Page 127 of Merciless

A couple of them finally figure out where me and Char are coming at them from, spinning our way and blowing our cover.

Fine by me. Time for the fun part.

In the next second, I’m leaping over the crate and landing right in front of one of them, pistol whipping the guy across the side of the head, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, jerking him down, then smashing my knee into his face, all in quick succession. As he crashes to the ground, Char shoots him with a dead-center headshot, taking him out of play.

“Two o’clock!” I call to her, just as another guy runs at her.

She heeds my warning and spins into a kick that connects brutally hard with the guy’s solar plexus, sending him careening into the concrete wall.

I don’t get the chance to watch her finish him off, as movement in my peripheral vision catches my attention, coming from my left.

A soldier jumps at me, coming in hot, trying to tackle me. I brace myself, let it connect, then use his momentum and weight against him to spin him around and slam him into one of the pallet racks, bone and flesh smashing against steel.

Before I can finish him off, another guy’s in my space, sweeping his leg at me. I turn into the blow, blocking it with my arm. The hard leather of my jacket don’t do much to absorb the jarring impact, but I can’t be doing tactical gear. It’s way too hard to move in. A dead arm for a bit is a small price to pay. Besides, I like a little pain. Especially in the heat of battle. Makes me better. Deadlier.

As he swings his fist, I catch his arm before it makes contact, yank him around and twist it up his back, making him scream as it snaps.

I make the mistake of turning toward Char.

She’s surrounded by five guys circling her. Her gun’s gone and it takes me a second to spot it on the floor a couple of feet behind her.

I’m so distracted that I don’t sense the guy behind me before he’s on my back, wrapping his arm around my throat, trying to take me out with a sleeper hold. It has me losing my grip on the guy I’m holding. At the same time, the Gatekeeper I threw into the stacks comes back for more.

Next thing I know, it’s a blur of fists, hits, and kicks as the three of them beat on me in a whirlwind of brutality.

It sparks the rage in me to dangerous heights, knowing every second they’re fucking with me is another I can’t get to Char to help her out. It’s bringing back memories of that day in Brockford when it was way too close of a call getting to Roxana in time.

Motherfuckers!

I force all my body weight backward, taking the guy wrapped around my back with me until we jar against a pillar behind us.

Another is on me before I can shake him all the way, slamming my right arm into the concrete column over and over, trying to loosen my grip around my piece. The third guy smashes his fist into my face, making my head snap to the side, trying to disorientate me.

Gonna take way more than that kind of pussy-ass hit.

He grunts in frustration, then takes it up a notch, pulling a blade out of his tactical vest.

A smirk from me has him hesitating.

And that’s all I need.

A small window.

I hook the ankle of the guy holding me and wrench hard, ripping his leg out from under him. His hold loosens on me enough for me to twist sharply to the side, breaking his grip. The blade comes down toward me, but I dodge it just in time, putting the sleeper hold guy into the direct line of fire. The blade plunges into his back, his own teammate unwittingly taking him out. I fire a shot into the blade wielder’s skull, following it up with another at the guy who failed to disarm me.

As I spin back to Char, I’m stalled yet again.

This time, it’s way worse, though.

It’s Cavalno’s voice roaring down our COMM links.

“Grenade! Priest! Take cover now!”

I catch sight of Priest eyeing Cavalno’s men barreling in through the south door, grenade in hand. It’s right near where me and Char are located.

It’s a goddamn Hail Mary if I’ve ever seen one, risking an explosion in a space packing a load of arms and munitions.

I see Cavalno’s plant launch himself at Priest in a bid to stop him. He’s met by a bullet through the chest, dropping just shy of making contact.

Priest shakes his head at the fallen guy, clearly realizing in that moment that the guy was never on his side. He snarls, then pulls the pin and lobs the grenade through the air.

I watch Char vault over her opponents behind some cover, a split second before the blast rips through the area, the impact slamming into me.

Lights out.

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