Page 83 of Intertwined Souls

One more deep breath and I make myself let go of every anxious thought, of my fears, of the things I have been through, and my concern for everyone I have come to love.

They can defend themselves. We are all ready for this.

Gabe holds up his phone for everyone to see again.

Nerds: Thirty seconds.

Pulling out one of my knives from Lincoln, I grip it tightly in my hand and focus on the two guards who are currently walking the length of the front of the warehouse.

“Move,” Gabe breathes, and we are off.

“I’ve got the guard to the left,” Axe whispers.

“The other one is mine.” Ryker grins and takes off in front of us.

Axe quickly locks his arm around the guard's neck and slowly takes him down to the ground until he is no longer moving.

Ryker, on the other hand, pulls out a knife and sneaks up behind the guard when he turns his back on us. Reaching around him, he grips his forehead in his free hand, yanking it backwards and slicing open his neck. The man gurgles and grips at his throat as he stumbles to the ground, unmoving.

Cade reaches the double front doors first and, twisting the handle, it opens with ease. Not even locked. Bingo.

Vance’s men, that I don’t even know the names of, go ahead of Cade and we all follow after them. There is a desk straight across from the doors where two men sit that are quickly taken out before they can alert the others. Then to the left of the desk is a hallway, and to the right are a set of stairs.

Three more men come from farther down the hall, spotting us and immediately yelling out. Shit. Ryker, Gabe, Axe, and a few others rush toward them while I glance at Cade and then gesture towards the stairs. Grayson follows us to the next level along with two other men.

When we get to the top of the old wooden staircase, there is a single long hallway going straight to the back wall of the building. There are doors on either side, so we slowly work our way down the hall, quietly checking each door and hoping no one up here heard the commotion from downstairs.

The first on the right is a shitty little bathroom, then next door on the right is a dingy medical room. It sends shivers down my spine as I notice the medical bed that has stirrups attached to the end and a large light above the bed.

As we head towards the next room on the left side of the hallway, a door towards the end of the hallway flies open, and four guards come out along with another guy behind them. They yell and immediately charge towards us, but it doesn’t escape me that the last guy bolts in the room directly across the hall from where they came from.

Cade and two of Vance’s men take on the guards while one of the other guys, Grayson, and I head into the next room.

The second I step through the door, the sound of gun cocking makes me pause long enough for the guy to my right to aim right between my eyes. Forcing my legs to move, I step to the side and then grip his arm that is holding the gun, twisting until I hear the bone snap and he drops it.

Bringing my knee up to his balls, I hit hard, causing him to drop down in front of me. Before I have the opportunity to pull my gun out, a pop sounds from a gun with a silencer. Blood sprays the front of my sweatshirt, and I feel some land on my neck.

Whipping my head up towards where the sound came from, I find one of Vance’s men.

“What the fuck?” I question angrily, glancing around the room and finding Cade now in here helping Grayson restrain a man in a suit behind the desk that sits in the center of the space.

The guy shrugs. “I already had my gun out. It was just easier for me to take the shot.”

I eye him warily, not sure if I believe him, but now isn’t the time to question it. “We need to go farther down the hall. I watched the other man in a suit go into a different room when the guards came at us,” I say warily.

We quickly clear the other rooms until we get to the last door on the right where the man went earlier, finding it locked. Grayson nudges me and shows me his phone screen.

Rage: Downstairs is cleared.

Nodding, I peer behind me at Cade, who glances at the door over my shoulder and then grins at me. “I’ve always wanted to kick down a door.”

Biting my lip to hold back a laugh, I gesture towards the door, and everyone steps back. Cade approaches it and faces away from the door before lifting his leg and kicking backwards. It takes about three solid blows before the door finally splinters and we can get it open.

But as soon as we step inside, my heart stops.

Ryker

Twenty Minutes Prior

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