Page 54 of Assassin's Mark
A fifth man stepped into the group. Same clothes, same build, but this one had no helmet. Shaggy black hair fell over his brow, and a thick scar bisected his cheek. Axe, I assumed. Now I understood the name. Axe’s gun hung from its long strap, resting against his side, a smaller handgun in his grip. He used it to gesture toward the floor. “Let’s do it here.”
Do what?
Using his grip on my hair, the man holding me forced me toward the group. Onto my knees. I stared up at them, watched as Axe took a step closer, then raised the handgun.
Time slowed to a crawl.
I’d never looked down the barrel of a gun before, and it occurred to me a bit hysterically that Levi hadn’t needed one to take me prisoner. All he’d needed was his face and a little acting.I’d been so naive then, but not now. Not anymore.
“Who are you?” I asked, though I already knew. Anything to buy a few more breaths in my lungs. “What are you doing?”
Axe smiled. His scar puckered his cheek, making the expression all the more terrifying. “Eliminating a threat.”
A laugh escaped; I couldn’t help it. What kind of threat could I be, surrounded by mercenaries with guns as big asmy head? I wasn’t even wearing shoes, for Christ’s sake.
Axe’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. He adjusted his grip on the gun, his finger sliding onto the trigger. I watched the move in slow motion, every millimeter seeming to take an eternity as my death crawled closer and closer. The sudden need to pee hit me, and for one agonizing moment I thought I’d wet my pants before he fired the gun.
His fingertip pressed into place—
A shot split the air, loud and echoing and terrifying, and I startled, expecting pain, blood, something. None of it came. The gunshot was followed immediately by asplat—a solid object hitting a soft, wet target. Through the dust and darkness, I watched a garish splash of red sprout from Axe’s neck, the warm spray of droplets landing across my face, my chest.Axe’s startled eyes met mine.
The hand holding me tightened, threatening to tear out my hair. “Axe?”
A gurgle was their leader’s only response. Blood bubbled from the wound in his throat. I gagged as his mouth opened, releasing a wash of red before he crumpled to the floor.
Curses bit through the air. Wild glances around the dim room. The man holding me shook himself free of my hair and reachedfor his weapon.
Another gunshot. Anothersplat.
The man dropped to his knees.
I didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. Palms flat on the dirty concrete, I pushed myself backward, right under the kitchen table. Away from the shots. Away from the blood. I needed protection. I needed—
More gunshots. Shouting. Booted feet running. The hardthudof falling bodies. I crouched under the table through itall, stunned, my eyes locked with the man who’d dragged me by my hair as he bled out in front of me. Only Levi shouting my name broke the gruesome connection.
“Here!”
It was more croak than anything, but he heard me. I knew because he came. His wide shoulders blocked out the sight of blood and death as he crouched beside the table. My eyes glanced over the handgun he gripped before meeting Levi’ssteel gaze.
He reached for my hand. “Let’s go, little bird. Come on.”
