Page 44 of Rebel

I spun right as a bearded man charged toward me, switchblade gleaming in his hand.I sidestepped, grabbed his extended arm, and used his momentum to slam him into the wall.His nose crunched against concrete, and he howled.Before he could recover, I spun him around, twisted the knife from his grip and drove my knee into his stomach.He doubled over, and I brought my elbow down hard between his shoulder blades.He crumpled to the floor, motionless.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” I called to Chaos, who flashed me a wild grin before launching himself back into the fray.

I’d never seen the Devil’s Boneyard in full attack mode before.It was terrifying and awe-inspiring.These men moved with practiced precision despite the apparent disorder around them.Chaos lived up to his name, spinning through the fight with unpredictable movements that left opponents disoriented.Three Moretti soldiers tried to corner him, but he laughed in their faces before putting two of them down with quick, brutal strikes.The third backed away, fear evident in his eyes.

I skirted the edge of a burning barrel, the heat singeing my arms as I passed.My eyes darted from face to face, searching for the men who’d made my life hell.

A bullet struck the wall inches from my head, showering me with plaster.I dropped to a crouch and scuttled behind a stack of wooden pallets.Fuck, that was close.My heart hammered against my ribs, but I forced my breathing to steady.Panic wouldn’t help me now.

I spotted Rebel across the room, his movements fluid as he took on two men at once.His fists connected with sickening thuds, and I watched as he effortlessly dominated the fight.His confidence in battle was magnetic, drawing my eyes to him even amid this chaos.He caught my gaze for a split second, his lips quirking into that cocky smirk that both infuriated and thrilled me, before returning his attention to the men before him.

My momentary distraction cost me.A hand grabbed my hair from behind, yanking me backward.Pain exploded across my scalp as I stumbled, fighting to keep my balance.I twisted, driving my elbow blindly behind me, and felt it connect with something solid.The grip on my hair loosened slightly.I spun and found myself face-to-face with a woman I didn’t recognize -- one of the Morettis’ girlfriends, judging by the diamonds in her ears and around her throat.Her eyes blazed with hatred as she lunged at me again.What the fuck was this bitch doing in the middle of a fight?

“Biker whore,” she snarled, aiming a knife at my stomach.

I caught her wrist, deflecting the blade away from my body.“Original,” I replied, before headbutting her hard enough to make my own vision blur.

She staggered backward, blood gushing from her nose.I didn’t give her time to recover.I swept her legs out from under her and watched as she crashed to the floor, the knife skittering away.She wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.Just to make sure, I stomped on her ankle, and she let out a shriek that would do a banshee proud.

I shook my head to clear it and continued my search.The back rooms.That’s where they’d be.Cowards always hid while others fought their battles.Same had been true in the Army.My unit had been sent in to deal with some skirmishes, and the two men who’d attacked me somehow managed to avoid most of the battle every damn time.I’d always found it odd how they could do that and get away with it.Now I knew.They were backed by someone powerful.

I navigated through the chaos, ducking under a flying chair and sidestepping a grappling pair of men who tumbled across my path.The din of the fight began to fade as I approached a corridor leading deeper into the building.I paused at the entrance, listening.The sound of low voices drifted from one of the rooms.

My fingers curled around a switchblade I’d taken earlier.The weight felt reassuring in my palm.I moved silently down the corridor, testing each door as I passed.The first two were locked.The third opened to an empty storage closet.The voices grew louder as I approached the fourth door.I pressed my ear against it.

“-- fuck’s sake, we need to get out now!”The voice was panicked, frantic.

“Not until we grab the cash.I’m not leaving empty-handed.You saw how much these assholes brought with them.”This voice was lower, calmer, but with an edge of frustration.

I recognized it immediately.My body tensed, anger coursing through me like electricity.Found you, asshole.

I didn’t waste time on subtlety.I kicked the door open with enough force to send it slamming against the interior wall.Two men spun toward me, their expressions shifting from surprise to recognition to fear in the span of seconds.

“Remember me?”I asked, my voice deadly calm despite the adrenaline surging through my veins.

Private Ellis made a break for the window.I intercepted him with a tackle that sent us both crashing into a desk.Papers scattered as we rolled across its surface and onto the floor.He outweighed me by at least sixty pounds, but I had rage on my side.I drove my knee between his legs, and he howled in pain, curling inward.

I barely had time to register Sergeant Denton lunging for me before something hard connected with the side of my head.Stars burst across my vision as I stumbled sideways, momentarily disoriented.I blinked away the dizziness in time to see him raising what looked like a metal paperweight for another strike.

I ducked beneath his arm and slammed my fist into his kidney.He grunted but didn’t go down.Tougher than I remembered.He swung again, and I blocked the blow with my forearm, pain shooting up to my shoulder.I countered with a strike to his throat that had him gasping and staggering backward.

“You bitch,” he wheezed.“Should’ve finished you when we had the chance.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I replied, before driving my foot into his knee.The crack was audible even over his scream.

Ellis had recovered enough to grab me from behind, his arm snaking around my neck in a chokehold.Spots danced before my eyes as he cut off my air supply.I struggled, clawing at his arm, but his grip was like iron.My lungs burned.The switchblade.I still had it clenched in my right hand.I flicked it open and stabbed backward, feeling the blade sink into flesh.

He screamed and released me.I gulped in precious air, spinning to face him.Blood stained his shirt where I’d caught him in the side.Not fatal, but enough to take the fight out of him.He stumbled back against the wall, clutching the wound.

Movement by the door caught my attention.Rebel.His knuckles were bloody and his eyes were wild.He took in the scene with a quick glance -- me standing, two Army boys down but alive.

“You good?”he asked, gaze lingering on the already-forming bruise on my temple.

I nodded, still catching my breath.“Found what I was looking for.”

Denton tried to crawl toward the window.Rebel casually stepped on his injured leg, eliciting a howl of pain.“Friends of yours?”he asked me, raising an eyebrow.

“These are the bastards who hurt me.I had a score to settle.”

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