Page 85 of Raven's Curse
“I left him because he betrayed us, too.”
Chase clenched his jaw, images of that night playing like a movie in his head. Thinking Dalton could still be alive, that maybe he wasn’t broken beyond repair… “I’m sorry, Royce. If I could go back, do it over. I’d find a way to save everyone, but I can’t, and what you’re doing here… This won’t change the past. Bring any of them back.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Carver took a step. “After years of suffering. Of having the truth beaten into me, I finally understand. I can shed this skin. All I need to do is cleanse your soul. Bleed the honor out of you. Consider it the mercy you never showed me because even if you pull a miracle out of your ass, Greer’s never gonna make it to a hospital in time. She’s lost too much blood.” He shrugged. “Guess I wasn’t quite as proficient at saving people as I thought.”
Royce grinned. “But then, saving her was never part of the plan.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chase inhaled as Royce hit the button on the detonator, then launched across the narrow space, KaBar glinting in the light, the blade slicing through the air in clear, sharp arcs. Chase dodged left, getting in a strike to Carver’s ribs as he rolled past, gaining his feet before he slipped off the side.
Until the far support beam blew, shaking the entire structure. Smoke rose up from below, that freight car creaking as it tipped a bit lower. The resulting vibrations knocked Chase onto one knee, the surging water glaring up at him from below.
Royce regained his balance, tossing the knife between his hands before he glanced at Greer. Grinned. Chase read the man’s intentions before the asshole took a step. He lunged, slid across the space, caught Royce a few feet back. Knocked his legs out. The guy hit hard, shoulder falling in the gap, the knife clattering free before slipping over the edge — disappearing beneath the water.
Another explosion.
More smoke. Flames. Wood and metal blasting through the air, hitting the platform like tiny spikes. The bridge swayed as parts at the far end cracked and heaved, crumpling into the water, the resulting impact causing massive flooding along the bank.
Royce rolled, tripped Chase onto his back, then launched on top, hands cinched around Chase’s neck, fingers digging into his flesh. Chase punched the bastard’s elbows, knocked them apart as he lifted his hips, tossed Royce over his shoulders.
They scrambled to their feet, neither one backing down. The next explosion dropped the freight car. The metal screeched as it scraped across the tracks, hitting the water, nearly taking the rest of the bridge with it. The power running the lights winked off, just Chase’s headlamp mapping out what remained of the bridge.
Royce staggered to his feet, a couple pieces of shrapnel embedded in his thigh. Just like that night in Eastern Europe. Blood stained his fatigues, more dripping from a slice across his temple. Chase took a step as Royce shook his head — pulled out a Glock from an ankle holster.
He tsked when Chase edged toward him, nodding toward Greer. “I always knew it’d come down to this. You and me in a stalemate. Her life in the balance. I can kill her fast or slow, Remington. Your choice.”
Chase looked him dead in the eyes. “At this distance, you’ll only get one shot. If you’re smart, you’ll try to eliminate the threat. But you’d better hope it drops me because anything other than a lethal hit, and you’ll be the one heading to the other side.”
Royce laughed. “Guess you want her to suffer, too.”
He spun, aimed at Greer, when claws clicked against the wood a second before Nyx appeared out of the night, nothing more than a shadowed blur amidst the darkness. Running full out. Skipping along the ties as if they were solid ground. No fear. No hesitation. Nyx took two more steps and jumped — hit Royce square in the back.
They tumbled forward, a single shot going wide as they skidded across the short expanse and onto the edge, gravity pulling at them as everything froze. That crazy hang time as they clambered for a hold.
Chase dove, snagged Nyx’s harness before catching a handful of jacket. The momentum carried him forward, the sheer weight nearly taking him over until a hand wrapped around his ankle — held him steady.
Greer. Blood soaked through her jacket, hands shaking, but she held firm, reached for Nyx. It took a few tries and the dog scratching at the wood, to get her over the lip, handed off. Greer grabbed her harness, tugged her the last few feet as her grip waned, eyes rolling back before she tanked, hitting the deck.
Chase grunted, one hand gripped around the track, the other barely keeping Royce from falling — landing on the twisted wreckage burning beneath them. “Damn it, Royce, give me your hand.”
Royce looked up, raised his arm, his weapon shifting into place. He aimed just as his jacket ripped, slipping free from Chase’s fist. His eyes bulged wide, arms pinwheeling through the air before he dropped, body skipping off the metal shell, then slowly sinking beneath the surface.
Chase stared for a moment, chest heaving, hand grabbing at air, before he pushed off, scrambled over to Greer.
She blinked a few times, glimpses of green in the circled light. “See? You totally jinxed it.”
He shook his head. “Guess I owe you pizza and dessert.”
“Don’t forget the beer.” Her voice stuttered, breath shallow, choppy.
“Hey, eyes on me, sweetheart. I hear the helicopter. Just, hold out another few minutes, and I’ll get you fixed up.”
She nodded, eyes drifting shut. “Sure.”
“Greer.”
Nothing.
