Karmine’s voice plays through my earpiece, and the world quiets around me.
Cassandra is safe.
I fill my lungs with air.
I won’t be okay until she’s in my arms. But that’s fine. Because I still have some people to kill.
A large man peeks out from around a doorway ahead of me.
Like this guy.
The big man who carried my Cassandra, kicking and screaming, onto that fucking plane ducks back into the room he’s hiding in.
He starts to shut the door like a fucking coward.
I take two sprinting steps, then drop into a baseball slide.
My boots hit the door just as it’s about to close, forcing it to swing open as I slide into the room.
These stupid marble floors are good for something.
My target staggers backward from the door slamming into his shoulder.
He’s holding a gun, but it’s not at the ready.
Mine is.
My first shot goes into his right shoulder. Where ball meets socket.
He drops the gun.
My second shot goes through his right hip. Again, exactly where the joint meets.
It’s a lot of pain for the body to stand against. Especially a body as big as his.
He drops to his knees.
Anger and disbelief contort his features.
I switch my gun into my left hand.
“You touched what’s mine.” I reach behind my back with my right hand.
“And now you’ll pay.” My fingers close around the grip of the katana secured to my back.
It pulls free from the sheath with a satisfying swoosh.
The man’s eyes widen. And his mouth opens. And then he helpfully holds his hands up for me.
My blade arcs down between us, and I sever his hands from his body.
Nobody touches my Butterfly.
The man screams.
And I breathe a little bit easier.
Turning my back to him, I step out of the room and shut the door behind me, but not before locking the handle.
He’ll bleed out soon enough.
