Page 230 of Malice and Surrender
“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Raine,” Avro said. “I’d do anything for her, but…you’re welcome too,” he tacked onto the end, making me smirk.
Wilder popped out of the top hatch as the tank pulled up beside us.
“Remember, wait for the signal. It will be a big boom. Let’s move out,” Wilder yelled, and the hatch slammed down. The hair stood on my neck as the powerful machine took the lead the rumble and sound of tracks screaming how lethal it was.
The four of us jumped in Roach’s truck and waited for the signal. My nerves had been bad the whole way here. Nothing seemed to be moving fast enough, and the anxiousness made me jumpy and irritable. Now that we were here, a sense of calm had washed over me. The part of me that loved the kill was ready for what was coming, and I wouldn’t stop until Dave and Frank were both six feet under.
An explosion went off, the sound of the tank unmistakable, and the truck shook.
“Fuck,” I mumbled as smoke rose into the air. That was our cue.
Roach pulled out along with dozens of trucks and an even longer line of motorcycles. All the guys were riding with their guns out, ready for action.
We crested the rise just as the tank smashed into the second watch tower. The people inside tried to hang on as the wooden structure crashed to the ground. The long barrel of the tank’s gun swung in the direction of the last tower on the far side of the property, and even though I knew it would be coming, the sound of it going off and the large tower exploding was something I’d never forget.
Roach sped through the gate, clipping a guy running with the front of the truck before speeding across the property to the furthest building on the east side. Cranking the wheel, the ass of the truck slid on the sand before coming to a stop.
“Be careful.”
Nodding, I hopped out and ran for the building, looking for a door. One burst open, and two men in black robes ran out. They didn’t see me, and I shot them as they ran toward some vehicles parked on this side.
Grabbing the door, I pulled it open and listened, but I couldn’t hear anyone coming with the noise out front. Slipping into the dimly lit building, I looked up and down the hallway, not sure which way to go first. I couldn’t say why, but I chose the hallway leading to the back of the large steel structure.
I wasn’t sure what I expected to find in a cult compound. Maybe a few old farmhouses, a couple of sheds, or a barn, but not something that could double as a jet hanger. Poking my head around the corner, I didn’t see anything, but the quiet was eerie.
I paused when I heard a scream, and not just any scream. That was Raine. I knew her voice like it was my own. Not caring how many were in the way or what danger I was running into, I sprinted for the sound as a crippling fear held my heart.
I turned the corner and ran past a few open rooms. A man came running out of one with a fire poker held above his head. I didn’t slow or lose my stride as I fired my gun, and he dropped to his knees. I ran around him, not caring if he lived or died. Raine’s hysterical screams were all the fuel I needed to put one foot in front of the other.
Bursting through the doors, I ran into a large circular room. The place was on fire at the far end, but it was moving, and it wouldn’t take long for the entire building to go up in flames.
My panic reached a new level when Raine’s screams echoed in my ears, but I couldn’t see her. Running toward the stone slab in the center of the room, I saw something moving and whipped around the end, only to skid to a stop.
Raine was covered in blood, with only her beautiful blue eyes showing through the mask of red. She straddled Dave as the knife she held stabbed into his chest and stomach, even though he was long dead. He wore a black robe like the other men had on, but it was open, exposing his naked body. There was a deep gash across his face showing off the bone. His hands and cock had been severed, and most of his insides were lying around him, but still, Raine screamed as her hand moved in a blur.
Putting my gun away, I inched around so she would see me better and got down into a crouch.
“Raine,” I said, but she didn’t respond. I knew this level of anger and fear, it made you delusional. She wasn’t here in this room. She wasn’t anywhere but the room inside her mind playing a movie all its own.
The flicker of flames caught my attention as they licked up the far wall. We needed to get out of here.
“Raine,” I tried louder this time, but her wild eyes remained locked on Dave’s face. Each plunge of the knife sent blood flying in all directions, his limp body rocking with the harsh blows as she tore him apart.
“Tink!” I yelled, and her hand paused in the air, even though her eyes stayed looking down. She was panting hard, her chest heaving, and her arm shaking violently. “Tink, it’s me. Look at me, baby. It’s me, Kai. Look up at me.”
Her big blue eyes slowly lifted to meet mine, but her hand remained raised above her head. “That’s it, keep looking at me.” I touched my hand to my chest. “Do you see me? It’s Kai,” I said, and she blinked a few times. “Tink, we need to go. The building is on fire.” I ever so slowly held out my hand so I didn’t spook her. Dark smoke drifted in our direction and I coughed as some of it reached my nose. “Give me the knife, Tink.”
I coughed a few more times, the taste of smoke itching the back of my throat.
Raine looked down at the man she was straddling and then up at me.
“Kai?”
“Yeah, it’s me, Tink. We found you. Jace and Avro are outside. But we need to go.”
“He tried to hurt me.” She sniffled. “I had to do it. I couldn’t let him hurt me again.” Her voice hitched, as her bottom lip trembled.
“I know, I’m so fucking happy you did.” I kept my hand stretched out and took a deep breath as her arm lowered one inch at a time. “He’s dead. I promise you killed him, and he’s not coming back, but we need to go.” She looked at Dave’s face again. “Give me the knife.”
