Cole

I heard him moving as I did, and figured he was doing the same. Once inside the closet, I felt around on the floor and found some sneakers. Pulling them on, I crawled back out. My heart was trying to pound its way out of my chest as I did.

My hand brushed his once I got to his side, and his own came to my shoulder. He urged me behind him, just a little bit.

“Sir.” A voice spoke from the stairs, through the closed door.

Cole turned swiftly, blocking me, with his gun held out straight. “Don’t move.”

“It’s me. Carl.”

Cole lowered the gun, but kept his arms straight. He rested the gun at his side, pointing to the ground, and took a few steps toward the bedroom’s door. “You okay?”

“I am.” Carl didn’t come into the room or even open the door. “There’s no movement out there. Both barns lost electricity, and the house down the way is out, too.”

“Still.” Cole’s hand came to my shoulder and squeezed lightly. “We should head back to the city. I’ll let Ruby know I didn’t stay the night.”

“Okay. I’ll be in the car, sir.”

Carl left, and this time I could hear him moving down the stairs. After a moment the front door to the barn opened as he left, crossing the yard to the car. Cole waited, watching him go. Once Carl was inside the vehicle and safe, Cole’s hand dropped from my shoulder. “Okay, let’s g—”

Later, I would remember that we were given warning: the lights went out.

Later, I would think how there should’ve been more warning. Like a feeling, or a premonition.

Later, I would realize that there’d been none of those, just the lights. That’d been it.

It was jarring when it happened. And I knew the sound would never leave my mind. I’d hear it over and over again for the rest of my life.

Before Cole finished speaking, I heard the sound of glass shattering mixed with quick pops. The more those pops sounded, the more glass shattered. I froze. Everything in me paused. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move.

Cole pushed me to the ground, turning himself back to the window. As soon as my face hit the floor, I knew what those pops were. Gunfire. My brain took another beat to catch up. Someone was shooting at us, but no, that wasn’t quite right.

A buzzing sounded in my ear, starting to drown out the repeating shots and glass, but eventually the glass stopped breaking. They had broken everything.

Cole left.

I couldn’t cry out. My throat wasn’t working, but I didn’t want him to go.

In a moment he was back and pressing something into my hand. “Can you shoot?” he asked, hurriedly.

“No.” My hand closed over metal.

He cursed, but lifted my hand. “Sit here. Keep your back to the wall. If someone comes up those stairs, you pull the trigger.” He spoke quietly, but fiercely. “Do not point this gun anywhere except at the stairs. If you do, get your finger off the trigger. Okay?”

I nodded. I had no idea what he was saying.

“Stay alive.” He pressed a hard kiss against my forehead. “And don’t shoot yourself.”

Stop! My brain kicked back into drive, and I grabbed his arm as he started to leave. “Where are you going?”

“Those men aren’t done. Carl came out from this barn. They’re going to look for us. They’re coming.”

They’re coming. His words echoed in my mind. I was still processing that when he was gone. He’d slipped down the stairs before I could say anything. Now that it was just me, I looked at what was in my hand: a gun.

My eyes widened, but that was it. That was my only reaction until everything snapped back into place. When my brain caught up, I knew what was happening. There were men here. Men who’d shot something, and were coming to shoot me.

I scooted back against the wall and bent my knees. Resting my arms on my legs, I held the gun with both hands, and I did what Cole said. I kept it pointed right at the stairs. I couldn’t save Cole. He knew how to save himself, but I’d be damned if I was going to go down quietly. I’d piss my pants later. For now, I was going to stay alive.





COLE



I could see six of them, but that didn’t mean that was it. I watched as six men surrounded Carl’s car and shot out every window. They’d done this before, but with only four shooters. I’d survived that attack, but I knew Carl hadn’t survived this one. And as the six men turned toward the barn, I knew they’d be thorough.

They were coming for me, but I knew they’d find Addison, too. That couldn’t happen.

Addison had given me shoes, but I kept them off on purpose. I padded barefoot down the stairs and through the stalls. I needed to hit them with the element of surprise. I hoped they’d split up to search for us, and after I slipped into one of the geldings’ stalls, keeping a calming hand on the horse, I heard them call softly to each other and knew they’d done just that.

