Page 53 of Rusty's Command

“Four.” Wang barked the number as he jerked the gun back to his hostage’s temple, but the damage was done. His perfect facade had splintered, showing desperation underneath.

Pickle’s bark exploded from below, so close Rusty could track the terrier’s path beneath their balcony.

Boots hammered on the polished timber as the guards stormed across the stage. Two women screamed, adding to the chaos.

“Get that fucking mutt!” Wang’s roar bounced off marble and mahogany, revealing a splinter in his iron control.

Rusty’s pulse slammed against his throat as he tracked the chaos below. Two hostiles broke left, grabbing at empty air where Pickle had been half a second before. A third pivoted right, MP5 raised.Why doesn’t he shoot Pickel?

The answer hit him like a Taser—Wang wanted the dog alive to use as a hostage first, then he’d kill him.

The pursuit was almost comical—four trained killers chasing shadows and echoes while Pickle ran circles around them. The terrier scattered Wang’s carefully positioned men like leaves in the wind and each bark pulled them farther from their boss, stretching their defensive formation paper-thin.

The terrier yipped again, treating the life-or-death situation like a game of backyard tag.

“Three.” Wang’s voice climbed an octave, cracking like ice.

Pickle darted across the stage like a furry bullet, and the women shifted apart. For one crystallized moment, Wang’s profile was exposed, a sniper’s dream hit.

There you are, you fucker.

By the time he raised the Glock, the moment evaporated. Wang slipped behind the human shield again, Pickle vanished into the shadows, and the guards were staggering in circles, stomping like wounded bulls. That crazy little dog was running them ragged.

Time to end this nightmare.

“Move with me.” Rusty’s Glock stayed steady as he reached for Sienna.

“What? Where?”

He seized her hand and pulled her away from the railing. “Need a better angle. Stay low.”

Sienna’s fingers clenched his as they crept toward the stairs. Her breaths came in sharp, terrified bursts. Below them, Pickle darted between a guard’s legs like liquid lightning. The man stumbled and released a shot that shattered a monitor into a glittering cascade of sparks and plastic.

Sienna jerked against him. He squeezed her hand harder, anchoring her.

Soda shadowed them silently, her massive form moving like a ghost despite her size. Unlike Pickle’s chaos below, Soda was a calm predator, every muscle ready for the kill. At the stairhead, Rusty’s mind flashed to his last hostage situation where he’d had backup, proper gear, a goddamn plan?—

“Shoot that fucking dog!” Wang’s command cracked like artillery fire.

“No!” Sienna ripped free of Rusty’s grip, lurching upright as her cry split the air like a blade.

Two weapon-mounted beams snapped to her position, painting luminous crosshairs on her chest.

CHAPTER 18

Sienna

“Getdown!”Rusty’s weight slammed her into the stairs as bullets punched through the space where they’d been standing. A couple of bullets hit the balustrade, showering them with splinters.

“Oh my god!” Sienna’s shriek tore from her throat as Rusty pressed her against the cold steps.

“Stop!” Wang’s voice ricocheted off the walls.

The sudden silence amplified her gasping breaths and thundering heartbeat. Every muscle in her body trembled.

“Get down here, bitch, or your fucking mutt is dead!”

A sob clawed its way up her throat, threatening to choke her.

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