Page 104 of Fire for Effect

One of them punched her in the face, her nose bleeding. The other kicked her in the back of the thigh, and she fell to the ground. Still, she kept fighting them. When one of them grabbed her by the jaw to drag her by her fucking head, she bit down on his hand so hard, blood fell down her chin.

I sprinted to her, ready to do anything I needed to - even if I just needed to cover her body with mine, and absorb all the bullets, because she was not going anywhere without me. Not now. Not when we had just figured ourselves out.

The platinum bracelet glinted in the light as she did a haymaker punch to one of the guys, and he screamed when her elbows and knees started indiscriminately striking whoever the fuck got near her.

“Baby!” I said, reaching a hand to her.

She was within reach, almost at my fingertips when heat spread across my stomach. Liquid. Red. And burning pain went through my body as I was knocked off course, slammed into the asphalt and away from her.

“Griff!” she yelled, as they pushed her into the black sedan, the doors barely closed before they drove away.

“Taz!”

The last thing I saw before black rage covered my eyes was my red blood on the road beneath me.

It took three seconds before my phone was out, and I dialed Mack McClanahan.

The bullet graze in my gut ached and heated as the blood slipped down my shirt. I’d staple it and worry about it some other time. I needed to get to her. I needed the team.

“Top?” I said, without greeting as it clicked on. “They took her. I need you guys.”

Chapter 28

Tender Dicked

Taz

I’ve had better days.

I’ve probably had worse days, but I just couldn’t think of them right now.

A meaty hand connected with my temple, and I saw stars. Stars in the darkness, as my dominant eye was swollen shut. I was pretty sure my nose was broken, but the jury was out on that one. It throbbed, and gushed, sending blood into my mouth.

Blood, and probably snot.

Kinda gross.

Whoever was hitting me struck me in the gut, and I grunted under the pressure.

I was tied to a chair. At first, they had only tied my hands down, but then they had to tie my feet down when I kicked two lackeys - one in the nuts, and the other under the knee cap. The first probably won’t have any serious injuries to his rather miniscule member. The other? I hope he had a lifetime of limping in his future.

Assuming I didn’t kill him on my way out of here, of course.

“Where is the Ghost?” The rando lackey asked for the fifth time.

I had stayed silent, but I was getting bored.

So, I asked, “Casper?”

Rando hit me again, this time in the breast.

That hurt. But not as much as it would hurt him when I’d shot him in the balls later on.

I was vaguely aware of someone setting up a laptop in front of me. My swimming head was also a bit distracted when it began to ring, and the computer screen looked into a small room, filled with somber faces.

I blinked, as I stared at the Situation Room with the familiar faces of President Davis Lau and CIA Director Roland Griffith.

It was amazing how similar Director Griffith looked to his son. He had a bit of silver at his temples, but the same dark, almond-shaped eyes, and serious jawline. I guess that’s what Kai would look like in twenty or so years.

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