Page 173 of Darling Wildfire
North appeared to be listening to the enemy comms for a moment. “They’re regrouping. Clear an escape route—we’re headed to the lower level.”
“Copy,” Knight answered.
83
ATLAS
The explosions sent shockwaves through the structure. Chunks of concrete and rubble fell from the ceiling of the room, dusting my head with debris. Roland was barking orders over comms and I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up.
“Something funny?” Roland snapped.
“I warned you,” I rasped.
Roland and his two men had spent the evening and most of the morning torturing me for information. One of my eyes was nearly swollen shut, I had a split lip and more cuts on my chest than I wanted to think about. The knife was still impaled in my hand, anchoring it to the arm of the chair.
“You’re as good as dead,” I chuckled.
Roland scowled and backhanded me with his pistol. I spit out blood, baring bloody teeth at him. He leveled the gun at my head and I met his gaze, seeing the truth there. He was going to pull the trigger. Suddenly, he cocked his head, listening to something and the gun dropped.
“Let’s go!” He barked and I found myself alone.
I immediately rocked the chair back and forth. It tipped over backwards and I heard, and felt, the wood crack and break. I cursed viciously as it jarred the knife in my hand. I got my other hand loose and quickly untied my ankles.
Now I was just left with the hardest part. The knife was stuck into the piece of wood and I knelt on the concrete, wrapping my fist around the hilt. Taking a few deep breaths, I psyched myself up and muttered a countdown under my breath.
“Three, two, one…” I growled and yanked the blade up.
I hissed in distress, pulling my tattered shirt over my head and binding it as best I could. I heard the door and grabbed the knife, launching myself at the wall near the door. I saw the barrel of the AR first and knocked it down as I brought the knife towards the man’s throat.
“Fuck!”
It was Nyx. My momentum sent him and I crashing into the wall and I just barely diverted the kill blow in time. The knife hovered at his chin while North’s AR leveled at my face.
“Jesus—” Nyx breathed, dropping his AR to his side as he steadied me with a hand. “You look like shit.”
“Gee, thanks,” I grumbled, even as my lips twitched into a half smile.
North’s gaze swept me from head to toe. “You good?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yeah—did you meet Roland yet?”
Nyx shook his head. “Not yet,” he growled. “I’m looking forward to it though.”
He pulled out a handgun and thrust it at me. I nodded my thanks and we fell in together at the doorway. We were immediately thrown into the fight in the hallway.
“We have Atlas—headed up,” North said.
I couldn’t hear the reply but we advanced down the hallway towards the stairs.
“They have Roland,” North said a moment later.
We stepped outside into the overcast but bright afternoon to absolute destruction. A giant crater sat in front of me where one of Mads’ missiles had leveled the forest. One entire wing of the building was gone and there were bodies everywhere.
Out on the lawn, Knight and Lachlan stood with Roland and a few others kneeling at gunpoint. I could hear the helo approaching in the distance.
North walked the line of men. “You Roland?” he asked.
Roland looked a little beat up but there was nothing but anger in his eyes and he looked North up and down.
