Page 127 of No More Spies

Dumbass. “They left. So you can shoot us, though you’reholding the gun wrong and the safety’s on.”

Lena looked back. “Fuckers.”

“Drop me and use the door,” Kala whispered.

Lena turned her attention to the gun in her hand, and thatwas when Devi proved she could follow orders. She might be a fashion designer,but she was still a Taggart. She let Kala fall as she kicked out, slamming thedoor right into Lena, who fell back and sent the gun clattering to the floor.

Kala tried to hold her head up. Devi was pushing againstLena, who obviously had some training. It was a chaotic mess, and smoke wasstarting to pour through the basement. She could feel the heat from the flamesthat were currently engulfing the computer equipment Huisman kept down here.

She managed to force herself up enough to see a ghostlyimage of a helo taking off before the last monitor fritzed out.

Devi was fighting, but Lena was better trained. She had Deviagainst the wall, a hand around her cousin’s throat.

Kala used her left foot to push herself forward. It tookevery bit of energy she had.

“I’m not about to go down alone,” Lena was saying. “Let’ssee how well Taggarts burn.”

There was a thud as Lena smashed Devi’s head against thebrick wall, and Devi slumped to the floor.

How was she going to get Devi to safety? Kala pushed thethought from her brain as she got her hand around the gun while Lena actuallytook the time to straighten her damn clothes out and kick a now unconsciousDevi. It gave Kala a moment to force her fingers around the gun. Her arm wasstarting to work so she lifted, getting a line of sight on the woman who wasgoing to try to kill her.

“As for you,” Lena said, turning.

Kala fired. And then fired again. And again.

Lena put a hand to her gut and then her chest. Not Kala’sbest work, but she was giving herself some grace.

She fired one more time, and Lena hit her knees.

“I just wanted to know my dad,” she said, blood on her lips.

The world didn’t always give us what we wanted, but how wedealt with those tragedies made or broke souls. Lena’s was done.

She had to find a way to make sure Devi’s wasn’t. Shecrawled or at least pushed herself toward her cousin. She needed to wake up.“Devi. Devon fucking Taggart, wake up.”

She was almost to her when a set of boots came into view.She glanced up and Zach stood there, a grim look on his face. He knelt down andput two fingers to Devi’s wrist, and a sigh of obvious relief went through him.

“Coop’s on his way,” Zach said as he leaned over and pickedDevi up. “He got into a fight with one of the guards, but I think TJ is helpinghim. You tell Theo and Erin I’ll take care of her.”

“What?” Kala tried to turn because Zach stepped over herparalyzed body and was going for the tunnel. “Where the hell are you going?”

“Can’t tell you, sister,” he replied through the smoke. “ButI’ll call when I know something. Take care of him for me. When I’m done, I’llturn myself in.”

“Then you should leave my cousin behind,” Kala called out.“She’s going to be pissed.”

“Then she should have taken care of herself.” Zach startedto disappear behind the door. “Good-bye, Kala.”

“Zach,” she yelled out.

The flames seemed to find some fuel, and she could feel theheat on her skin. Naturally Huisman’s paralytic merely meant she couldn’t move.She could still feel.

But she was starting to not be able to breathe.

“Thank god.” Cooper stood over her. He bent down and liftedher up as she coughed. “Where’s Devi?”

TJ was behind him. “Where’s my sister?”

“Zach took her through the tunnels,” she managed to hackout.

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