Page 28 of Harmless
Carter gave a quick nod and put his fingers to his lips, letting out two loud, shrill whistles. I pocketed my new brass knuckles and followed him, not giving another glance or thought to the men tied up in the center. They were just grunts, hired muscle. Nella was the head of this operation, so it was her brain I needed to pick.
“Head for the elevators!” I yelled to fighters and service staff as we ran through the underbelly of the colosseum. “It’s time to go!”
One of the maids darted out from a side room, her arms full of liquor bottles. A gladiator came out from behind her, took some of the loot to lighten her load, and they ran out toward the canyon floor together, holding hands.
“You seen Torr?” I asked Carter, looking around.
“He was searching for that bitch in charge last I saw.”
A flash of red hair in my peripheral vision had me spinning on the balls of my feet. “Paige! We’ve got to go!”
“Coming!” She ran toward us, hefting a drawstring laundry bag over her shoulder. The Hunter was glued to her side, and as he checked their surroundings, he took her bag to carry it in his free hand.
They’d make a cute couple,I thought just as a sense of warning filled my body. All my muscles locked up, like I was being physically held back from going any further.
Take cover.
Astarte’s instruction barely finished processing when I grabbed the back of Carter’s shirt, dragging him off to the side until we were pressed against one of the curving canyon walls. “Stay covered!” I hollered at the top of my lungs to no one in particular. “Don’t go out into the canyon! Paige, get back here!”
Bullets fired down from above us, and Paige and the Hunter went down.
11
TORRANCE
The rain of ammunition came from nowhere.
All had been fairly quiet for a while. Santos and I had been tearing up the offices, looking for any documents about the resort or anybody important that was hiding.
“Oh shit! She just punched the fuck out of that dude with his own brass knuckles.” The fighter stared out a window with a scenic view of the colosseum and the east-facing canyon walls. He let out a wistful sigh. “Damn, that’s hot.”
“I know, man, but we gotta focus.” I felt around the heavy wooden desk, tapping my knuckles in search of hidden compartments. “You sure this is Nella’s office?”
“Yeah, I mean this is where she brought me and Devin all the time.” He didn’t give me the specifics of why, and I didn’t ask him. I figured it wasn’t a monthly review on his accomplishments as a gladiator.
Just as my fingers ran over a tiny deviation in the smooth, polished wood, I heard a rapid series of pops.
“Shit!” Santos and I both dove below the window ledge for cover.
“Is that you guys?” He took a careful peek through the window. “Dressed all in black, shooting down over the canyon ledge?”
I shook my head. “Doesn’t sound like the Valkyrie Network.”
“Oh fuck, they’re shooting down at escapees! Everyone’s scattering.”
My heart stopped in my chest. No one likely expected the resort to have backup. “You see Rori?”
“No.”
“Shit.”
“There’s a fucking lot of them Torr, they’re lining up all along the ridge.”
I went to look myself and cursed again. Those who weren’t shooting at people went up to Carter’s truck and began looting what looked like food, blankets, and medical supplies. One of them promptly shot all four of the vehicle’s tires.
That was especially bad for Santos, who needed his shoulder treated as soon as possible.
“Fuck.” I checked the magazine of the gun Rori had loaned me. Four rounds left. I had used most of my ammo on the pitmasters who’d been guarding this office.
