Page 101 of Surrender (Angels Halo MC Next Gen)

Ever.

“You’re humming.” Vaughn was breathing hard.

“And you need to get in better shape,” I admonished. “If your old ass wants to keep up with Abi, then you need to add a little cardio to your routine.”

“Funny.” He coughed, and my smile disappeared.

“Where are you hit?”

“Chest. But I have a vest on.” He coughed again, and this time, it sounded wet. “Just hurts like a motherfucker.”

Teeth grinding together, I adjusted so I could take out the ones who had finally breached the gate. “How many men do those bitches have?”

“Daria has an army of mercenaries at her disposal.”

Groaning, I took out two more men. “And none of them followed you when you came over to the gray side?”

“Don’t you mean dark?” He grunted and shot two bullets into a guy who yelled something to him in a language I couldn’t immediately identify.

“No, I totally meant gray. I am neither on the light side nor completely dark. I like to stay solely in the morally gray zone.” I popped another bullet into the chest of a guy who was definitely not a Vitucci soldier. “On your right!”

My bullet hit one of the men who was almost on top of Vaughn, and at my warning, he was able to take out the other.

“Boss.” Walter’s voice flooded into my headset. “Five cars are coming from the east.”

Even though I knew he wasn’t talking to me, I adjusted the scope to see what he was talking about. As soon as I spotted the vehicles, my heart jumped into my throat. “No, no, no!”

“What?” Vaughn shouted.

“Mom’s here. And Elias is with her!”

I couldn’t do this. Not when he was about to be dropped into a bloodbath. If anything happened to Elias…

Nope, don’t go there. Rein in the crazy.

Closing my eyes, I zoned out all the noise. Everything good in my life was in that car. I would not survive without him. I couldn’t. It wasn’t possible. My heart beat in his chest.

Snapping my eyes open, I took a breath and pressed the trigger over and over and over. Until there was nothing left. And then I was on my feet, running as hard and as fast as I could—just like Mom always said to do—toward the only person who mattered.

CHAPTERFIFTY-ONE

elias

Returningto Samara’s hospital room to find her gone had been scary. Getting alert after alert on the cameras for Abi, only to have Anya recognize someone on the feed as an “old friend from back in the day,” bone-chilling.

But pulling up to the Vitucci compound to bullets flying and knowing Samara was somewhere in there was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. It was right up there with finding her car crashed on the side of the road the day before.

“How many men does Daria have?” Anya demanded, putting the barrel of the gun to the middle of Polina’s skull. “How fucking many?”

Ryan and I had found the woman in a powered wheelchair near Abi’s dorm. It had been too easy, though, like she’d wanted to be caught. Nothing about the beating Anya had given her on the flight to New York had been easy, however. Anya didn’t hold back just because Polina had no mobility in her legs.

But other than telling us that Daria was after Samara, she hadn’t given up any other information.

“She asked you a question!” Ryan roared.

Like every other time she’d looked at him, Polina’s eyes misted over. She gave him a bloody smile. Her front teeth were broken off, and I was fairly sure her right eye socket was fractured. “You look just like my Vaughn.”

“Vaughn?” I grated out.

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