Tessa and Rebecca move to stand at my side, while Trey and Eric head up the stairs first. The rest of us fan out behind them, rifles raised. Although my heart thunders in my chest and my palms are clammy, a sense of calm lowers over me like a blanket. My thoughts clear and my training kicks in. When Eric reaches out to try the door and finds it open, I find myself focused and my steps sure.
As one, we race up the steps, flooding into the foyer. We went over the blueprint last night. The basement level holds a rec room, cinema, and access to the small backyard.
The first story houses the large foyer, living room, kitchen, and dining room. The next two stories contain six bedrooms and bathrooms, and there is extra outdoor space on the roof, with a patio and gazebo. There are four doors leading outside, something Ryan made sure we were aware of.
Ryan’s voice comes through the comms. “Tessa, Rebecca, and Trey. Can you please check the basement? Dutch, Theo, and Justin, clear this floor. Eric, Kian, and Cruz, you’re with me.”
We break off into our groups. The twins and I stealthily walk through the level, checking closets and behind curtains, or anywhere else someone might hide. We quickly clear the floor and head back to Ryan, who is guarding the door while Eric, Kian, and Cruz keep a watch out of the windows.
Trey and his group come back minutes later, confirming the basement is clear. The house is eerily silent as if it’s holding its breath, waiting with anticipation to see what will happen. Leaving the lower levels clear is a good strategy; it not only gives your opponent a false sense of security but at the same time, leaves them shaken.
This time we go as one group, sticking to the outside edges of the stairs to try to avoid creaking. We keep our guns raised, trigger fingers twitching at the thick tension in the air.
A line of bullets sprays over our heads, punching into the wall above us. “Return fire,” Ryan says calmly, the sound of it enough to push back the fear mounting in my gut. We swing to the left, the direction the shots came from, and open fire.
Silence descends, and I can feel the jaws of a trap nipping at my heels. We continue up the stairs, not a single soul in sight. My mouth goes dry as I swing the rifle around, sure someone would pop out from behind a doorway at any moment.
But no one does.
There are three bedrooms and bathrooms on this floor, along with a linen cupboard. We quickly clear each room, and as we do, my confusion mounts. How did they shoot at us, then get off this floor without us seeing them?
I must not be the only one wondering this, as Eric and Ryan are scanning the ceilings and walls. “There.” Eric points to a square-shaped hatch in the ceiling of one of the bedrooms. It’s big enough for a full-grown man to get in and out of. Just as we notice this, there comes a light scraping above us, like someone is crawling across the floor.
We open fire, bullets spraying into the ceiling. We quickly move back, pressing our backs against the walls as we hear thumping and shouts from above. They fire back, but since they’re aiming for the middle of the room, they miss.
I risk a quick glance around the room. Rebecca’s eyes are practically glowing with bloodlust. Normally quiet and on the shyer side, this is the first time I’m truly viewing the Retribution Killer. Tessa cackles, waving her rifle back and forth, spraying bullets into the now mangled ceiling. Trey stands halfway in front of Rebecca, using himself as a shield to protect her.
Eric alternates between watching the ceiling and Tessa, his mouth curved in a smile every time his attention is turned her way. Ryan simultaneously shoots and keeps an eye on everyone, while Kian grins like a lunatic, dancing from foot to foot as he roars insults at the enemy.
Cruz is by my side and winks at me before going back to shooting.
The return fire from upstairs stops, and we take the time to reload the rifles. Once we’re done, we silently file out of the room. The stairway yawns before us, and apprehension rushes through me.Pull your big girl panties on, Dutch. It’s time to finish these fuckers.
At Ryan’s signal we quickly make our way up the last set of stairs, this time, no one firing at us. We stop on the landing, but it remains quiet. Blood trails criss-cross the cream carpets, leading into each of the bedrooms. My mouth curves into a smile. Good, we must’ve gotten at least one of them.
The problem is not knowing how many people are in the house. At least with the other floors cleared, we won’t have to worry about anyone sneaking up behind us.
The twins and I are assigned one bedroom, while Trey, Rebecca, and Tessa are assigned the one to the right of mine. Eric and Kian are assigned the final bedroom, and Cruz and Ryan will check out the outside roof space.
Before he goes with Ryan, Cruz squeezes my hand. “Be careful,mi alma.”
“You too.”
Theo pushes the door of our assigned bedroom open, a trail of blood leading into the darkened room. We step in hesitantly, eyes ping-ponging around the space, careful not to miss anything. The en suite bathroom is to the left as soon as we step in, and I clear it while Justin checks the closet across from it.
The curtains have been drawn, lending a dusk-like feel to the space. Keeping our rifles ready, we ease farther into the room, checking the side of the bed closest to the wall, and underneath it.
Theo comes to a halt, and we look out from behind him, noticing the pile of three bodies lying in a heap in the far corner. Stepping out around them, I walk over to them. Using my boot, I push them over, wondering if I’ll see a familiar face. It’s so reminiscent of that day in London when I was looking for my father’s body that I gasp as the first body rolls over.
It’s no one I recognize. Neither are the next two. Would it be too much to ask if at least one of them was a cousin? Granted, there are only three left to worry about—the rest are either women or too young.
I normally wouldn’t discount women. I mean, look at Tessa, Rebecca, and Susannah. Perfectly capable of taking care of themselves and taking out the assholes of this world. But my female cousins are vapid and tedious and wouldn’t know what to do with a gun one fell into their lap.
They’d probably shriek and call their bodyguards, crying uncontrollably.
Thank God Uncle Harris rescued me from that fate.
Just as I start to turn away, I’m alerted by a small movement behind me. I find myself tossed to the side as Justin rears back, flinging his fist forward in a movement too fast for me to see. One of the bodies is still breathing. I catch Theo’s eye and he nods, making swift work of putting a bullet into the other two bodies to ensure they’re dead. If they weren't before, they most definitely are now, as their foreheads sport rather large holes in them.
