Page 65 of The Reaper

“How many people are guarding that exit?” I asked.

“Three men, according to the surveillance camera.”

“Fuck.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Heath said. “Can we make it?”

I wished I knew. “We just gotta keep going.”

“Don’t worry, boo, I got you,” Zero said. The sounds of her keyboard carried down the line. “I’ll shut down their power when you’re close so you can take out the guards.”

We arrived on the next floor without being noticed. “Can you do that?” I asked Zero.

“You did not just ask me that,” she said.

“My bad.”

“Archer, hurry! Someone’s coming,” Heath whispered.

Shots were fired in our direction, hitting the metal stairs. “They’re over there,” someone yelled. More bullets pinged against the metal around us as we ran upstairs while Heath returned fire on the men following us.

“You’re almost there,” Zero said.

Gunshots coming from upstairs whipped past my side, barely missing me. “Fuck!” I aimed my gun at the man looking down, shooting him in the face. He fell, landing three floors down.

“Were you hit?” Heath asked.

“No. How much longer, Zero?”

“In three, two, one. Be prepared for darkness,” she said. And, on command, the lights went out. We used the rails to guide us the rest of the way up.

We slammed the exit door open and dove to the ground. Just as Zero mentioned, three men were waiting outside. They fired their guns aimlessly toward the open door, unable to see through the darkness that we were on the ground. The glow of their guns’ barrels gave their location away. Heath and I took our shots. Bodies thudded, then silence. “We got them,” Heath said.

We rose to our feet and ran toward the woods. “We need to protect your grandparents,” Heath said between heavy breaths.

“Why?” I asked. The sprint to escape the monastery and the men who were after us made my lungs burn. “Stop for a second.” I reached for his elbow, halting him. “What are you talking about?”

“The Firm is going to use them as pawns to get to you.”

“Are you sure?”

Heath held my shoulders, nodding.

“God-fucking-damn it!” I kicked the ground. Fear, frustration, rage, and helplessness paralyzed my mind. My instinct was to kill, but it wouldn’t do me any good at the moment. I needed to come up with a concrete plan. Fast.

“I don’t know how much time we have, but it was what the Archbishop told me before you slit his throat.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I ignored the call, focusing my attention on Heath, but it started buzzing again. I pulled it out and pressed the green button. “What?”

“It’s me,” Tobias said. “It’s fucking too late, man. They’re out to get you.”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I’d hoped I would have more time. I’d expected the wrath of The Firm for betraying them, but there were complications I hadn’t anticipated when I’d decided to go rogue. I used to only worry about my sorry ass, but as of a few hours ago, Heath’s and my grandparents’ safety rested in my hands.

“Where are you?” Tobias asked.

“Maine.”

“What part? I can be there in a couple of hours.”

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