Page 123 of Beast: Part Two

“Do you have a clear shot into the balcony?” I ask Zel.

“No. The stained glass makes it hard to see.”

The room goes silent, but I can hear the sound of heavy breathing, moaning, and footsteps. Peeking under the row of pews I’m under, I spot a pair of black boots. Aiming my gun, I shoot at the guy’s ankles. A scream and then a thud proceeds the man falling to the ground. He turns his head just in time to spot me under the pew. I put a bullet in his right eye.

Bullets once again land into the wood over my head. I tuck and roll back in the opposite direction.

“I’m stuck until you get the guy in the balcony,” I tell Zel.

“Let’s Hawk it,” Zel says.

I smile before lifting my head slightly to get a clear view of the balcony guy. I grasp his location before ducking back behind the pew.

“30-degree angle, from center, your right,” I say to Zel.

“Got it.”

A loud cracking sound, like when a rock hits your car window, proceeds groaning and then a loud thump. Lifting from my hidden spot, I see a small hole in the stain glass window. Looking down beneath the balcony stand is the body of the gunman.

“That was a damn near perfect headshot.”

“Hawk, you would be proud,” Zel laughs.

“I am,” Hawk says through the earpiece.

I spin just in time to see the guy I hit with my knife standing behind me with his gun aimed at me. Shutting my eyes, I know it’s too late. I think of Malia and my kids.

“Never lose count of your bodies,”Priest words play back in my head.

The silent purr of a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun goes off and I wait for the pain. Yet, nothing happens.

I open my eyes to find the gunman lying on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding his head. I turn to find Many, Maksim, and Beast at the door. Beast lowers his gun and walks over to me.

“You good?” he asks.

“What the fuck took you so long? Did you take the scenic route?”

Many chuckles. “New brother, Maksim, misjudged the distance we were parked,” he says in his deep voice.

Beast walks over to the guy he shot and yanks my knife out of his chest. He wipes the blood off on the dead man’s suit before walking over to me. He eyes me up and down. At first, I thought he was checking for injuries, but the way he stares at me, I feel like he’s looking for something else.

“Are you good?” He asks again.

Once again, I open my mouth to tell him yes, but I stop to think. He isn’t asking if I’m physically hurt, he’s asking if I’m mentally good. Staring down the barrel of a gun isn’t new. I’vehad many close calls in this line of work. However, this time felt different. It felt closer. Before losing Priest, dying felt unreal. Even though we’ve been close to it many times, it almost felt as if we were superhuman. But after losing Priest, I’ve realized that we aren’t immortal. For the first time, some of the things I’ve done, the decisions I made while doing this, seemed too risky. Staring down the barrel of that gun made me realize what my brother had been wanting for so long—to be done.

Finally, I answer Beast with the correct response. “No,” I say looking into his green eyes. “But let’s finish this.”

He nods his head in understanding and holds out my Bowie for me. I take the knife and place it at my back inside the holster there.

“How many do we have left?” Maksim asks, making his way over to the moaning Priest.

“Eight, plus Adam,” I say as Beast and I join him in front of the priest.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” the priest snarls. “You will never again live in peace. He will…”

Beast puts a bullet in the priest’s head.

“We don’t have time for final words,” he says, turning toward the door at the back of the altar. The one I believed led down to the basement.

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