Page 76 of Covert Vengeance

Gripping her pistol in both hands, she swiveled around the corner and aimed—

Powerful hands locked on her wrists, wrenching them downward with surprising force. Amber stepped into him, driving her knee hard up toward her assailant’s groin.

A guttural snarl echoed in her ears as they fell, tangled together. The icy shock of the water blasted through her.

Stanislav flipped her onto her back, forcing her head under the water. Amber reared up, driving the heel of her hand into his face as a blow smashed into her cheek, snapping her head back. Water filled her mouth.

“She was mine! She was going to be mine forever, and you took her from me!” he screamed.

Amber choked and drove her fist at his throat, her knuckles hitting nothing but air as Stanislav’s restraining weight was suddenly knocked aside.

She rolled to her knees just as Jesse flew past, the force of his tackle knocking Stanislav back into the water.

Chapter Twenty-One

Jesse dragged in a breath a split second before his head went under the water, the two of them rolling. While Stanislav had been thrashing around with Amber, Jesse hadn’t been able to get a shot off without risking hitting her, so he’d knocked the sonofabitch off her in a flying tackle.

His pistol was in his hip holster. But there was something inherently satisfying about pummeling this motherfucker with his bare fists.

Jesse twisted to the side and came up on top, immediately drawing his fist back to slam it into Stanislav’s evil face. Bone crunched, pain flaring through Jesse’s hand as a bellow of agony escaped the other man.

He and Stanislav both had the same level of training, and a busted nose or cheekbone wouldn’t stop him.

Jesse grunted as a heavy fist plowed into his lower ribs. The next instant he found himself on his back, his head being shoved under the water.

He bucked and flung both hands up to seize Stanislav’s throat, wrenching them sideways. Down they went again, tumbling one over the other, the watery light from the submerged flashlight nearby adding to the disorientation.

Just as Jesse’s head cleared the water and he sucked in a ragged breath, Stanislav’s head snapped back.

Jesse blinked, shook the water out of his eyes to find Amber right next to them. She stepped back into firing stance, having booted Stanislav in the head, her weapon aimed point blank at him.

“Freeze, asshole,” she commanded, moving in as she reached for the cuffs in her pocket.

“Fuck you,” Stanislav growled, struggling to break Jesse’s hold. He shot a leg out beneath the water and swept Amber’s feet out from under her.

She went down hard on her side, rolling to her knees just as two shots rang out from behind them down the tunnel, spraying bits of tile and concrete near her head.

Another shooter in the tunnel.

Jesse bit back a curse and renewed his efforts to subdue Stanislav, wanting to protect her and unable to draw his weapon. They traded more blows, thrashing and flailing in a death struggle in the water. He caught a flash of movement at the last moment and barely ducked out of the way as a blade whipped past his neck.

Stanislav slashed downward. Jesse threw up a forearm to block the wicked slice.

Bone met bone as their forearms connected. He released Stanislav’s neck and gripped the man’s knife wrist instead, wrenching it back and down as more shots exploded in the confined space.

Stanislav yelled in pain and levered backward, dragging Jesse with him. The water made Jesse lose his grip. A hand flailed out, ripped at Jesse’s weapon.

Jesse grabbed for it, missed, and lost it in the darkness. He sprawled face first into the water, shoved up on his hands and felt around for the pistol beneath the water, his gaze darting to his enemy.

Stanislav lunged forward, his face a feral mask of rage as he swung the blade toward him. Jesse bit back a curse and dove out of the way, hissed in a breath as a hot sting burned across his upper arm. He leapt to his feet and faced off with Stanislav, cutting a look toward Amber.

She was partway up the tunnel now, crouched as she returned fire at the shooter. It was too dark to see where Jesse’s weapon was. He needed more time to recover it.

“I’m killing you both,” Stanislav snarled, his right arm dangling at his hip, then rushed Jesse. “First you, then her. And I’m going to make her fucking suffer first.”

Rage and protectiveness pulsed through Jesse. Stanislav wasn’t fucking touching her again. Ever.

He tensed and locked his gaze on Stanislav’s knife hand. The moment his adversary came within range, Jesse darted to the side and kicked Stanislav’s feet out from under him. Stanislav stumbled and went down, and it was all Jesse needed.

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