Page 99 of Emperor of Havoc

“Get down!” Ryu roars. Instantly he’s crashing into me, tackling me to the floor as the windows of the warehouse shatter in a hail of glass and bullets.

Chaos erupts everywhere. Both Li Fan’s men and our own yank out their weapons and start returning fire through the windows as everyone ducks for cover.

Nina screams as she dives for the floor. I grab her when Ryu lurches to his feet and starts shooting, yanking her under the table and then tipping it over sideways, blocking us from view of the windows.

“Stay here!” I sign frantically before I spin, my eyes landing on Li.

Shit.

My heart pounds as I rush to him. He’s on the floor, clutching his arm where a bullet has torn clear through the flesh. Blood is pooling beneath him, and his face is twisted in pain.

“Stay still,” I sign frantically, pressing my hands to the wound to try to slow the bleeding. Nina is suddenly beside me, her face pale but focused as she glances at me and then turns to Li, relaying what I just said.

Li grits his teeth, his uninjured hand fumbling at his side. I barely register what he’s doing until he pulls out a pistol, raising it over my shoulder. The deafening crack of the shot startles me,and I whirl just in time to see one of the attackers collapse to the ground, a dark hole in his chest.

Obvious Bratva ink covers his forearms.

Fuck.

Sergey’s men.

“Stay down, Kat!” Ryu barks, firing his weapon as more gunfire erupts around us. Additional Vorobev men stream through one of the side doors into the warehouse, faces twisted with grim determination. There’s an earsplitting sound of wrenching metal as an SUV crashes through the main doors, tires screeching against the concrete. More Russians pour out, their guns blazing.

“Move!” Ryu yells, grabbing my arm and pulling me to cover.

“Help me with him!” I sign frantically to Nina, jabbing a finger at Li. She nods, her face pale but determined, and we grab the Triad leader under the arms and drag him as Ryu covers us.

But there are too many of them. Not enough of us.

Oh fuck?—

Nina screams as Ryu goes down with a grunt, blood blooming across his side. All four of us collapse behind a crate as gunfire sprays the back of it.

“I’m fine,” Ryu snarls, trying to push me away. “Get out of here, Katarina! NOW!”

“Like hell,” I sign, grabbing his arm, my hands trembling. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Take him!” Li grunts, gritting his teeth and checking the clip of his gun. “I’ll cover you!”

I shoot him a look.

“We have adeal, Katarina-sama,” he growls. “That makes us allies.” He chambers a round in his gun, takes a breath, then twists around the side of the crate, wincing in pain. He raises his gun, squeezing off a few shots before he ducks back. “Get the fuck out of here,” he hisses. “I’ll hold them off!”

The gunfire is intensifying, the air thick with smoke and the smell of blood as I lock eyes with Li Fan and nod. Nina and I drag Ryu away, crouching low, before we tumble behind a stack of crates as bullets ricochet around us.

“There’s too many of them!” Nina shrieks, her voice tight with fear.

I glance down at Ryu, my pulse pounding.

Shit. He looks bad. His face is pale, and his eyes wander aimlessly. Blood is puddling beneath him.

I glance around, my mind racing. The exit is blocked, and the attackers are closing in. I grab Ryu’s gun from his limp hand. My fingers tighten around the grip as I peer out from behind the crates, raise the gun, and start firing on the advancing Bratva.

One of my shots hits its mark, and a man goes down with a scream. But immediately more of them surge forward, their sheer numbers overwhelming. My breath turns ragged as I duck back behind cover.

“We’re not going to make it,” Nina whispers, her voice trembling.

“Yes, we are,” I sign fiercely, my hands determined. “We?—”

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