“Damn it.” Theo forced her up, managing to get her to the stairs.
Mia watched as Victor laid out a pattern of fire to allow Theo to haul her up. She brought her elbow up and back, hitting his solar plexus hard. Mia’s knees hit the concrete. No time for pain, though it flared through her system. She had to make it to that door where the intensely large Aussie was no doubt holding her brother back. Thank god. The last thing she needed was Drew out here trying to get to her.
She shoved off the ground, trying to sprint for the door.
An arm wound around her, dragging her back up. “We have to get back to the plane.”
He was so stubborn. Just like his brother.
“Erin! Erin loves you. Erin misses you so much,” she screamed over the wail of gunfire.
It was mean, but she knew how to hurt him. Nothing affected him so much as the very sound of Erin’s name. She heard him hiss, but he kept moving. He dragged her up the stairs.
“Erin had your baby, Theo. She had your son and she’s on her way here.” She couldn’t let up. She wasn’t as strong as Theo, but she had other weapons at her disposal. “Erin wants to see you so badly.”
He stumbled back, briefly letting her go.
She immediately took off. The office. She had to make it there. If she could only make it there.
A dark object came out of nowhere, shoving straight into her gut. She heard someone scream, a masculine voice calling out her name. But she was falling backward, all the air whoosing from her lungs in a single, painful rush. She felt herself hit the ground and then she was looking up, the world a bit unfocused as Theo gripped her, hauled her up. Someone—she thought it was Robert—was giving him cover. Her world upended as Theo tossed her over his shoulder like a bag of grain. She had the briefest glance at what was happening around her and then her whole world stilled, slowing down and focusing on one point. Case. He was running toward her, his face a mask of horror as he tried to get to her.
And then he stopped and dropped to the ground as a bullet hit him squarely in the chest.
Mia screamed as she watched him fall.
Theo moved more quickly this time. Mia used her fists, pounding at his back, her only thought to get back to Case. She held her head up, trying to see what the hell was happening. The gunfire was rapid, filling the world with rage. She watched as Victor’s head ripped back and his body fell. Liam O’Donnell was advancing, a gun in his hand as he took down Victor and seemed to be heading toward Case’s body.
His body. That had been a solid heart shot.
Someone was screaming. They were louder than the damn gunfire. That wail was terrible and she tried to close her ears to it.
“Please stop.” Theo shoved her down on the seat she’d occupied before. “Stop screaming.”
She looked up at him. His face was white and there was blood on his shirt. She wasn’t sure where it had come from.
“Theo, please.” Her voice sounded cracked and tortured even to her own ears. “You have to help Case. Your brother is out there. Please.” She couldn’t stop the tears that were streaming down her face. “Please help him. Let me go to him. I love your brother so much.”
“Hutch, get this bird started,” Theo said, holding his head. “We have to get out of here.”
She hadn’t realized Hutch had gotten back on the plane. He was standing there, his eyes completely hollow.
Santos stepped in, firing out the door of the plane. “Get us moving, now.”
Theo turned back. “Sir, Robert isn’t here.”
“Robert’s been shot and Victor’s dead. Get this fucking plane moving or we will be, too.” Santos fired out again.
She looked up at Theo. “Please. That’s your family out there. They’re trying so hard to get you back, to save you. Please don’t let them take us again. Your brother is lying out there. Your twin. His name is Case and I love him. You have a woman who loves you. You have Erin.”
“I don’t know who the fuck you’re talking about,” Theo growled. “I don’t know anyone named Erin. Stop it. Stop talking. It hurts.”
It sounded like the world was coming to an end outside the airplane.
She couldn’t stop. Santos was pulling the stairs up. It was obvious he’d been hit, but he was still moving.
He closed the door and turned that gun on Hutch. “Get us out of here or I’ll kill you.” He turned toward Mia. “As for you…I’m going to shove your dead body out at our next stop and maybe then they’ll think about fucking with me.”