“Hey!” he yells. “What are you doing here?”
His hand goes to the holster on his hip, but before he can get his gun out, Beck fires off a shot, hitting the guy in the shoulder and propelling him backward. The sound of the gunshot seems to ricochet off the walls, alerting anyone who might be nearby to our presence, but given the distance between us and the guard, there was no way Mason or Hawk would have been able to tackle him before he reached his gun.
Another shot, and the guard drops to the floor, lifeless. We all stand and stare at his unmoving form for a second, before I turn to look at Beck. His face is pale, his features drawn tight, but there’s no regret there, only acceptance of what had to be done.
We hear them before they round the corner, the sound of boots thumping against the floor as what sounds like two more guards rush our way. Mason, Hawk, Cam, Beck, and Wilder all charge toward the far end of the corridor, wanting to take the newcomers by surprise when they come around the corner.
Hanging back, I let them do their thing, tag-teaming the guards while I move down the corridor to our left, toward the steel door that marks the control room. No one has come out to respond to our commotion, but if there’s anyone in there watching the security tapes, they’ll know we’re here, and are likely frantically trying to get in contact with someone to raise the alarm.
I glance back at the guys over my shoulder, finding them still in battle with the guards. I can’t wait around for them. We can’t waste any more time. Pushing back my shoulders, I lift my gun out of the waistband of my black pants. I flick off the safety and hold it as steadily as I can in my trembling hand as I enter the security override code. Hearing the door unlock, I take a deep breath, whip open the door, and step into the room.
With my gun raised, I stare wide-eyed at the guard in front of me, who is leaning back in his chair, his legs spread wide, with his head tilted back and his mouth open and eyes closed.
A flashing light on the far wall snags my attention, and looking at it, I notice a list of various gates and buildings, with a light beside each one. All of them are turned off, except the one beside the back gate which is flashing, mostly likely to indicate that it’s open.
“Fuck, yeah, just like that,” the guard groans, as I focus my attention back on him. Glancing down, my nose scrunches in disgust as the guard pushes some girl further down his disgusting dick. I hear her gag, and tears stream down her face as she stares wide-eyed at me.
I’m not even sure if she can see me clearly, but I lift my finger to my lips in a stay silent gesture, and return my focus to the guard. Confused as to how he hasn’t heard the commotion outside, I realize he’s got wireless earbuds in, and looking at the desk in front of him, he’s got his laptop set up, covering one of the monitors. On the screen, some woman is trussed up in a way that looks like it can’t be anything but painful, as three men fuck her.
My scowl deepens, and I focus instead on the monitors that show Cain and his men fighting a number of guards out in the yard, and Mason taking down another guard right outside the door. This fucking waste of space is too busy getting himself off to notice the compound is being broken into and destroyed right before his eyes.
I almost can’t believe our luck, but then I hear the girl gag again, and I remember that our luck is her misfortune. I tear my gaze away from the cameras and focus on the problem in front of me. Pursing my lips, I know what I have to do. I move on silent feet until I’m hovering over him, so close there’s no way I can miss the shot. I raise my arm, ensuring the girl on her knees between his legs isn’t going to get hit and, with my finger resting on the trigger, I point the gun straight at his head.
He doesn’t deserve to live. He’s involved in the fucked up shit going on here. Whether or not he actually touched a hair on her head, he hurt my Firefly. On that thought, my finger presses down on the trigger, and the next thing I know blood is splattered all over me, the monitors, the floor, the girl, and the guard is slumped in his chair, with a very obvious hole in the side of his head.
My ears ring, and I think I lose track of time, or maybe the noise of the gunshot sent the guys rushing in here, as the next thing I know, Beck’s face is taking up all of my vision. I can feel his hands on either side of my head, and can see his lips moving, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.
I blink a few times, focusing on him, and the noise around me rushes back in.
“West, West! Are you okay?”
I drop my gaze over my body. “Yeah. I’m fine, I think.”
I’m faintly aware of the others talking to the girl, and a second later, she rushes out the door, hopefully to Cain and, eventually, safety.
Beck continues to stare at me for a second longer. Lines form around his eyes, and his lips press together, forming a thin line, before I feel his hand on mine, slowly pulling the gun from my grip and, glancing away, he flicks on the safety.
“You should have waited. You shouldn’t have had to do that,” he mutters under his breath, more to himself than anything else.
Now that the initial shock has passed, the fog in my brain is clearing. “I did what I had to do. If I hadn’t killed him, one of you would have had to.”
Returning his gaze to mine, his features are still tight. “It didn’t have to be you.”
He’s wrong though. I’m not about to let everyone else do all the dirty work. All of these men deserve to die, but none of us are killers. Every life we claim tonight will haunt us, even Beck, despite the tough act he puts on. If the others are going to carry that burden for the rest of their lives, then I’m going to carry it with them.
“It shouldn’t be any of us, but here we are. We’ll all do whatever it takes to get Hadley back.”
After a moment, he reluctantly nods his head in agreement, knowing I’m right.
“Well, do what you need to do then, and let’s go get her.”
Turning away from Beck and the dead guard, I notice the others waiting nearby with worried and anxious glances, except for Wilder, who's palming his now bloody knife like he’s about to shank someone. I’m not sure if it’s terrifying or exactly what we need to survive tonight.