“Yes.” His face was set.
There was only one answer that would do to get this show on the road.
“Fine.” I shrugged as I lied. I’d never be able to leave him for dead. The idea was as abhorrent to me as dying myself. Maybe more so and that was scarier than the building of gun toting crazy humans.
I tested the weight of my gun, knowing he wouldn’t really leave me either. He’d already had the opportunity and hadn’t.
I peered back over the wall, eyeing up our best chance to get close enough to do damage.
Fate edged closer and said, “Our only shot is approaching from the back of the building where no one seems to be going. The trees will give us some cover.”
“Agreed.”
Crouching down under the cover of the wall we headed off, taking several minutes to wind our way around to the back of the building without anyone catching sight of us. We made it to the tree line and then right up against the stucco side of the building where we could peer in the back windows unobstructed.
The room was packed with people. They appeared to be forming a huge line, all waiting to get arsenal from a made up concession stand where handguns were being passed out like hotdogs and peanuts at a ballgame.
He tilted his head toward the inside. “Do you recognize any of them?”
I looked back through the dirty window, happy for the layer of grime shielding us somewhat and the overcast day helping out. There were five nonhumans in there. It was easy to spot them among the others, who all had karma in varying shades of dingy to almost black. Two of Malokin’s men were at the table and the other three were closer to the door, monitoring the traffic in and out. I scanned each face “I only recognize the one. Do you think we can get all five?”
Fate took my place at the window as I moved to the side again, my back against the wall.
He pulled back. “I’m not sure. The humans toting guns aren’t going to want their party crashed or their free goodies taken away. They’ll probably join the fight.”
“We have to shut this down,” I said.
“We might be better off letting it run its course, then seeing if Malokin’s guys lead us back to where he’s holed up.”
“What if they don’t go back to Malokin for weeks? Meanwhile, all these new guns are hitting the street and we did nothing? I’m tired of doing nothing.”
“It’s not the smart move.”
“I can’t let this go on, not knowing if one of those crazy people is going to take one of those guns and shoot someone I know later on today.”
I held my breath, wondering if I was going to have to do this alone, until I saw his eyes shoot to the gun in my hand. “How much practice have you had lately?”
The air slowly leaked out of my lungs. “I’m decent. Not as good as I am with knives but I can hit what I’m aiming for.”
“Do you think you could take two of them out while I take the other three?”
I smiled. “Depends on how quick the second one moves after I shoot the first. I’m game if you are.”
“It’s cold blood,” he said, reminding me of my past shortcomings.
“Watching them pass out guns like that to a crazy horde that’s going to rip apart the only place I’ve called home? Trust me, there’s nothing chilly about my blood right now.” It was the exact opposite. I was gripping the gun hard in order to mask the anger shaking in my hands.
He motioned for me to look through the window with him and then signaled to the left. “I’ll take those three. You take the two on the right.”
My yacht guy was in his three. “No, I need to take out the guy we followed.”
“Bucket list.” He nodded.
“Bucket list,” I confirmed.
“Going to make it a little trickier, spread out like that, but I respect the list. Take the three and I’ll try and pick up your slack.”
“You respect the list?” My voiced hitched progressively higher until I didn’t recognize it by the last word.
His eyes scanned mine before they squinted and he scowled. “Now you’re going to get all soft on me?”
“No! I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said brushing off the fact that him respecting my bucket list felt like the first time a boy had handed me a stuffed animal at a carnival.
He took one look at me and sighed aloud. “I save you from gang rape? No big deal. I tell you I respect your sicko murder list and you turn into a puddle of mush?”
“You can mock the list all you want now. I know you respect it.” I squinted back at him.
“Just get ready. You aim left. I aim right. We’re about to hit a hive with a stick. Take your best shot. Once they spot us, we run like hell before all those guns turn on us.”
“I ever tell you I like your style?”
“Actually, yes, you have.”
“I have?”
“Think really hard.”
Oh God, it must have slipped out one of the times we’d had sex because the guy did know how to move.
“There are two cracks in the glass. You take the lower, I’ll take the upper. We go on the count of three.”
I moved into position and leveled my gun at the guy on my bucket list. “Count away.”
Three came quickly. I pulled the trigger and the first name on my bucket list could officially be marked off. Everything after that was a blur. I took the next shot and clipped the second guy in the leg. After that, a clear shot become impossible. The inside of the building looked exactly like Fate had warned, a swarm buzzing around chaotically.
We started receiving return fire at a rapid rate and I ducked just as a bullet shattered the rest of the glass. Just as I squatted down, the ache in my tattoo, which had been leaving me alone recently, decided to rear its head and stick out its teeth. The pain sucked the air from my chest and the strength from my legs.
“Fun’s over. Time to go,” Fate said, not looking at me but at the ensuing chaos. He reached over and grabbed my hand, tugging me after him.
Instead of following, I stumbled.
“Are you hit?” His eyes were scanning me quickly.
“No. Just a cramp or something.”
He pulled me to my feet and tossed me over his shoulder, taking off with me in tow. The humans didn’t put up much of a chase. Even with my weight, Fate was too quick for them anyway. Plus, they’d already got their free guns.
We were several blocks away when the pain finally started to subside.
“I’m good,” I said, breathless and still recouping from the pain and bouncy ride.
“What the hell happened to you?” he said once we slowed down.
“I got a cramp,” I said defensively.
He bent toward me and his face scrunched up. “You got a cramp?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yes. Sometimes the tattoo cramps.” I knew I was underselling the situation but I didn’t know how else to describe it. It was a cramp, and I didn’t want to blow it out of proportion.
His expression was already changing from annoyance to something I didn’t want to deal with. I’d known the mention of the pain originating near the tattoo was going to give it a different meaning.
“Let me see it.” He pointed toward my hip and stepped closer, forcing me to back up. He was following me, an intent look on his face.
“Why? You want me to light up the alley like the Fourth of July?”
“I want to see it.”
“Fine. Look.” I tugged down the side of my pants and pulled back the bandaging. “See? No freakier than normal,” I said as I pressed the tape back, hoping it had enough sticky left in it to hold.
“Lars is going to look at it.”
I nodded. Lars did the tattoo but I had a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to be able to fix what was going wrong.
I hopped around on my feet a bit, trying to infuse my appearance with good health and excitement, only partially faked. “How many did we get back there?”
“We got them all,” he said, and I could see my excitement chipping away at his doubts over my tattoo.
“All? What about the guy I clipped in the leg?”
“He was an easy shot, limping as he was.”