The door opened slowly with a squeak, and I saw the silhouettes of two men coming inside. I lowered myself and pressed against the stall’s door. The horses started neighing as the men approached, and a few began kicking at their stall doors. They could feel the tension in the air. My horse stepped from side to side, but he never pawed at the door. He wouldn’t hurt me, but his eyes were growing wild in the moonlight, and he began to shake his head.

“Every fucking stall has a horse. What are we supposed to do with that? Search each one?” grumbled the guy closest to me.

“I don’t know,” his companion replied. “I guess so. Markay and Gus are going to sweep upstairs. They’re waiting for our signal that this level is clear.”

They would come from the side door, then head upstairs.

I couldn’t wait.

The men turned on flashlights and shined them in the stalls. They were making quick work, not bothering to go inside. I watched as they kept coming, clearing the stalls next to me, and then pointing their lights at my horse. They lit him up, and he reared back from being blinded. I held my breath. Right that second, the horse was more dangerous to me than the men. They passed their flashlights over the back corners of the stall. The gelding moved toward them, and toward me, but they turned their flashlights to the stall behind them.

It was time.

I slipped over the stall’s door and dropped to the floor. I came up behind them and pulled a knife out of my pocket, keeping it tucked against the palm of my hand.

The two men were almost to the middle of the row of stalls.

I slipped up behind one, then reached around and slashed his throat. His blood sprayed over me, and before his companion could react, I grabbed his shoulder and did the same to him. Both men fell to the ground. They couldn’t speak, and they’d be dead within minutes.

“Hey! Bannon? Carl? You guys okay?” a voice called from the far end of the barn.

One of these assholes was named Carl. Ironic. I grabbed their flashlights and held them apart. “We’re good,” I yelled back, making my voice deeper to match what I’d heard earlier. “One of the horses spooked us.”

There was silence for a second. Then the guy hollered again, “Yeah, okay. Check every stall. Keep going.”

The other two flashlights were coming toward me. I had to get behind them, take them down the same way. I knew the final two would be coming through the side doors at any moment, but so far the doors were still closed. They weren’t locked. I’d closed them before taking Addison upstairs, but meant to come back down and lock everything up for the night.

Turning the flashlights off, I locked both doors, darting from side to side.

“Hey!” The other two guys came running.

I flattened against one of the stalls and waited. They rushed past and separated, going to the doors. The closest one pushed at the door. “Fuck! Did he go this way?”

I moved quickly, slicing his throat in the dark, too.

The other guy swung around, and his flashlight blinded me. “Stay there, you fucker!”

I moved so the stairs were between us.

“I said STOP!” he bellowed.

I waited now. He’d need backup, whether that meant calling for his friends or unlocking the doors. I stared at his feet, memorizing where he was until I heard him fumbling around. Then I launched myself at him. He had a gun trained on me, but his mind wasn’t focused on pulling the trigger. I used that against him, soaring around the stairs. He saw me go left and his gun moved that way, but I ducked to the floor. The flashlight couldn’t keep up with me, and I kicked at him. He pulled the trigger and the bullet hit the floor next to me, but he was down. I grappled with him for the gun, kicking at his face.

The doors were rattling now. The other men shoved against them, trying to get in.

“Thirty seconds…” I could hear Carter’s voice in my head. I had thirty seconds before they remembered the other two entrances were unlocked and open. Then they’d act, and be on me.

The guy fighting me was stronger than I’d thought, so I flipped over, putting my knees on either side of his head. His gun was up, but I had the advantage now. I slammed his hand on the ground, and it opened with the impact. Grabbing the gun, I shot him in the face.

He was dead instantly. I rolled off of him and scooted back against the stalls so I was partially blocked. The doors were quiet now. They’d quieted as soon as they heard their friend die. My heart pounded, but I stilled my breathing.

They’d have to come all the way to the middle stairs to see me, but that was my only opening. They had the advantage. I had to think of something. As I waited, I pulled my second gun out. I had one gun in each hand now. They’d have to find me.

One fallen flashlight pointed down the hallway. They’d be coming that way, but they’d keep to the dark. I positioned myself with my gun and my eyes focused on that spot because there was no other way they could come. Not unless they’d doubled back and were coming from behind.

I’d have to risk it.

I heard them before I saw them. Shoes scraped against the cement floor, and I shot into the darkness ahead of me. A hoarse scream came from that direction, and I thumbed off two more bullets, pointing the gun slightly higher than my shoulder.

A third gun went off, and then there was silence.

