Series: Lee Savino
Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
More firecrackers explode, showering the sky with rainbow colors.
Two helicopters appear from the east and west. They fly up to the house from opposite directions and pause to hover over the gables. A rope lowers from each bird, and two dark figures shimmy down to the roof.
I can’t be sure, but I think one of them is wearing a kilt.
“Axel and Canyon,” Darius murmurs.
One of the helicopters tilts sideways, and a huge shape leaps out onto the steep roof of my old bedroom tower. It rises to hind legs and waves a paw at the helicopter pilots as they zoom away.
“Is that…?”
“Yes, that’s Everest,” Matthias tells me. “He’s the final stage of the aerial attack.”
The bear falls to all fours and lets out an echoing roar.
Teddy’s busy gunning the engine. “Brace yourselves,” he snarls. The boat skims the water, pointed straight towards the beach.
Every muscle in me tenses, expecting a crash when the boat rams the shore. Instead, Darius grabs me, crouches, and leaps, just as the boat plows into the beach.
He and Matthias land side by side. Instantly, two black-clad figures–their body heat turning them bright gold through my helmet–flank us. It’s Lance and Rafe.
“Let’s move,” Rafe says. He and Lance hold guns and hunch low to cover us as we run up the beach. I let Darius swing me into his arms. He can run faster than I can, and we need to get to Wren.
In seconds, we’re at a set of side doors. Matthias kicks them down, and Rafe and Lance step in first, swinging their guns to check the area beyond.
“Clear,” they shout and race on. We move through the house, with Rafe and Lance clearing each room before Darius, Matthias, and I walk through.
The place is eerily quiet. The sight lights on the guns sweep over the marble floors. The priceless paintings on the wall are silent witnesses to our invasion.
“West wing,” I say. “Thom will have Wren there, in the panic room. And there’ll be lots of security.”
“Not anymore,” someone calls. Canyon strides around the corner, stopping short when he sees the gun sights trained on his bare chest. “We tore into the roof, took out a couple dozen guys at once. Everest threw a bunch of them out of the windows. What’s the word for that?”
“Defenestrated.” Axel appears behind Canon. He’s eating what looks like an apple. “The way to the west wing is clear.”
“Let’s go.” I step forward. “This way.”
Darius and his brothers all fall in around me. “The safe room is in the lower levels. There’ll be more guards down there.”
“We’ll take care of them,” Matthias rumbles, his eyes shining with an eerie blue light. “It’s time to show them just how bad our bears can be.”
Chapter Twelve
Darius
We march down the hall. I try to stay one step ahead of Paloma, so I can take a bullet for her, but she’s leading us.
Behind me, there’s the sound of crinkling plastic. Axel has finished his apple and is eating something else. Corn chips, by the smell of them.
“How can you eat at a time like this?” Lance asks him.
Axel shrugs.
“He always has snacks,” Canyon says. “Did you bring me any?”
“Nope.” Axel tips the bag upside down to pour the last crumbs into his mouth.
“Focus,” Matthias orders. I’m glad he’s with us. He’s one of the few people, other than our mother, who can keep Axel and the triplets in line.
I have bigger things to worry about.
I can feel him. My bear. He’s trying to explode out of my skin.
Not now, I tell him.
Mate. The bear shoves an image of me in bear form holding Paloma. Keep her safe.
I am. I grind my teeth, forcing my bear to surrender. The last thing I need right now is to lose control of the bear. I need my wits about me.
We’ve reached the corridor where Axel and Canyon took out a bunch of guards. Bodies lie everywhere. Blood smears the wall where they were thrown against the wall. Bloody paw prints lead up the stairs. Everest was here.
“Down this way,” Paloma tells us. She stands back and lets Rafe and Lance lead us down the first flight of stairs. “The largest safe room is on the subterranean level.”
With every step we take, the tension grows.
We reach a locked door with a black keypad and a sensor used for a fingerprint scan.
“Let me try.” Paloma steps up and puts her hand to it, but it flashes red.
“Plan B,” Rafe says. He punches the wall, ripping out the keypad entirely. Metal bars come down, but we rush to grab them. Everyone but Paloma joins in. It takes all our strength, but we bend the metal and make a hole so we can claw out the entire steel frame of the door.
The passageway beyond is dark, except for flashing orange lights.