Page 91 of Descent

The merc’s head whips back at the crack of a gun. He crumples.

“Fucking assholes…” a raspy, sneering voice grumbles to my right. He’s wearing simple clothing, looks like it just came off the rack. And he’s got handcuffs around his wrists.

“Thanks,” I mutter as he stumbles, dropping the pistol.

“Come on!” Ero hollers, rattling off a spray of cover as more men in body armor swarm around to flank us. He diverts, drawing some of their attention and eliminating a couple in the process.

Taking the break, I loop my arm under Dom’s arm, shove against him and drag us both between two of the vehicles.

Hunkering down, I scan our exits.

Not good. Another off-road four-wheeler roars past in the distance.

“Who the fuck are you?” Dom snarls, gripping at his leg. He’s wounded, a bullet straight through the meat of his thigh. Probably not fatal.

“Roadside assistance.”

“Gonna need a whole lot more than a tow to get out of this mess, Triple A.” He reaches for a fallen rifle.

“Don’t even think about it,” I bark, flicking my barrel for him to let it go.

“If you want me out of herealive, I need to participate.”

“Who says I want you alive?”

“The lack of a hole through my head right now, smart ass.”

“It turns out that the answers we need outweigh our desire to kill you,” Ero drolls, limping around the corner. He’s spattered in blood, soaked in sweat. “For now.”

“The fuck…? Ero?!” Dom’s face goes slack. He looks more shaken by the sight of my companion than the chaos around us.

“You must be Dom.”

“No shit. We’vemet.”

“Sorry if it doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Kid, I helped raise you. I’ve known you your entire life.”

“You knew my brother all of his life too. Right up until you had him killed.” Ero leans out, ducking as sparks fly off the back of our cover. Three shots in return earns a scream a few dozen yards away.

“Oh Jesus,” Dom growls. “There’s so much to unpack in that cluster fuck of a statement. How about we do it some other time?”

“Our ride is just over that hill if we can make it.”

“I’ll manage.”

Ero reaches back as I pass him a smoke bomb. The tink-tink of the live munition clattering across the asphalt has us rising into a crouch. We bolt the minute it goes off. Shouts ring out right before gunfire zips through the air right behind us.

Three bodies drop and slide down the far side of the slope. We’re almost there. Except our buggy is burning. Two shots take out the culprits, one from me, one from Dom.

“So much for your getaway.”

“We’re pretty good at improvising,” Ero snarks, rolling up to his feet and backpedaling into a run. He veers off toward the growl of an engine coming closer.

“Don’t blow it up! We need it!” I shout, swiveling my head around for any movement.

A sharp yell whips my head around through the smoke. “Ero?!”

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