Page 63 of Rami

He withdrew his weapon. “Get down!” he bellowed.

Crack, crack, crack!

The mother cried and covered her daughter. Rami returned fire, and two of his bullets connected with the store window, sending glass everywhere and triggering an alarm.

Screeching filled the store as customers screamed and darted between the aisles. One of the men locked gazes with Rami, his stance furious. He advanced.

“Mommy, I’m scared!”

Fuck.

“Ivy, stay where you are! Lock the door,” he yelled toward the bathroom. She was safe in there for now. It would take a couple of attempts to get through the metal door. He left his position, slid to his knees, scooped up the little girl, and grabbed the mother’s arm.

The child buried her face in her little hands as he carried her toward the employee door he’d spotted earlier, at the far end of the store. The man skidded around the shelves to the fridge aisle. He aimed and fired.

Rami ducked behind the closest shelves and covered the mother’s head with his arm. He couldn’t return shots with his hands full.

“Run,” he hissed. “Through the employee door. There has to be a back exit.”

The woman’s wide brown eyes landed on his, and she nodded. He passed the little girl to her mom and waited several beats to make sure none of the men went after them.

The masked guy was no longer in the fridge aisle. Rami’s blood turned acidic as he leapt to his feet and ran to the bathroom hallway.

Crack!

A bullet slammed into his shoulder blade, the force sending him to his knees. Pain spread through his neck and spine, but the familiar searing fire didn’t follow—the bullet had hit the vest. He sucked in a breath and got to his feet.

Two of the masked men came around the corner, separating him from the bathroom door.

Taschen, hurry the fuck up.

Rami lifted his weapon and fired at the men. One shot connected with a guy’s chest, and blood squirted through the air. The other man dodged the bullet and tackled Rami to the linoleum floor.

Bang, bang, bang!

Screams erupted from the bathroom.

Ivy’s screams.

His attacker’s weight bore down on Rami’s back, preventing him from getting to his feet.

They were breaking down the bathroom door. Rage pummeled Rami’s temples. He twisted the guy’s arm backward as the dude tried to put Rami in a chokehold. He tossed the man to the floor and kept his attacker’s arm in a locked position. The guy let out a howl as his back connected with the floor and his shoulder popped from its socket.

“Ahhh!” The man’s dark eyes widened with pain.

Rami aimed his gun at the bastard’s head and fired.

Crack!

Cold satisfaction swept over Rami’s fiery skin as the bullet entered the guy’s forehead and his gaze went blank.

Ping!

The sharp clank of metal on metal echoed over all the other noises. Ivy’s screams reached a sickening height. Rami bolted for the bathroom, but he was too late. The asshole already had Ivy’s hair in his grip and was dragging her away from her hiding spot.

Rage erupted inside him, and adrenaline flowed through his veins like heroin.

Ivy’s wild, terrified eyes landed on him, and a flicker of relief shined in the pools of her irises. He focused his gaze on the soon-to-be-dead man with his hands on her. Lifting his gun, he aimed for the man’s head.

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