Page 98 of Waging War
There are four doors along the back hallway. Our footfalls barely make a sound as we listen closely for any sign of Diablo.
When I reach the final door, I can just make out Bruce’s voice, muttering to someone inside the room. My ears pounds as I flick a silent command to Hazel to stay outside the door.
A mixture of worry and finality swirl in the multihued depths of her eyes, but eventually, she nods. Raising my gun, I swiftly kick the door open and rush inside the office.
Bruce is startled by my sudden appearance, but he recovers quickly, diving for the pistol lying on the desk. I sprint across the room and use the butt of my gun to bat his hand away before circling the desk.
“Ah!” Bruce shouts, cradling his wrist as I grab him.
A bullet flies past my head and imbeds into the wall beside where we struggle.
“Ben!”
I whip my head toward Hazel, but she’s already on the ground, wrestling with another man.
They grapple as I keep a firm hold on Bruce.
I’ve seen firsthand that Hazel can hold her own, but for how much longer? I’m torn between leaving him here and rushing to help her. If I drop him, he’s either going to go for the gun or escape. Either option completely fucks us, but I won’t allow them to harm her.
I’m one second from loosening my grip when, from the corner of my eye, Hazel moves to stand and dusts herself off.
Puffing her hair out of her face with a triumphant smile, she nods toward where the guard is unconscious, lying on his belly next to a paperweight.
Holy shit.
She’s used his own tie to bind his hands behind him exactly the way I’d shown her.
After swiping up her discarded gun, Hazel steadies her aim toward Bruce.
“Good job,” I say with a chest full of pride as I press the nose of my weapon into the fat hanging below his chin. He’s wide eyed as I back him up against a door behind the desk. The blinds screech against the glass as he struggles against them.
“Ben,” he growls.
“It’s over,” I say with shaky confidence. Cramming the gun deeper into his skin, I stare back at those soulless eyes. “Tell me where you’re keeping Sam, and maybe I’ll let you live.”
He wheezes a laugh. “Do you honestly think I’m going to tell you where that little whore is?”
“Answer me.” The words slide through my teeth. Sweat marks my brow as I clutch the lapel of his suit in my opposite hand.
Smiling like the maniac he is, he struggles against my hold. “Now this is the Ben I know. Can’t follow even the simplest order.”
My gaze narrows.
“You know, that’s always been your downfall. You’re simply not good enough.”
“At least I’m not a murdering crook like you.”
“No, I suppose you’re not the killer I needed you to be. But then, I always knew you didn’t have what it took to be a true enforcer.”
Hazel’s steps get a little closer.
“Then why give me the job to begin with?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” A cruel, vicious smile peels his lips. “I neverneededyou, Benjamin. You were always expendable. It was just too much fun to watch you destroy the lives of those you loved.”
Before I have a chance to react, he presses down on the handle behind him, slipping right out of my grasp when the door flies open.
Hazel’s panicked shout fades as Bruce and I topple head over foot down a small hill. The world spins wildly, churning my stomach as I try to focus my vision.
