Blood covered the metal tabletops and darkened saws, wrenches, and an electric drill with something goopy and wet dripping from the drill bit.
A darkly dressed figure opened fire—the unmistakable sound of a silencer hard to miss.
Snick, snick.
Stucco near his head peppered white into the air and Justice dove for cover one way and Steel dodged the other.
Hopefully, one of these fuckers was Blue, Crow, or Tanis. Maybe they’d get lucky and get all three, then he’d have a reason to call Fisher.
He returned fire and the shooter ran out a far door. Justice was up and following.
Bullets peppered the floor and he felt the burn on his arm. He opened fire at two perps who were gunning for him. They both went down.
People ran screaming, scrambling, and stumbling away through the mess. One even crashed into the wall on his way to the door. What was with all the people? Were they the killers fucking audience?
He launched across the kill room—because it sure the fuck was one—and caught one fleeing figure by the hair. He slammed the fucker’s head into the wall. The man went down and stayed there. Steel returned fire in the other room, but Justice kept going.
His eyes were on the prize of that blackly dressed killer.
The guy was dressed like Crow had been earlier and Justice would bet money it was Crow.
Justice was also sure the guy had been just about to operate the saw before they had come bursting through the door.
Leaping over the two men he’d shot, he made it to the doorway and turned down the hall.
Gunfire followed and he dodged low.
Justice fired, sprinted, and then fired again. Ducking into an open doorway, he swung his arm out and fired down the hall.
Crow fired back.
Justice stepped out, aimed, and fired. The man stumbled and ran, firing behind him as he went. Several more rounds hit the hallway. Justice dodged back. Once the snicks died down, he lunged out and ran after the guy.
Around the next corner, he found a short hallway with two open doors. The first room was empty.
The second one he found Crow sitting on his ass, back leaning against the wall. The silencer was slack in the man’s hand.
Justice stepped forward and kicked the gun away. Crow didn’t move.
Good riddance, motherfucker.
Justice yanked the guy’s hood off.
The man was not Crow.
It was Blue.
Justice felt for a pulse but found none. He stood and carefully and quickly made his way back to Steel.
Entering the room, he found his buddy with two perps sitting on the ground, backs to the wall. One had hate-filled eyes and the other had fear. They both stared at Steel.
The belligerent one with the hate-filled eyes was wearing a plastic workshop apron stained with blood and long plastic work gloves that went halfway up his arms.
“You get off on chopping people up?” Justice growled at the fucker.
He stalked over and crouched at eye level with the guy.
The man curled his lip and smirked like what he was doing was no big deal.