Page 74 of Bleeding Blackheart

I blink my eyes and can almost see his piercing blue eyes and blonde hair as if he’s standing right before me. When I escaped the hell he kept me in, I’d prayed that I’d neverhave to see him again. As terrified as I am, I know the last time that I see him will be the very last, and that brings me the slightest bit of peace. “I’ll be alright.”

Gunner gives me a squeeze. “I know you will. You’re a fighter, Montana. Strong, brave, and powerful.”

I imbibe his words while I lead the way with him glued to my side.

My father’s casino is one of the most popular ones in the city. On average, this place brings in fifteen million dollars per day. Mason’s office is at the very top of the building, secluded away with glass doors. I lead Gunner past the bathrooms through the maintenance hall into a door that leads to the private elevator in the building.

Gunner grabs my wrist before I press the button to go up. “We’re not going to get stuck in that thing, are we?”

I tilt my head to the side, trying to inspect it. My father is clever with his traps, but not this clever. “I don’t think so. We can climb twelve flights of stairs, or we can risk it.”

His jaw tightens, and he presses the button. “Let’s risk it.”

The door opens slowly, and I squeeze his right hand tightly when we step into the enclosure. Gunner breaks away from my grip for a split second to check his gun and his spare bullets. I look down at my black boots, making sure they’re still laced. My black tee is still tucked, and myhair is still in my braids, but I remove my ribbons and tuck them into my pockets, not wanting them to get caught on anything.

The box starts to slow when we approach the top level, and I hold my breath when we get out, entering the floor. I point to our left when we get out. “It’s right down that hall, at the end.”

Gunner pushes me behind him, leading the way down the marble floors. My palms start to sweat, and I feel like I need to pee. I almost get myself to chill out when Gunner freezes at what he sees when he turns the corner.

There are ten men in black suits standing in front of the doors to Mason’s office. One of them holds his finger up to his earpiece. “They’re here, sir.”

Someone grips my wrist, and when I turn my head around, they’re lifting a bag to put over my head.

Gunner’s attention turns to me before they can, and I hear him punch the assailant followed by the sound of bones crunching. I get a quick glance at the perpetrator who’s another guard in a black suit, face down while blood pours out of his head. Gunner pushes me into the corner on the floor when bullets start flying, and I peek up, seeing him roll toward the guards, bringing the first shooter to his knees.

Not a second passes before Gunner puts a bullet in his head, and when guys two, three, and four point their weapons at him, he snaps guy number two’s arm, pointing his gun at his own head and taking him out. He ducks between guys three and four, and they shoot each other, their blood splattering on the walls and their suits.

Guy number five pulls out a knife that Gunner uses to drive into guy number six’s eye, and guy seven gets his head smashed together with guy eight, sending them both to the ground. Guy nine points his gun at me, but Gunner fires first at the same time guy ten points his gun at my hero. I pick up someone’s gun off the ground and shoot the man over Gunner, leaving us in the empty hall standing over a pile of bodies.

I drop the gun, shaking, when Gunner comes up to me and grips my arms while he looks over my body quickly. “Are you alright?”

I let out quick and shallow breaths, realizing I’m still standing here. “I’m okay.”

Gunner picks up the earpiece of the guy who spoke first and holds it up to his head. “Did you hear that? Everyone’s dead, Mason.”

We wait for a response, but there isn’t one. Then there’s static. Gunner’s eyes widen. “He’s here.”

I look around, trying to decide if we should check the other offices or look for him in the casino. “If he’s here, he’s leaving.” It’s just a hunch, but my father likes to run from his problems.

Gunner glances through the glass doors of the office and below to the ground. “Three black cars are pulling off. We’ll follow them.”

I nearly trip, stumbling over the bodies while we run down the hall, taking the elevator back downstairs.

“We won’t catch him, Gunner.”

“We will. We have a fast car, he’s probably in that SUV. He’s not getting away.”

The doors open, and we run through the building back outside to our car, hopping in. Gunner takes off before we get our seatbelts on, and I hang on tight while he blows through the parking lot, nearly running over an old lady.

I watch fearfully while he whips around the back of the building, following the direction my father went. When we get down to the end of the lot to the main road, I see tiny specks moving in the distance to the right. “That’s them. That way.”

He pulls onto the road, flooring it, and we speed down, running red lights until we’re on the interstate. I glance at the gas tank and see we’re almost empty. “We’re gonna run out, Gunner.”

He presses on the gas harder. “I’m not stopping this car, Montana.” We get a little closer where the three cars are in view, but not enough to catch them.

I try to reason with him, not wanting to lose our targets either. “This car is not going to do us any good if it doesn’t drive. We need to fill up.”

He grits his teeth. “And then how the hell are we going to find them from there?”

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