Page 180 of Shadow

Within minutes, my fire was started. There was a pretty big chance I’d burn the venue to the ground if the fire department didn’t make it fast enough. It was a slow fire, but once it took off, it would go like old paper.

I was OK with that.

I liked when things collapsed into ash and soot.

I just didn’t want innocent people to die. It was a moral dilemma I fought constantly. Once my smoke was rolling, I crawled quickly back to the entrance and jumped out. Stitches was waiting for me.

“All good?” he asked tightly.

“Yeah.” I looked at my watch. “We should go. It’ll fill with smoke quickly. The air was turning on when I dropped the third fire.”

“Is that gas you put in good enough for us to get through?”

“Should be.”

“Should be,” Stitches mumbled. “Great.”

I clapped him on the shoulder, and we rejoined the guys. I gave Church a nod, and he pushed open the door leading into the small entry to the venue. We climbed the ladder behind him and came up in a storage room.

“Ready?” Church asked from behind his mask.

“Yes,” I answered tightly with the guys.

“We don’t die. Got it?” Church continued. “In and out. You know what this guy looks like. Got your drug?”

I tapped my pocket with my black leather-gloved hand where I had the syringe.

“Let’s fucking go,” Church said.

We swept from the storage room and into the madness of the venue. Gunfire sounded out around us.

“What the fuck?” Church snarled, pulling a gun from his black jacket.

“Looks like we aren’t the only ones crashing the party,” Sin said tightly, pulling his gun out.

“Fucking hell,” Stitches muttered.

“Go,” Church shouted. “You know the plan.”

And with those words, he swept into the haze of smoke.

I clocked a guy who rushed at me, screaming. Someone shot at me, so I shot back, nailing the idiot in the chest and killing him. We’d split up, so I couldn’t see where the guys went. I killed three more guys with guns before I caught sight of my target.

Ethan Masters.

He was kneeling next to a woman who was dead, Lorenzo De Luca next to him.

Ethan wasn’t in his right mind. His eyes were wild, and he was shaking. Lorenzo shook him violently.

Poor fucker.

I raised my gun, really not wanting to kill Lorenzo, but I needed to get Ethan. Sirena was practically nuts at this point with worry. I couldn’t let my heaven suffer. In our world, ugly things had to happen, and people had to die.

I aimed and pulled the trigger, but a screaming guest ran into me, trying to get out of the building, knocking me sideways. Enzo was struck, and he fell backward, but it wasn’t the head shot I’d been going for. If I had to guess, I’d hit his shoulder or arm.

Ethan was wild. The man was inconsolable as he tried to drag Lorenzo away from the gunfire.

I watched Lorenzo cradle Ethan’s face and say something to him. Ethan nodded as Lorenzo righted himself, gun in hand.

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