Page 133 of Knox Unleashed
When the bullets stop, for a moment, I peer above the crate and spot two men. Then, I shoot. Bullet one misses, but bullet two hits home, and one of the men topples from the balcony.
The second man ducks back, shouting something I can’t make out over the ringing in my ears.
“Left side,” Havoc grits out beside me. He’s pushing up onto one knee like he didn’t take a hit, and while I hope that adrenaline continues to pump through him until we’re on our bikes, I grab his cut and tug him back down behind the crate.
“Sit your ass down, for a second,” I shout.
“It’s just a graze,” he says, shoving my hand off.
I raise an eyebrow, knowing he’s lying.
“Fine,” he says. “Went straight through. I’m good.”
Blood darkens his sleeve, but it’s not pouring out, which tells me it’s not arterial or life-threatening.
Sunny and Ridge race over and drop in behind the crates next to us.
“Hey, Prez,” Ridge shouts. “Just thinking about the time we were caught in gunfire, and Vandal sang ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ so loud everyone heard it.”
I laugh at that. Seems right that we think about him here, even in the midst of all this. He’s having another surgery tomorrow. A major one. To save his eye and orbital bone and patch up some shit that leads to his brain. “Sounds appropriate.”
As I speak, I notice that Shade has found a way up to the corner of the mezzanine above us, and he nods that he’s got us covered.
“Havoc. You good to move, now you’ve taken a breath?” I ask.
He winces but readies himself. “Always.”
Gunfire starts again, and wood splinters above us. I lean out and fire twice, hoping to give us time by forcing the men above us back. “Go,” I shout and Havoc runs.
Bullets hit the concrete beside our feet, sending chips of it into the air, and then, it stops as the second man drops from the balcony.
We hit the stairs, Sunny providing some additional coverage, but as soon as we get to the top, another of Alvarez’s men swings towards us.
“I’ve had enough of this shit,” Havoc says, before raising his gun and taking the man out at point blank range.
From our corner of the mezzanine, I can see Halo and North got themselves stuck in position taking heavy fire. I can’t see the shooter, but I get Shade’s attention and gesture to where the gunfire is coming from. He adjusts the scope on his rifle, and in one shot, the random firing on the two men stops.
Ridge raises his hand in thanks to Shade.
I tune out the cries of the injured. I can’t worry about that until this place is secured. Reaper has a large knife in his hand and slices the throat of the man who caught Lock reloading his SIG before he can fire.
But it strikes me that Reaper’s kill might be the last of the night.
“Clear,” I shout from above.
“Clear,” Sunny shouts from below.
Shade salutes from the mezzanine. “Clear.”
Some sporadic firing continues outside, but inside the building, it’s quiet, as the smoke in the air settles.
“Let’s empty this place,” I hear Halo shout, as we hurry down the stairs.
Jackal heads over to the door and peers out. “Looks like we’re all clear, Prez.”
We move quick. Half the team ensuring the injured are tied up. We leave the dead. Thankfully, none of the dead are ours.
The other half of the men move out the weapons. Mallow limps by me, carrying a crate, blood staining his jeans from a bullet wound on his leg. And Niro is fighting two men who’ve decided to try to move, while Cat…cheers him on from the side.
