Page 49 of Rusty's Command

“They’re on the balcony!” Wang’s voice boomed through the darkness. “Kill them!”

Flashlight beams swept toward their position, stabbing through the shadows like searchlights. The pounding of boots echoed from both up both sets of marble stairs to the balcony, growing louder with every second.

Rusty’s stomach twisted as the metallic clicks of weapons being readied ricocheted off the walls. The men were armed, closing in fast and cutting off the escape routes.

“Move!” Rusty barked, grabbing Sienna’s arm and yanking her behind a pillar just as a gunshot cracked through the air.

The gunshot rang in his ears as chunks of marble exploded inches from his face, pelting them with shards of stone. Sienna shrieked and pressed her back against the pillar. He covered her with his body, his chest flush against hers, feeling each terrified tremor course through her.

Clenching his jaw, adrenaline surged through him as he peeked around the edge. Flashlights danced wildly in the darkness, converging on their hiding spot as boots thundered closer.

The men were coming from both sides, boxing them in like prey.

Rusty raced for a plan, his mind a frantic blur. He had to save Sienna.

But as she trembled against him, her fear cut through him like a knife, and for the first time in years, he felt something he’d thought he’d buried long ago—absolute dread.

CHAPTER 16

Sienna

Four men chargedonto the balcony, and Sienna’s heart shot into her throat. Her instincts screamed at her to move, to run, to do something.

Rusty shielded her with his body, holding her back against the marble pillar.

“Soda, cover rear! Guard!” His command was sharp but low.

The dog darted behind Rusty, facing the opposite direction to him, and released a low warning growl that should have any attacker backing away.

Sienna gripped Rusty’s waist, trying to see past his broad shoulders.

The attackers darted between the pillars, constantly shifting and deadly, and barely visible in the dim light. Her heart thundered in her ears as she caught glimpses of their approach—two from the left, one from the right, moving in perfect sync.

Are they communicating somehow?She wracked her brain, trying to remember if she’d spotted any comm channels onthe server before she killed the network, but everything had happened too fast.

Including Rusty.

He’d moved with lethal efficiency in every action, taking down those guys before she could even process what was happening. Even now, with men zeroing in on them, he shielded her from danger without hesitation, proving that the same man who’d stolen her heart all those years ago was still there, beneath all that military precision.

One guard flicked on his weapon light, and the beam cut through the darkness like a lightsaber. Rusty’s gun cracked, and the attacker dropped without a sound. A cry caught in Sienna’s throat at how efficient it was. One bullet, one man dead. The man hadn’t even had time to scream.

Gunfire erupted everywhere. Glass shattered. Bullets thumped into walls.

She ducked down as the booming sounds bounced off marble, and she couldn’t tell where the shots were coming from. Her ears rang with each blast, and the balcony became a blur of gunshots and shouts.

A chunk of marble exploded by her head, spraying her face with dust and tiny fragments that stung like needles. She ducked lower with a strangled gasp, biting down so hard she tasted blood. Her body trembled as Rusty pressed her harder against the pillar, his body bucking and jerking with each return shot.

“Soda, down! Stay down!” Rusty’s command was absolute. Sienna could just see the struggle in the dog’s rigid posture. Clearly, her instincts told her to protect her handler, but years of training kept her in place.

Oh God. Where’s Pickle?

Was he . . . was he—She couldn’t even bring herself to consider him dead.

He has to be alive. Has to be.

The air burned her throat—acrid, chemical. This was nothing like those sanitized self-defense classes where the guns were loaded with blanks. Those classes felt like child’s play now. All those practiced moves and controlled scenarios were bullshit. Nothing had prepared her for this.

This was fucking real.

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