Page 90 of Talon

“Argh!” Momentarily stunned by the blow, he gives me the chance to break free. I don’t waste any time getting back to my feet and facing him.

“Stay the hell away from her!”

Kyle wipes blood from his lips and glares at me with murderous intent.

“Is that all you got?” I taunt, even as I struggle to catch my breath.“You’re looking a little tired.”

“Shut up!” he snarls, but his voice lacks its earlier confidence. He’s weakening, too.

“Jessica means everything to me,” I say, my voice low and fierce.“I won’t let you lay another finger on her.”

“It’s not my fingers you should be worried about.” He leers at her before attacking me.

We clash again, trading blows like two soldiers locked in battle. But I’m fighting smarter now, using Kyle’s own momentum against him. He’s getting sloppier. I seize the opportunity to land a solid hit to his ribs.

“Argh!” he grunts.

As I move in to finish him off, he kicks out with one leg, sweeping my feet out from under me. I crash to the cold floor, momentarily stunned by the impact.

“Finish him!” Allison screams, suddenly awake and gripping a scalpel against Jessica’s throat. My heart lurches at the sight. How the fuck did Allison get up without me noticing?

“Get away from her!” I shout, attempting to get back on my feet.

Kyle straddles my chest, pinning my shoulders with his knees. He drives his fist into my face until my vision runs red.

“Give up,” he hisses, bloodlust in his eyes.“You’re both going to die today. There’s no point in fighting it.”

“I’ll fight you until my last breath,” I gasp.

“Then it’s time to make that happen,” he sneers, readying himself for a final blow.

Suddenly, a rustling sound echoes through the morgue. The air vents above us tremble, and with a loud crash, a swarm of rats pours out. They descend upon Allison and Kyle, their fur bristling and teeth bared.

“Get them off me!” Allison shrieks in horror, releasing her grip on Jessica’s throat as she tries to fend off the rodents.

Kyle leaps to his feet, his murderous intent forgotten as he swats at the rats biting and clawing at him.

I crawl across the floor to Jessica. She’s on her hands and knees moving toward me as fast as she can, despite the sea of rats. Her eyes are wide with fear, but the rats aren’t attacking her. They know who to kill, and it’s not us.

“You okay?” I ask quickly, my voice tight with concern.

“Y-yeah,” she stammers, still shaken.“What’s happening?”

“Justice,” I reply grimly, focusing on the rats that have come to our aid. It was probably a combination of the noise from our fight and my psychic ability that called them here. It’s a skill I rarely use, but one that may have saved us today. As much as I want to see Allison and Kyle dead, we need them alive in case the doctors can’t figure out what kind of poison they used on Randolph.

“Enough!” I reach out with my mind to find their leader.

He psychically responds, acknowledging my command. Their attack ceases almost instantly. Hundreds of beady eyes turn toward me in understanding. With a final nip at their prey, they scamper away, disappearing into the vents.

The heavy metal door to the morgue bursts open, revealing a squad of armed officers, their guns drawn and pointed at us. The officer in charge steps forward, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic scene before him.

“Stand down!” he barks, his eyes meeting mine.“We saw everything on the security cameras.”

“Thank God.” I glance at Jessica, who looks shell-shocked, but relieved.

“Arrest them both,” the officer orders, motioning toward Allison and Kyle, who are still reeling from the rat attack. They don’t put up any resistance as the handcuffs click around their wrists and they’re led away, leaving us alone with the police.

“Are you okay?” I ask Jessica again, my eyes scanning her body for injuries. She’s got some bruises forming on her arms and neck, but nothing seems broken or too severe.

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