Page 45 of Throttle All the Way

Aiyana squared her shoulders and met his glare with one of her own. “Not a chance in hell, Bulldog. I didn’t come all this way to sit behind a desk watching video feed.”

He pointed a finger at her, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “You’re not getting yourself killed over this. I said no.”

“Too bad, I didn’t ask,” she snapped back, shoving past him. “And for the record, I’m a better shot than half your men, so maybe you should worry about them instead of me.”

Bulldog’s face darkened, but before he could respond, we were rolling out.

We underestimated Volkov.The farm was a fortress. We barely got within a mile of the property when none other than Bloody Scorpions came out of the woodwork, their patched vests marking them as hired muscle. Gunfire erupted, bullets tearing through the night as the Bastards retaliated.

“Get down!” I shouted, taking cover behind a stack of hay bales that offered questionable protection. Bulldog was nearby, shouting orders over the chaos. Aiyana crouched beside him, firing off shots with precision.

“Behind you!” she yelled, and before Bulldog could react, she spun and dropped a Scorpion sneaking up on him with a clean shot to the chest.

Bulldog turned, his expression a mix of fury and reluctant admiration. “Damn it, woman,” he muttered.

Aiyana smirked. “You’re welcome.”

The fight was brutal, gunfire cracked through the darkness, flashes of light illuminating the fight going on around us. Around me, one by one, the Bloody Scorpions fell, their numbers thinning under the force of the Royal Bastards. Saddle was a beast, his shotgun roaring as he cleared the way, his sheer size making him an unstoppable force. Hart moved like a shadow, quick and deadly, his twin blades flashing as he cut down anyone stupid enough to get in his way. Carnage, one of our newer enforcers, was somewhere in the fray, his laughter carrying over like a madman with a taste for violence. Even I stayed out of his way.

I barely moved in time as a bullet whizzed past my head, splintering the post behind me. My sidearm barked in response, dropping the shooter before he could reload.

Ahead, Bulldog and Silencer fought side by side, a duo as deadly as they were efficient. Silencer’s blade sang as it sliced through the air, a Scorpion dropping to his knees with a guttural scream, clutching at his throat as blood spilled through his fingers. Bulldog didn’t even flinch, his shotgun booming as he covered Silencer’s blind spot, sending another Scorpion flying back into the dirt.

“Behind you, Prez!” Silencer shouted, lunging forward. His knife plunged into the gut of a Scorpion who had Bulldog in his sights. He twisted the blade with a sickening squelch, the Scorpion’s face contorting in pain before he crumpled to the ground.

Bulldog glanced over his shoulder, a rare smirk tugging at his lips. “Nice catch.”

Silencer wiped the blade on his jeans, his expression cold. “Just doing my job.”

Nearby, Hart ducked under a wild swing and drove one of his knives into the Scorpion’s ribs, twisting it before pullingback to let the man drop. Another thug charged him, but Hart sidestepped, slashing his throat in one clean motion.

Carnage came barreling out of the smoke, laughing like a lunatic as he fired his rifle into the crowd. He caught sight of a group of Bloody Scorpions trying to flank us and unleashed a string of bullets that turned their advance into a bloody retreat.

“They’re scattering like rats!” he shouted, reloading his gun. “Let’s finish this!”

We pushed forward toward the barn, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood. My heart pounded as we breached the doors, the musty smell of rot and oil hitting us like a physical blow to the gut.

“Mila!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the empty space.

The sounds of chains rattling drew my attention and stomach turned as I spotted her in the corner, strung up by her wrists, her body a canvas of fresh wounds. Blood dripped from her onto the dirt floor, her face pale and swollen. My stomach twisted at the sight.

“Mila,” I said again, softer this time as I ran to her. Her head lolled to the side, her eyes fluttering open.

“Cipher,” she whispered, her voice so faint I barely heard it.

“I’ve got you,” I said, pulling a knife from my pocket and cutting through the ropes that held her up. She collapsed into my arms, and I lowered her gently to the ground.

The sound of footsteps snapped my attention to the shadows. I barely took a step before a Scorpion lunged at me from the side. My reflexes kicked in, and I drove my elbow into his face, hearing the satisfying crunch of bone. He staggered back, and I put two bullets in his chest before turning back to Mila.

“Cipher, go!” Bulldog barked, stepping into the barn behind me. He leveled his shotgun and fired at a Scorpion lurking in the shadows.

As I ran to Mila, another figure moved to ambush Bulldog. Aiyana’s voice rang out.

“Get down!”

Bulldog dropped just as Aiyana fired, her shot catching the son of a bitch square between the eyes. Bulldog glanced back at her, a mix of frustration and reluctant pride in his eyes.

“You’re lucky I love you,” he muttered.

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