Page 60 of The Mafia's Omega Queen

While I can’t make out the color scheme, there are couches dotted around here and there, spread out around what looks like a television on the wall, with an entertainment center below it. A few doors are interspersed on various walls, but the floor plan is pretty open, my eyes spying a dining room in the distance. There are also a few halls that lead out of the main area; where they go, I have no clue.

A crack of gunfire goes off again, and I catch the flash of the muzzle from the corner of my vision. A head peeks out from around the corner the shot came from, and I chuckle to myself when I see these assholes once again aren’t smart enough to have their own night vision capabilities.

You’d think they would have learned from the last time they came after us.

Off in the distance, toward the back of the building where Kali and her crew came in, a cacophony of pop-pop-pops ending in screams reaches my ears. As one, the whole group moves in that direction, but I stay behind, my eyes still trained on the spot where that head peeked out.

My guys go with the group, not realizing that I’m not following in their footsteps. Something I’ll pay for later, no doubt. But this shit needs to end, and it needs to end now before we lose anyone else.

Granted, these people knew what they were signing up for, but I’d rather spare as many lives as possible. Plus, I would think it would be common sense to break up the groups. That’s what we did with Dad when shit like this happened at home. We need to clear the building as one, not take each room as a mass of the entire group.

We’ve all trained for years for shit like this, so what Vinny’s thinking is a mystery to me.

My back hits the wall near where I was originally positioned. My sights are planted firmly on that one hallway, wondering why they haven’t come out to play yet. They’re being a scared little bitch, and it makes me chuckle. A thud sounds next to me, and I startle, swinging my M-16 in that direction.

“Easy, little killer,” Hunter murmurs in a whisper, the comms not picking it up as he raises his hands and firearm to show he’s not a threat. “If you think I’d let you go off alone, you’re fucking crazy.”

I huff, removing my weapon from his handsome face. I should have expected that at least one of them still had eyes on me.

“There,” I whisper back, nodding in the direction of the hallway. “There’s someone over there, but everyone went toward the back. I think it’s a distraction from where Archie is.”

“Good thinking, baby. Let’s go. Stay behind me.” Hunter starts to move around me, but I snag him by the back of his vest, dragging him back. Which is a feat in itself with how fucking large the bastard is.

“No. You follow me,” I hiss. “And stay against the fucking wall. I don’t want to peel your bloody ass off the floor if you get shot.”

“You like it when I’m bloody, little killer,” he purrs, loud enough to be heard over the comm.

“Put it away, Hunter,” Gavin mutters, his voice ringing in my ear. I stifle a giggle, backing away from the imposing alpha that makes my blood sing every time he’s near.

Hunter’s face transforms from playful to serious in an instant, finally leaning back against the wall next to me. We take it slow around the perimeter of the room. Hunter watches the surrounding area while I keep mine trained on that damn hallway. Intermittent bursts of gunfire break up the oppressing silence with a few calls of clear in between.

Whoever is back in the hallway still hasn’t reappeared yet. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad one. Either they’ve ran or they are lying in wait for someone to appear. Part of me believes it was Archie, and I wish I could confirm my belief, but his head was there and gone in a flash.

I probably wouldn’t have even noticed the hallway if it wasn’t for that burst of light from his gun beforehand.

As we reach the open hallway, I drop down into a crouch, peering around the corner. The hallway is empty, but as I strain to listen, I can hear a quiet muttering in the distance. So quiet that if I wasn’t paying attention, I wouldn’t hear it.

Getting back to my feet, I tuck around into the hallway, Hunter still at my six, guns ready for anything as we make our way down the hall with silent steps.

The further we go, the louder the voice gets, though it’s still muffled like it’s coming from behind a door. A light flashes here and there from under the closed door, the small gap at the bottom giving our prey away. Hunter and I stand on either side of the doorway, and now that we’re here and I can hear the person clearly, my mind buzzes with familiarity at the sound.

It’s definitely Archibald Kilroy. The man who needs to die tonight.

But where the hell are his other guards? Was this fucker stupid enough to send them on the opposite side of the house in hopes to divert our attention?

Hunter waves his head, garnering my attention. He holds up five fingers, a countdown for when he makes his move, and busts through the piece of the wood separating us from our target.

Four fingers.

I nod, letting him know I understand.

Three fingers.

This is it. The end of the fucking line for Archie.

Two fingers.

I take a deep inhale, letting it slowly.

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