Page 93 of Crimson Flames

A creak on the floor gives our position away and causes the guards to turn.Looks like killing might be necessary this time.

Before I can take care of the problem, Kai draws back on his gun and fires, hitting them both in the head without so much as a second’s pause.

We all turn to him and he shrugs.

“I told you I was a decent shot,” Kai says in a low voice.

Nessa sighs, dropping her head back. “So much for no guns.”

“I won’t practice if you don’t want me to, but I want to show you that this is where I belong too.” Kai looks down at his gun, keeping it aimed away from us as he flicks on the safety again.

We enter the stairwell and make our way up to the bedrooms on the fifth floor. I have no idea how the kids inside are feeling about the sounds being made at the front gate, but we can hope that they at least know someone is coming for them. We just need them to believe it’s someone who wants to help them and not steal them.

Once we’re a little over half way, a door above bangs open, the sound of two sets of feet hitting the stairs. Nessa’s eyes go wide, but Kai leans over the railing, his gun aimed up as he shouts.

“Hey, asshats!”

Just as they peek over, he fires. One loses his balance and stumbles back, the other falls forward and over the railing. The man drops at least five stories before he is greeted by the ground.

“Guns and murder. Glad to see that the majority of my list is now null and void.”

“Hey,” Kai says, flicking on the safety again and loading a new clip. “I swear on my life I will stay away from the drugs.”

Nessa eyes Cillian and me before shaking her head.

“If you want to use that gun, you have to stay sharp. But I’m the only one you’re allowed to do target practice with. Deal?”

Kai nods his head so fast that I’m shocked he doesn’t give himself whiplash. “Yes. Deal.”

A small smile forms on Nessa’s face before it vanishes.

“Let’s go get these girls. There should be three in this wing, and they seem to share a large room.”

Cillian puts a hand on her shoulder before glancing up the stairwell. “Let’s move,” he says, raising his gun as he begins to walk up the next flight.

“Good shot, kid,” I whisper to Kai before the two of us make the turn. He freezes, looking back at me with a grin.

“Thanks, Pops.”

No. Absolutely not. That will not be his name for me.

I hear him chuckle under his breath as he follows behind Nessa, and I huff in annoyance.This is definitely going to be what he calls me.

I open the door to the top floor and we file out. Three faces turn towards us, and two dead bodies are on the floor.

“Who the fuck are you?” one of them asks. Guns raised and pointed directly at us.

“We came to rescue you,” Cillian says, removing his helmet. They all square their shoulders, clearly not believing us. It takes Kai stepping forward for them to not look like they are about to attack.

“Are you the ones making all the noise outside?” a girl asks and Kai nods.

“They saved me from the initiation camp. I was supposed to head here this month, but they shut it down and got all of the kids out.”

“Where did they send them?” another girl asks, eyeing Kai’s weapon.

“Some went back to their families. Others are staying with us at a really nice house where we have the freedom to leave when we want. A few of us have been adopted into vetted families.”

He smiles after saying that, and it makes my heart feel warm. Kai loves our family just about as much as we love him, and we do not love easily.

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