Page 16 of Chaos & Carnage

“Maybe we can help?” Enzo offers.

Cain’s lips flatten as he thinks on it.

“From what I can tell, the brunt of the attack is coming from the front.”

“We caught some trying to sneak in the back, too,” Enzo informs him.

“How many?” Dante shouts, but Cain simply shakes his head, not sure.

“We have men on the roof, but they”—he juts his chin out the window toward our attackers—“barely stop shooting long enough for me to hear what they’re saying.”

“We need to get to the roof then,” Enzo states. “Or higher ground, at least.”

“The stairwells are outside,” Cain informs them.

“Of course they are,” one of them grumbles in a lower voice, but I can’t tell who.

“If most of the attack is coming from the front, then we might be able to make it up the back stairwell,” I suggest.

“It’s our only option,” Cain agrees, turning and waving Oliver over.

When Oliver has safely made it across the room to us, we all move as a group, crouching to stay low as we head back down the hallway from which we just came. Once we’re safe from any stray bullets, we stand upright and start moving faster. Every second counts. The Rejects will only be able to hold off Giovanni’s men for so long.

We jump over the dead bodies from earlier, only slowing down when we reach the still open door that the Antonelli men kicked open. Cain and Enzo get to the door first, both of them peering out to see if anyone is around. The coast must be clear as Cain waves the rest of us out, and we follow his lead as we flatten our backs against the wall and slowly slink around the side of the building.

The reception area of the motel, where the office and Cain and Oliver’s bedrooms are, is only one story. However, the rest of the building, where the bedrooms for guests are situated, climbs to three stories, shaped in a large rectangle, with an open courtyard in the middle. Cain’s men hadn’t done much with the outdoor area yet, but I’d heard talk of possibly putting in a swimming pool. I guess that won’t be happening any time soon.

There is a stairwell at the front of the building, granting access to the higher floors directly from the parking lot, and another stairwell located inside the courtyard. It doesn’t take us long to reach it, except Cain bypasses it as he skulks further into the courtyard. I share a questioning glance with Oliver who is on my left, bringing up the rear, but he simply nods for me to follow.

All four of us follow Cain as he moves quickly to the first bedroom on the ground floor, pulling out a key and unlocking the door. It swings open and he hurriedly ushers us all inside before closing it behind us.

In the safety of the room and out of view of anyone who might be stalking around outside, I take my first real breath since we entered the bar, working to quiet my mind and fortify my Reaper persona. When I’m once again encased in that cold, hard shell, I turn to take in the room, my eyes widening. “Wow,” I exclaim, noticing that Enzo and Dante are also taking in the room with raised eyebrows and impressed expressions.

It looks like we’re in some sort of weapons room. Every inch of space is piled high with crates, large rifles leaning against the wall and spread out across the bed, and handguns set on top of any available surface.

“Damn, this is some collection.” Enzo lets out a low whistle, moving to lift a handgun from the dresser, inspecting it before setting it down and going to look at one of the rifles.

“How did you get your hands on all this?” Dante questions, a furrow between his brows as he scans the vast display of weaponry.

“We trade primarily in weapons,” Cain explains easily while he gathers a handful of more powerful-looking rifles. “I’ve been slowly building my own collection, but ever since Red started working in your club and it seemed like this war was coming to a head, I’ve been stockpiling.”

“You were ready for this fight.” Dante sounds surprised, but when Cain lifts his gaze to look at him, all I see is determined resolve.

“I told you I was. We may have taken a few hits”—Cain’s features soften, no doubt thinking about Dax and the other dead Rejects I saw in the bar—“but my men and me have been itching for this fight for a long time. We’ve spent years training for it, preparing. If we really wanted, we could take out the entire street and every Antonelli out there, though if we can, I’d rather do it without decimating the city.” His stare hardens. “There’s already been enough damage done to Black Creek and its people. I’d prefer to not add to it.”

He holds Dante’s gaze for a tense moment before glancing away. “Grab whatever you want, whatever you know how to use. I take it since you’ve already killed some of your own people, you have no issues shooting at more of them.”

It’s not phrased as a question, and I see Cain’s dig land as Enzo winces.

“They’re Giovanni’s people, not ours.” Enzo’s voice is tight.

“What about the men you believe to be loyal to you?” This time, Cain’s question is aimed at Dante.

“I only contacted them once, when they informed me Giovanni was keeping them out of whatever he’s planning.”

Cain raises a dark eyebrow. “Not sure you can trust them?”

Dante’s lips thin, but he doesn’t dignify that with a response. His silence is an answer all on its own. That’s exactly what he’s afraid of. It’s one thing to hope and believe that men are loyal to you, but it’s another to actually rely on that perceived loyalty.

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