A body fell to the floor with a thud. All six were dead, but there could be more. I waited.

“Are they dead?”

I whirled to face the top of the stairs and scrambled to find a flashlight. I shined it up into the darkness to find Addison perched on the top stair, her gun in hand. She still had it pointed at the man lying dead just beyond my shoulders.

I cursed, taking note of her pallor. Her face looked drained of blood, and tears streaked down her cheeks. She asked again, not even flinching against the flashlight, “Are they dead?”

The adrenaline of the fight still pumped through me, but it ebbed at the tiny sound of her voice. I didn’t want to answer—not because of what I’d just done, but because I hadn’t acted alone.

She’d helped me. She killed the last one.

“Yes. They’re dead,” I told her. I couldn’t spare her any comfort. “More could be out there,” I said harshly. “Stay here.”

She nodded, and she kept nodding. Over and over again.

“You can stop, Addison.”

“Okay.” And she did, her eyes still on the guy behind me.

“I’ll be right back.”

I stood, my legs a little shaky. This wasn’t my first or even my second attack. I’d been in so many, and I’d survived. I’d lived. That was what I did. But this was the first time, or the first that I remembered, when I was scared.

Addison could’ve died.

I turned, going for the door. I had to see if anyone else was out there, and because of her, I knew I’d be more brutal.

The need to kill was stronger than it had ever been.





ADDISON





I stayed.

I didn’t move.

I didn’t dare move.

My arms were straight, and I held the gun steady. I tried to keep my breathing even, but what if there were more out there? Cole was on his own—No. I pressed my eyes closed. I couldn’t focus on that. Cole knew what he was doing. Trust Cole. Do what he says. And that was what I did.

After a few minutes he came back. I saw a spark of pride in his eyes as he looked at me, and a jolt of satisfaction coursed through me.

“Okay.” Cole stopped inside the door of the barn. His hand went to his shoulder. “I need you to do some things for me.”

I stood and hurried down the stairs, still holding the gun. He was breathing a little heavy, but that seemed normal. We’d just been attacked. Right?

“Were you shot?” I heard myself ask. His hand never moved from his shoulder. It wasn’t an ache he was rubbing.

“I was.”

“What?”

“But it went right through me. I’ll be fine. I promise.”

My alarm lessened, but just a bit.

“I need you to do some things.”

I nodded and handed the gun to him, carefully. “I’m ready.”

“Okay. First.” He motioned to all the doors. “I need you to lock all of the doors.”

“Okay.” I reached for the one next to him.

He blocked me. “Not this one. We have to leave through this one.”

“Yeah. Got it.” And I was off. I fumbled with the first one, not sure where the lock was, but once I found it, I made fast work after that. I hurried back and waited for the next order.

He gestured upstairs. “Take a flashlight and go grab my keys, wallet, and phone.”

I frowned. “Why weren’t those in your pants?” He always kept them in his pockets, even when he slept.

A rakish grin was my answer. “Because I was more focused on getting in your pants.”

I laughed, and that felt better. I wasn’t as tense as I grabbed one of the flashlights. Cole also had one in his hand now. He must’ve grabbed it while I was doing the doors. “So where is your stuff up there?” I asked.

“On a counter in the kitchen.”

“On it.” I didn’t want to waste time, but I circled the upstairs, making sure we weren’t leaving anything behind. I had no idea what Cole was planning. With his items in hand, I went back to find him waiting for me, standing in the open doorway.

He motioned to my hand. “I need my phone.” Then waved for me to keep the keys. “My car is behind the other barn.”

“Oh.” He wanted me to drive. Check. I could do that. I started to step outside, but he blocked me once more. His hand touched the door in front of me. “What?”

He didn’t answer, and I couldn’t see his eyes. The moon behind him cast his face in shadow. His voice was soft when he finally spoke. “I need you to keep your head down when you go out there.”

“Why?”

“Do you remember when they first started shooting?”

I nodded, but my mind was blank. I’d switched from panic to fear to ‘let’s get this shit done, whatever that shit is,’ and I was still in that mode. I could follow orders, but… I remembered now—they hadn’t shot into the barn. The horses would’ve bolted. What had they fired at…?

Carl.

My knees buckled.

Cole grabbed my hand. He pulled me toward him, adjusting so my back faced Carl’s car. “Don’t look. Please. I don’t want you to