Page 55 of Desecrated Saints
While we face the group of thugs, Miss White sneaks around us with her head tucked low. When she reaches Taggert and accepts his outstretched hand, it becomes clear that we’ve been played. Her grin confirms my fears. Looks like Incendia needed her after all.
Miss White spares us a derisive look. “Here they are, as we agreed.”
“Then the deal is done.” Taggert gives her a nod before turning to us. “The boss only wants patients Seven and Eight alive. The rest of you are disposable.”
Seeing red, I fire off a quick shot before anyone can react. It catches the man to Miss White’s left, who screams and clutches his shoulder. Chaos descends as our two groups collide. I take out another bastard with a kick to the groin, crushing his throat beneath my foot.
Shooting the next one in the kneecap, I prepare for collision as the tough motherfucker carries on coming at me. Knocked straight off my feet, my head hits the ground and I see stars for a sickening second. The tip of his steel-capped boot connects with my ribs next.
We end up wrestling, his balaclava ripped off to expose his face to my fists. He’s got several pounds of muscle on me and returns every hit. Panic begins to inch in as a blast rattles my eardrums. With matter splattering my face, I push the lifeless body aside.
“Need a hand, pretty boy?”
Seven is grinning down at me like the deranged lunatic he is, discarding a stolen gun to offer me a hand up. Taking it, I shoot him a scowl.
“This doesn’t make us even, you piece of shit. I ain’t no pretty boy.”
“Whatever you say. I won’t save your stupid ass next time.”
The sound of fists meeting flesh draws us both to Brooklyn. She’s kneeling nearby, beating the absolute shit out of Taggert with her bare fists. She looks too damn good covered in fresh blood. I don’t intervene; my girl can handle herself.
I’m here to enjoy the show.
My dick is aching just watching her.
“Stay down. Final warning,” she yells.
"We’re just… the b-beginning.” Taggert coughs up blood. “He w-won’t stop coming for you.”
“I’ll kill the next people Incendia sends too. Say hello to Jackson for me.”
Pulling out the knife stashed in her jacket, Brooklyn lifts her eyes to mine. Ensuring I’m watching, she brutally slashes the blade across Taggert’s throat. He drowns in a geyser of blood, also covering her head to toe in crimson rain. Brooklyn doesn’t even flinch, wiping her eyes.
“Like what you see?” She quirks an eyebrow.
“More than like, baby.”
“Help me kill the rest of these assholes and you can show me how much you like it.”
Seven clears his throat. “Touch her and you’ll die next.”
I stifle the urge to shoot him. “Whatever, man.”
We catch the moment Phoenix cracks someone’s skull, letting the body hit the ground with a satisfying thud. He winces and cradles his broken fingers. We’re not all accustomed to fighting, but I’ve seen what he can do when he really loses control.
With the advantage of anger on our side, we obliterate the hired skins that Incendia sent. Kade and Eli hang back, letting the rest of us clean up. When the bloodbath is over, it leaves shell-shocked silence and six dead bodies.
“Time to go,” Kade declares.
“What about her?” Brooklyn gestures to where Miss White is attempting to hide from us. “We can’t leave her alive. She knows Sadie’s real identity.”
I offer Seven my gun. “It should be you.”
He studies it for a moment before rolling up his sleeve instead. My kinda guy, I’ll admit. We all step back to give him room to work, drinking in the blissful terror eating away at Miss White.
“Please, Jude… I beg you. Don’t do this.”
“That person is gone, Elizabeth. He isn’t coming to save you.”