Page 128 of Mad Love

I flipped him off as we went to the back door and Knight quickly picked the lock.

We stepped into the dark kitchen. A bolt of lightning illuminated the room for a split second, but we didn’t pause as we moved for the back stairs connected to the room. Royal went first, then me, and Knight went last, walking backward up the steps to ensure no one snuck up on our six.

“Two down.” Court’s voice broke the silence, and I pictured my friends entering the front of the house as we’d planned.

That left five scattered somewhere inside.

“I’ve got two heat signatures in the front hall,” Ash informed us.

I finished going up the stairs as Linc’s voice said, “Not anymore. Two more down.”

Three guards left.

The door closest to us opened and Royal spun, his gun firing at the same time as another shot rang out. Drywall and plaster exploded in a cloud behind Royal as he ducked the shot that should’ve gone through his skull. The crack of the shot echoed in my ears.

“One down,” Royal muttered, looking pissed that the guy he’d shot had had the audacity to fire at him first.

“They know we’re here,” Knight muttered at my back.

“Three left,” Ash told us. “Looks like they’re in the master bedroom.”

I bit back a snort. Of course Gary was hiding in his room with a couple guards.

He could have an entire Navy SEAL team in there, and it wouldn’t change the way tonight was going to end. He was going to die.

Adrenaline flooded my veins as I anticipated the moment I finally looked him in the eye and watched the defeat register. He’d lost.

From the other side of the hall, Court, Linc, and Bishop materialized from the darkness, and we all paused by the set of double doors that led into the master bedroom.

“You’ve got less than five minutes,” Ash warned. “Finish this up and get the fuck out.”

Royal stepped forward, ever the leader, and nodded at Bishop. He kicked in the door and spun out of the way as bullets immediately fired into the hallway. Bishop and Court returned fire, and I heard a grunt from inside the room as someone went down.

“Keep your panties on, Ash,” Linc told him with a dark chuckle. He stepped around Court and fired into the room, taking out another guard.

A shot rang out, and Linc was flung back into the wall with a grunt. My pulse spiked as he slid to the ground, a hand clutching his chest.

Royal and I moved in, firing our guns until the clips were damn near empty and the third man, hiding behind the bed of all fucking places, fell. The acrid scents of smoke and gunpowder filled my nostrils as I looked around the room for anyone else.

“Linc?” I snapped his name, not turning as Royal and Knight checked the en suite bathroom and closets, clearing them.

“Bullet hit the vest,” Court reported. “Knocked the wind outta him, but he’ll be fine.”

Royal stepped out of the bathroom, his expression tight.

I glanced around the room. “Where the fuck is Cabot?”

“Not in here,” Knight declared, stepping out of the second closet. He bent and actually looked under the bed.

“What the fuck?” I whispered. “Ash?”

“I had only three heat signatures in the bedroom,” he confirmed.

I was looking at three very dead guards, none of whom was Gary Cabot.

“Neighbors have reported the shots,” Ash informed us. “You guys need to move.”

“Is he somewhere else in the house?” I demanded.

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