rails, about to slip off.
The pull of the front slammed the caboose back on the tracks, ramming us into the railing.
He buried his face in my neck, taking a deep breath as if he was making sure I was safe before he tipped his head back.
We both peered back through the dark night, watching the last bit of the structure collapse, crushing every life still left in there.
“Bazdmeg.” Fuck. Warwick muttered against my head, realizing how close we were to being the ones still in there. Though I had no time to think about the what-ifs right now. Shaking my head, I climbed the rest of the way up, rushing into the carriage.
Ash and Caden already surrounded Birdie on the ground. Rosie stood over them with a torch, giving Ash enough light to check her wound, while Killian and Lukas barricaded the door connecting the carriages, sliding crates in front of it.
“Is she okay?” I came rushing down next to Ash, ready to use my powers or do anything to keep her with us.
It wasn’t even a question. With a simple glance over at Caden, I realized how significant her life had become.
He had the look of a man about to lose his entire world.
Even if he wouldn’t admit it, the terror, grief, and devastation in his eyes spoke the truth.
“Here.” Wesley pulled off his jacket, handing it to Ash to use. Both he and Scorpion hovered over her, terrified for their friend.
Ash wiped as much blood away as he could with the fresh material, inspecting her wound.
“It’s a clean shot. Went all the way through.” He sat back on his heels. “She’s losing a lot of blood, which I need to stop, but I think the bullet just missed anything vital.”
“She’s gonna be okay?” Caden’s head jerked to Ash.
“Yeah.” Ash tilted his head, staring down at Birdie. “I want to watch her for a bit and make sure, but she’s tough.”
Caden heaved, tears prickling my eyes as I watched him curve over her with a quiet, relieved sob.
“She’s a fuckin’ badass,” Wesley said.
“Yeah, she is.” Scorpion nodded proudly, though worry still hung all over him.
“If the incident in Belarus didn’t take her out, this certainly won’t.
” Wesley looked over at Scorpion, making Scorp puff out a laugh, his head bobbing in agreement.
Wesley looked down at Birdie; her light breathing furrowed his brows in concern.
Birdie was like a sister to them. They had been through a lot together, more than I knew.
Ash cleaned her up the best he could, using Wesley’s cleaner jacket to rewrap the wound before he got up to his feet with a groan.
Lukas didn’t speak but reached out quietly, rubbing Ash’s arm in comfort, acknowledging all Ash took on.
“Our hero,” Kek smirked at Ash with a wink as she leaned into Lukas, her gaze full of hunger, but I knew there was more between them.
Kek was not the type to continue to hang around anyone if she didn’t really like them.
Not even for good sex. She got bored too easily.
Something developed between the three of them when I was gone—something deeper than anything I expected.
With Birdie out of immediate danger, an exhale went through the carriage. All of us took a moment to absorb where we were and what had happened. Exhaustion instantly sunk my shoulders down, my hands rubbing at my face, the adrenaline seeping from me.
“We did it,” I muttered.
“Barely,” Eli responded, running his hand over Ember’s shoulder, twisting his hand through her ponytail, playing with it like he was trying to memorize every strand, each one dear to him.
“Yeah, barely,” I agreed. “But we still did it.”
“Now what? Do we even know where this train is going?” Ember leaned back into Eli like they were each other’s charging stations.
Something I could relate to. Warwick wasn’t touching me, but I still felt him everywhere, his shadow right behind me, offering any energy I might need, while he tore into a crate, displaying the rifles stacked inside.
Killian ripped off the top of another one, holding up more rifles. This time there was no false bottom hiding pills. These held only weapons. Hundreds of them.
“I will bet this train is headed to the border.” Warwick picked up one of the rifles, checking it out. “Guns for the army he’s building there to attack Budapest.”
“We might have stepped up that timeline.” Eli broke into another one. More guns.
Eli was right. Istvan would respond to the loss of his lab with muscle. He needed to feel his power again and let everyone know he was in charge.
“Was gonna happen anyway.” Warwick shrugged. “I suggest until then we try to rest. It’s a long way back to Budapest, and this might be the last time we can.” He loaded the rifle, cocking it. “I will stay up and guard . . . if anything changes, including our direction, I’ll let you know.”
“No. I will.” Wesley stepped up, his gaze drifting toward Rosie and Killian. “I can’t sleep right now anyway.” I knew seeing them together hurt him; he struggled to be in the same space as their energy sang with lust and happiness.
“We’ll take shifts.” Warwick nodded at him, holding out the rifle. He didn’t fight Wesley’s offer, as if he sensed the same thing. Wesley took it, his mouth firming. He moved to the exit, settling in the doorway so he could see the terrain and anything coming at us.
Warwick didn’t speak. Taking my hand, he led me to a corner, sliding down the wall and pulling me with him.
I snuggled back into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me, encompassing me in warmth and protection.
My heartbeat calmed in the comfort of his arms, his presence soothing some of the torn edges in my soul.
Taking his hand, I twined our fingers together. “Thank you,” I whispered. “For earlier.” I didn’t have to say it. He knew what I was talking about.
He killed Karl. He didn’t take that from me; he did it for me.