Page 89 of Savage Desires
Shawn curses when he sees her moving. My girl is clever, though. She stays low and gets to another safe point without harm. Don't get me wrong. I'm fucking pissed at her even though I'm proud as hell that she's handling her first gunfight like a pro. Willow pops up from her hiding spot and fires twice, then she's on the move again.
Shawn motions for us to move. He's obviously frustrated that his charge has gone rogue. I'm distracted by a man trying to sneak up behind me with a knife. I almost miss his attack when I watch with horror as Willow runs to the bar and jumps on top of it. The guy nearly stabs me because of my distraction. I have no choice but to focus on my problems and pray that Shawn has her back.
I quickly finish off my assailant with his own knife and turn to find Willow. She's nowhere to be seen. I see Shawn and Goose, but they are pinned down by someone firing from the balcony. Either the man Willow shot rejoined the fight or more people were hiding up there. It's hard to tell with how shadowed it is.
I move positions, trying to get a better visual on the balcony, but there just isn't one from this side. Shawn and Goose have the best vantage point, but they can't do shit about it because of how quickly the bullets are raining down on them. Then, the shooting stops abruptly, and there's a loud shout from above, followed by several shots. Another body falls from the balcony and Willow peaks over at us and gives us a bloody thumbs up.
Jesus H. Christ.
That woman will be the death of me. I desperately try not to panic over the fact that it looks like her entire hand is soaked in blood. I'm going to strangle her pretty little neck if she gets hurt. She was supposed to stay by my side where I could protect her.
There's a pause in the gunfire, and Shawn's voice comes through the comm, asking for an update. Smith checks in, saying their side is clear. No sooner than he says it, there are two more gunshots from their side… "Take that back, now it's clear," he says.
Goose does a quick walk through the area and declares our side clear.
"Balcony's clear," Willow says.
"You're in so much trouble," I growl in response. "Get down here."
She sighs. "A little thanks would be nice. Not like I saved your asses or anything."
"If y'all are done with your lover's spat, Jack and his boys have been dealt with. They were loudly discussing the best place to lie in wait for y'all," Cutter says.
"Proceed with step two," I say.
There's a chorus of affirmatives. I meet Willow at the bottom of the stairs and pull her into my arms. "Don't fucking do that again. I aged ten years watching you run away from me."
"Sorry. I saw an opportunity and took it. I was careful." Her apology sounds less than apologetic, but I let it go for now. We'll be discussing it further later.
Hank, Tex, Bomber, Smith, and Goose head up the stairs that Willow just descended to check the private rooms and the secret VIP area. Shawn, Goose, Willow, and I meet Cutter and Zeke at the door to the basement. It's locked with a keypad that would've taken time to unlock if Willow didn't know the code. The idiots weren't very careful with security codes around the slaves because they didn't see them as a threat—an obvious mistake on their part.
Everything is quiet on the way downstairs. I expected at least a little resistance, but there's nothing even once we're in the basement.
"The cells are down there to the left. There's another hallway at the end where the showers and the punishment rooms are. I doubt any guards will be in the cells. They automatically lock when closed and the only way to unlock them is from the outside. The shower room and punishment rooms should be checked, though."
Zeke and Goose head that way moving quietly.
"The office and rooms the guards and Madame use are this way," Willow says, taking her first step to the right.
All is quiet this way, too. It's concerning, but maybe they put all their men upstairs thinking there would be no way we could get through their numbers. Either way it's weird.
Willow points to the first door and mouths, "Office."
Shawn and Cutter continue down the hall to check the other rooms while Willow and I handle whatever's in the office. We stand on either side of the door and I carefully turn the handle and push the door open, ducking for cover in case someone fires at us. When nothing happens, I peek around the corner and see one man holding a woman in front of his body like a human shield with a gun to her head.
I indicate to Willow that she should stay put. I enter the room, gun aimed and ready, though I wouldn't dare shoot with the woman so close. The poor thing looks terrified. I hear Willow enter the room behind me and I grit my teeth. The woman is going to get her ass spanked for defying me.
"Put your gun down, or I'll fucking shoot her!" the man says to me in a thick Russian accent. He must not consider Willow a risk because he's completely ignoring her. When I don't move fast enough for his liking, he pushes the gun harder against the woman's temple causing her to whimper.
I slowly lower my gun and see Willow raise her arm beside me. A gunshot rings loudly in the enclosed space and a neat hole appears in the man's forehead. The woman collapses to the floor, sobbing. Willow holsters her weapon and rushes to the woman, falling to her knees beside her.
The woman stares at Willow like she can't make sense of what she's seeing, then throws her arms around Willow and weeps in her arms. I hate to break up their reunion, but we need to finish our task and get the hell out of here.
"Where are the keys to the cells?" I ask.
The woman points at the dead man. I dig through his pockets finding the keys and his cell phone. I check to see if the phone is locked, and it's not. The idiot doesn't have any security on the device. I pocket it in case there's any helpful information on it and grab the keys.
"Come on, we need to get the other women out."