I’d managed to grab Lucy’s hand and take her with me, but I couldn’t see anyone else. Olden continued to fire. Bullets rained relentlessly.
Breathing in a harsh, jagged manner, I attempted to push my panic aside – I couldn’t help anyone if I was having a heart attack – before moving further behind the table.
I barely breathed until there was a lull in the fire. It would take her sixty seconds to reload, just enough time to assess the situation. I peeked around the corner. My heart hammered as I saw the scattered bodies in the pathway. I gagged at the sight of masses of blood.
Olden’s gun had carved a destructive path through the group. She was in the same spot, right at the junction of our lane, wearing her usual overconfident self-satisfied expression. There was a large male guard on each side of her.
Smiling broadly, she rested the gun over her shoulder.
I couldn’t tell who was down. There were too many body parts scattered, although I frantically continued to survey the destruction. Breathing in heavy pants, I pulled back behind the table.
“Abigail, nice to see you again,” Olden’s voice echoed around the room. “How terrible, a few of your friends didn’t make it.”
She chuckled after that, like this was the most fun she’d had all year. Freak.
“What do you want, Olden?” I yelled over my shoulder.
As we waited for a reply, Lucy and I moved back against the table, sliding down lower.
Looking at the ground, I picked up one of my knives. I’d lost it as I dived away. The other was still strapped into my jacket cuff. I was lucky I hadn’t cut my hand off.
“I’ll run through the tables and draw her fire,” Lucy whispered. “You take Olden out.”
I shook my head fervently. No way ... hell, no.
“You know I’m right. You’re awesome with the knives, but even you can’t dodge bullets and aim.” Fire burned in her blue eyes.
“Wait a minute. My father’s like a superman dude or something. Maybe bullets do just bounce off me?”
Our murmured conversation was interrupted. “Sorry, baby girl, we’re not bulletproof. Weapons can injure and incapacitate us. We just have the ability to heal from almost anything.”
I jumped about a foot in the air. Lucy pretty much ended up in my lap.
I hadn’t even seen Josian arrive. Bloody sneaky superman.
“So I think I’ll be the distraction. You girls do what you need to take your leader out.”
I looked into the burnt amber of his eyes and nodded. This was a plan I could work with.
He smiled. “On the count of three.”
Between us we had six knives. Time to make them count.
I tightened my hold on the handle, breathing in and out to calm my nerves.
Olden’s mocking voice rang out. “I never took you for a coward, Abigail ... if that’s even your name.”
I ignored her. I had people to save. The fact Josian wasn’t going mental and killing everyone meant Lallielle was still alive, but I didn’t know about the rest.
“One ... two ... three ... go.”
He dived into the center of the path. By the time I stood, knives-ready, Josian was already dodging in and out along the path, moving almost too quickly for me to track him. He seemed to be throwing small balls of light in Olden’s direction. It was utter confusion.
Olden definitely hadn’t been expecting that. In the few moments it took her to raise her weapon back to firing position, I dived sideways from my table into the path. I palmed off the first knife, mid-flight. Crouching, I took an extra heartbeat to breathe and calm before releasing my second.
The first flew a little wide. It embedded in the crate behind Olden’s head. But the second was a direct hit. Unfortunately her guard was good at his job. He sprung forth, and by the time I looked again the knife was hilt-deep in his throat. Lucy had followed suit and her knife took out the other guard. I didn’t have time to comprehend that I’d probably just ended a life. Something for therapy at a later date. I needed to help my father.
Josian was almost at the end of the path. Pulling out my remaining knives, I followed him. I dodged and dived, waiting for shots to rain on me. I couldn’t see Olden through the confusion – people had started moving. I jumped a few of the bodies lying in the path. Some familiar faces with lifeless eyes. My chest was tight with anger, the panic ebbing on and off along with high doses of nausea.
“Where’s Olden?” I puffed to Lucy, who was right behind me.
“I have no idea. I can’t see her anymore.”
We reached the junction of the path. Josian had the lifeless body of the second guard clutched in his hand. I couldn’t see any damage, except for Lucy’s knife protruding from the man’s biceps. But he was dead.
“Broken neck,” Josian said shortly.
“There’s a blood trail here. Did Olden get hit?” Lucy pointed out a path of drops that became heavier the further they went.