Page 17 of Kai
“Because you and I are the same,” the merc said, as if it should be obvious. “We work for money. Only you work for a little money while I work for the big leagues. That could change, though. Walk away and I’ll make sure you get a fat deposit in your account.”
Why the fuck did the NWO mercs think they had a chance in hell of turning any of us to their cause?
“I’m not into murder for hire.” My lips curled in disgust. “You’re a piece of shit who’s gonna die today. Unless you’d like to delay your meeting with the devil and give me some useful info on your employer and his associates?”
“Boss?”
I craned my neck to find a third merc standing near the base of the lighthouse. I’d been so focused on this merc that another one had sneaked up on me. He frowned in confusion, but his weapon was up and aiming at Cece.
I lifted the gun in my hands and pulled the trigger, scoring another perfect hit between the newcomer’s eyebrows. My shot took him out on the spot, and yet, the moment I made my decision, I knew there would be consequences. Asshole-in-chief didn’t waste any time. When I looked down, he was no longer where I’d left him. Instead, he was coming at me like an eighteen-wheeler.
Bursts of rounds hit all around him, abruptly changing his trajectory. He rolled to my eleven o’clock, scrambled on his feet, and dove behind a rock. With her eye on the scope and her cheek pressed to the butt of the rifle, Cece kept firing as if she planned to chisel the rocks out of her way with a barrage ofrounds. She must’ve hit him at least once because the man let out a high-pitched squeal.
I scurried to one side with my weapon at the ready, trying to get a shooting angle. I was about to flank the fucker when the carbine that Cece held clicked and went silent. The moment Cece ran out of ammo, the merc took off. He dashed like the coward he was, aiming to make it to the ledge and cross to the other side to escape us.
I took aim and pulled the trigger. The guy made it to the other side, but he staggered once, lurched forward, tripped, and fell… right into a roaring blowhole.
Cece heaved, her eyes wide, her mouth frozen in a wince. “Did we kill him?”
“Only one way to know.”
With Cece at my heels, I jogged across the ledge and edged up to the blowhole. When I looked down, a body floated face down in the churning water. Between spurts of spray, I spotted tendrils of blood staining the frothy surf. The roiling churn tossed the corpse against the rocks before the vortex sucked it down and out of view.
“I’m gonna say he’s a goner.” I met Cece’s horrified gaze. “His death is not on you. He was still running and alive when he fell into the blowhole. Don’t blame yourself for justice that was bound to happen.”
“Of all the things I regret in life, he’snotone of them.” She stood there, her crystalline eyes as wide as the full moon, staring at me as if she’d never seen me before.
“We’ve gotta go.” I grabbed her hand and rushed across the terrain.
Her fingers squeezed around my gloves, but she didn’t allow shock or fear to slow us down. Instead, she tightened her grip. Along the way, I snatched the laptop case, my carbine, and my ruck. The fire roaring in the tower and the smoke obscuringthe night offered us some protection from being detected by the remaining mercs. Their shouts rang in the night. It sounded as if they had gathered on the other side of the lighthouse. I needed to do one more thing to secure a clean exfil.
“Press your back to the wall,” I whispered to Cece as we finished crossing the rock shelf. “Stay put.”
Scooting against the curve of the building, I peeked. The mercs’ shadows danced to the tune of the flames as a few survivors lingered just outside the main entrance. I slid out one of my little friends from my tactical vest and mouthed to Cece. “Cover your ears.”
In one smooth, practiced motion, I took out the pin and pitched the live grenade toward the tangos. I stepped back, crouched next to Cece, and shielded her with my body. The explosion rocked the ground, shook the lighthouse, and ended the mercenary crew for good.
“Clear,” I said after taking another glance. No one would pursue us now. I secured my gear to my person and took the lead. “Let’s get out of here. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Fine,” she said, but her voice came out shaky. “You?”
“I’ll have a couple of bruises tomorrow, but I’m good.”
Her voice drifted from behind me. “I had him, you know.”
“You did have him.” I turned to meet her remarkable eyes. “Point Sorceress. No argument from me. I’d be dead without you. Thanks for the assist.”
Her eyes widened. She wasn’t used to recognition, but damn, she deserved it. She was a ferocious fighter and had saved both of our lives with her daring.
We clambered down the crevasse and into the depths of the rocky cliff. The smell of brine, salt, and algae filled my nostrils as we slid between the perilous crags until we were invisible from above. A few more explosions rocked the earth while we scrambled down. The fire must’ve tripped the rest ofmy traps.
Keeping Cece close, I led her deep into the crevasse, then made a left and guided her to the mouth of the old lava tube I’d used to access the lighthouse. After sliding out my compact flashlight, I turned it on red light mode and moved forward.
“You were a badass up there,” I said over the sound of the waves.
“You weren’t bad yourself.” Her breath warmed the back of my neck. “We pair up well.”
Her words hit me in the chest.Pair up well?Coincidence? Or was the universe fucking with me?
