Page 107 of Reaper Flame

“Figured you might need a little help,” Rocky said, wiping his brow.

“Where’s Vixen?” Zander asked.

“I got her out,” Rocky said. Vixen was a badass, but she wasn’t skilled in combat. “Where’s Hiram?”

“We don’t know,” I said. “But we need to get the fuck outta here before West gets himself killed.”

West may have surrendered to the monster, but his muscles were no match for guns. Things were getting ugly fast and a pile of bodies were racking up at his feet. We already had enough enemies to deal with. We didn’t need him accidentally killing someone else who’d bring more trouble to our door.

The four of us charged through the crowds. Anyone who didn’t move out of our way was lucky to get away with split lips and broken wrists.

“West!” I shouted above the noise as he slammed two scrawny guys’ heads together and pocketed the knife that they turned on him. His head jerked upward at hearing my call.

Before we could get to him, Zander and Rocky brutally took down three men surrounding West. Seconds later, they lay unconscious on the floor. As soon as the others saw reinforcements had arrived, they started running, breaking their attack on West. One smartass ran straight into the wall and broke his fucking nose.

West threw the guy he was fighting to the floor like a toy, kicking him in the ribs to finish him off. He picked his way over the bodies to join us.

“Where’s Mieko?” I asked.

“She’s already gone,” West panted. “She slipped away before the fight started. The fuckers came from nowhere!”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Mieko was a survivor. She’d be back at the limo, curled up in Vixen’s arms, worrying about the state we’d be in when we returned.

“What about Hiram?” Rocky asked.

“He got away,” I said, grinding my back teeth together. “This time.”

“Fuck!” Rocky exploded.

“We need to go,” I said, then looked to Zander to back me up. He nodded. “Now.”

If Hiram was here, we would never find him now. We had to regroup. He’d gotten away this time, but we’d never let that happen again.

* * *

The chilly night air stung my cheeks, taking the edge off the dizziness in my head as we stumbled from the shipping container where the others had entered. Being surrounded by violence went to my head faster than any alcohol could.

“Are you hurt?” I turned to West, looking him up and down to assess the damage. It was hard to tell when he looked like he’d stepped straight out of a slasher movie. When you fight on adrenaline, you rarely realize you’re hurt until it’s too late.

“Don’t worry.” He grinned smugly, wearing his blood-soaked shirt like a badge of honor. “None of it’s mine.”

The three of us were lucky to only have split knuckles, a few scrapes and bruises. We didn’t have Hiram’s head on a pole, but we’d walked through the fires of hell and left the shipping yard before the action spilled above ground. I wouldn’t let my guard down until we were racing down the highway back to the neon lights of Lapland.

Our limo was already waiting at the gates. As we ducked under the barbed wire, the limo door flew open and Vixen burst out. At first, I thought she was glad to see us, but, as we got closer, it was clear she was frantic.

“Where’s Mieko?” she screeched. “Where the fuck is she?”

A sickening dread stalked my stomach.

“You mean she’s not back here with you?” Rocky asked.

Bile rose in my throat, but I didn’t allow myself to react. I couldn’t.

“You!” Vixen turned on West, baring her teeth like a Rottweiler. “You were supposed to be protecting her! Where is she?!”

“She was right by me the whole time until a guy threw a punch. I told her to run because hell broke loose,” West explained. “They were coming at me from all angles. She needed to get out, but she was nowhere near the fight. I thought she left!”

“We need to go back!” Vixen screamed. “She’s still inside. We need to find her!”

---