Page 33 of Banner

I slip my phone back into my pocket and squeeze through the hole.I dart across the parking lot and move quickly to the back of the building.

Fuck.I look at the metal door that’s the only way inside from this side of the building and reach for the handle.I’m positive it’ll be locked, but I turn the metal knob and damn near trip over my own feet when it twists all the way.

My brows lift.No way, it’s going to be this fucking easy to get in.As quietly as possible, I pull the door open and peek inside to find a long hallway with one of Ivan’s men posted at the foot of a stairwell.Standing guard at the other end is the big fucker Nova was telling me about.That’s gotta be where they’re holding Sophia.Using my boot to hold the door, I pull out my blades and take a deep breath.

It’s now or never.

Yanking the door open, I look to my left and let the daggers in my hands fly.They glide through the air and hit their mark.There’s no time to savor the kill with Sasquatch stomping in my direction.Nova wasn’t exaggerating; the fucker is huge.Pulling more blades from my cut, I spin around quickly and fling one blade, then two, then three at the giant lumbering toward me.His body jerks as each blade penetrates his flesh and his eyes widen before the light inside them is extinguished.His body hits the ground like heavy timber.Stepping over his body, I rip open the door and barely duck out of the way of the metal pole Sophia’s wielding like a weapon.Her eyes widen when she realizes it’s me.“Whoa there, slugger.”

She drops the pole and jumps into my arms.“I knew you’d come,” she breathes into the side of my neck.

“I’ll always come for you, Mouse.”I’ve never meant anything more than I mean that.I’d walk through hell to get to her.She unlocks her legs from around my hips and plants her feet on the ground.I tip her head to the side to see the black eye that has already turned a mottled blue, I also note a patch of hair that’s matted with her blood.

“What happened?”

“The giant punched me,” she says, pointing to the side of her face.“I woke up in the back of their van.There was a tire iron and I grabbed it; I had to fight.”

“Shh.You did good, baby—”

“I tried,” she sobs.“But they were too big, and then someone hit me.”She lightly presses at the back of her head and hisses.

“I’m so sorry, Mouse.”This is all my fault.I knew Ivan was getting bolder, but—

“No!”Sophia narrows her eyes at me.“This isn’t your fault.”

I disagree, but there’s no time to stand around hashing it out.“We need to get out of…” I pause.“Do you hear that?”

Sophia’s eyes widen and I grin.The rumble of bikes racing in our direction is growing louder by the second.

“They’re—” The door is thrown open and slams loudly against the wall.With his gun drawn, Ivan steps inside, and instinctually I step in front of Sophia as my hands go to my cut and I pull out two blades.I’m going to kill this pretty boy motherfucker.

“Pathetic.”He shakes his head, a look of disgust on his face.“You’re willing to die for a fucking gash?”

“She’s my wife!”I growl, readying my knives.There’s no way he’s leaving here alive.

“SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MINE!”he roars.It’s the truth, but we’re beyond that.He sealed his fate when he started fucking with the locals and targeting my family.

“You’re a coward.”

“Says the pussy who ambushed my woman.”I sneer.His face turns beet red, and I laugh.“Come on, asshole.”I wave him forward.“Put down the gun and fight me like a real man.”It’s a huge risk, provoking him but I have to get Sophia out of here.

“You first.”He nods to my blades.I lift my hands and slowly set them on the edge of the desk as he does the same with his Glock and once it’s out of his hands, I pounce.My fist connects with the side of his head as he lands a solid hit to my middle.“Oof,” I wheeze.Damn, he can throw a punch.We trade blows and land hard against the wall.It doesn’t take long before he’s running out of steam.

This is why I don’t let my men handle shit for me.It makes a man go soft and that’s exactly what Ivan’s done.I draw my fist back again to finish this once and for all but falter when a blazing fire licks across my ribs.This motherfucker stabbed me.

I drop my hands, putting pressure on the laceration but I’m the king of wet work and know it’s bad.I’m losing too much blood.

Chapter14

Sophia

I watch in horror as the man I love clutches his side and slides helplessly to the floor.His eyes slowly lift to mine, and I see it in his sorrow-filled stare— he’s fading fast, but like the leader he is, he’s already calculated the probability of how this ends—of how he…

“NO!”I growl, refusing to accept the truth in Banner’s eyes.“You’re not leaving me.”

Swerving around, I lunge for the gun and yank it off the desk.“Get back!”I hiss at Ivan who’s already advancing.I pull a page from Banner’s book and position my body in front of his.

Ivan laughs like he’s already won this fight, but he has no idea what I’m prepared to do to protect the man I love.“You don’t have the fucking guts to shoot me.”

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