Unplugged: A Bad Boy Rockstar Romance (39 page)

“
Waiting only gives them time to plan for
us,
”
said Ghost.
“I
’
m in, let
’
s do this.
”

Will nodded, determined.
“On your lead, Jase.”

Thirty seconds later, Jase directed them
out of the maintenance garag
e and off to different
positions behind cover to make a staggered move on the factory door. The last
twenty feet, with no structures to hide behind, had to be sprinted in the open.

Once all three of them gathered up at
the door, Will said,
“
The pathways a
round
the machinery are narrow and straight. At ten o
’
clock high there’s a foreman
’
s office that overlooks the floor,
someone on the stairs there spotted us.
”

“
We didn’t get to scout right, but there
’
s some kind of storage rooms back there.
Gunmen definite
ly came from that direction, so
something
’
s back there,
”
said Ghost.

On an instinct, Jase said,
“Let
’
s go right. Stay together.
”
He tested the doorknob with a turn and a
shoulder shove. Something blocked the door
’
s movement, but Jase was not to be
stopped.
With Will
’
s help, they pushed until the sound of
metal screeching echoed into the big factory. All three hurried in and found
cover, waiting to be rushed. Instead they heard distant yelling bouncing off
the walls.

With silent hand signals, Jase led them
l
ow between the rows of huge stationary machines. The
far end of the building split into concrete hallways filled with square-doored
rooms. They could hear clearly the makings of an argument between men now.

“
If they aren’t fucking answering, it
’
s probably
not
for a good reason, you idiot! We have to get the fuck out of here before the
cops show up!
”

“I
’
m not going
anywhere
until I get the money I was promised
for this shit!
”

“
Suit your goddamn self. I’ve
already been fucking
shot.
I ain’t
staying here to get hauled off for all
this so I can die in prison.
”

Jase arranged Ghost and Will on either
side of the room where the men argued unawares. He took point and entered the
room boldly, unchallenged. He fired two shots and killed the man on t
he left side of the dirty storage room, the one who had
been ready to stay and wait for his money.

The second man yelled as blood
splattered his shirt and face. He turned to Jase and immediately raised one of
his hands. The other arm dangled limply at his
side,
already oozing blood from the gunshot Maggie had given him.
“Oh fuck.”

“
Where
’
s the girl?
”
said Jase. He pointed the weapon at the
man
’
s face.

“
I was just in this for the money! I tell
you, y-you let me live through this!
”
begged the man.

Jase
lowered
and fired a shot into the man
’
s leg. He screamed as he collapsed to
the floor.

“
Last chance,
”
said Jase.

“
End of the hall,
”
said the man. He sobbed and pointed a
shaking, bloody finger.

The gunshots had attracted attention.
Distant shouts echoed.
“
How many men are in the building?
”
said Ghost.

“
Including me, five
…
four,
”
he said as he looked over at his dead
comrade.

Jase removed the weapons from both the
dead and wounded men and passed them out. He put a big boot on the man
’
s bleeding leg and leaned until the man
screamed like he was on fire. The sound echoed out into the concrete hallways.
Will and Ghost flanked Jase with their guns aiming towards the door.

The hollow sound of running footsteps
approached. Someone in the ha
ll yelled an unfamiliar
name. Jase pressed on the man
’
s leg again and he cried out. The pain
was too much for him to make any coherent word of warning; he could only sit
helplessly and become the perfect bait.

Two more men rushed down the hallway and
into
the room to answer his cries. Ghost and Will
opened fire on them before they had any chance to comprehend what had happened.
Their bodies twisted and contorted and the collapsed in bloody heaps. Now the
Black Dogs couldn’t be outgunned.

“
Come with me,
”
sa
id Jase to
Will.
“
Ghost, stay here with our chum.
”
Ghost moved over to the wounded man with
a nod and a smile.

Jase tore down the hallway with Will at
his back, passing storage rooms that were dark and doorless, some with strong
foul smells. As the end of
the hall approached, he
could see a big red metal door closed on the last room on the left, and knew
immediately that Maggie was behind it.

Will posted up on the other side of the
doorframe and waited for Jase
’
s signal. The door wasn’t
bolted, but was op
en just a sliver of an inch, and inside Jase could hear a
man talking lowly. He caught Will
’
s eye, gave him a nod, and kicked the
door open with his full strength.

Maggie stood before him, crying but
alive. From her wrists dangled the remnants of restrain
ts, cut off ragged in a rush from the metal chair in the back of the
room. A big hand covered her mouth, while the other held a gun against her
head. Behind her, a skinny man with a long brown ponytail glared over her at
Jase and Will.

“Put ‘em
down, boys
,
”
he said.

“
You must be Evan,
”
said Jase. He kept his pistol aimed at
Evan
’
s face.

“
And you must be the new guy I’ve heard
so much about. I
’
m sorry she dragged you into this, but I
understand. She is pretty irresistible,
”
said Evan as he nuzzled against
her.
Maggie
’
s face went red and twisted in disgust,
but she couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Rage flared through Jase
’
s veins. “You
’
re not getting out of here alive.
”

“
Then neither is Maggie,
”
said Evan.
“
I know the money is lost, I don’t give a
fuck about
that. She was never going back to her
daddy, anyway. The money was just to pay those thugs.
”
He pressed his face against Maggie
’
s hair again.
“
I came here for her, and I
’
m going to leave here with her, or else
you can just bury us together. Give us matchi
ng
deathbeds.
”

Maggie
’
s crying intensified. Jase felt his
heart wrenching, mixing with his anger into some vile, righteous poison that
burned through him. He didn’t have a clean enough shot.

“
Put them down or I shoot her, and then
stand here with a grin w
hile you shoot me,
”
said Evan.

Jase couldn’t bring himself to lower his
gun until he felt Will
’
s hand on his arm with gentle pressure. Both of them
dropped their guns to the ground.

“
Good. We’ll
be leaving now, my lady and I,
”
said Evan. He kissed Maggie
’
s curls and made Jase sick.

Jase
’
s mind raced trying to think of a plan.
He looked Maggie in the eyes and could feel her fear. He saw her gaze flicker
towards Evan
’
s hand as he moved the gun away from her
head to point towards Jase and Will as he attempt
ed
to switch places with them and access the door.

“
Steady,
”
said Evan to them both as they danced in
a delicate circle around the loaded magnum.

Jase looked back at Maggie
’
s eyes and saw something suddenly
different there. He
’
d seen that look before. Wha
t was
she
—?

Maggie
’
s arm raised and her elbow reared back
hard into Evan
’
s solar plexus. He gasped for sudden
breath and bent in half. The hand on Maggie
’
s mouth fell away, and magnum in the
other went slack. With swiftness she hadn’t shown drunk on the
ridge, Maggie stepped outside of Evan
’
s stance and flipped him over her leg in
a split second. He landed hard on the concrete floor. The magnum smacked
against the wall next to the door mid-flip.

Maggie barely had time to get out of the
way before Jase ba
rreled towards Evan, who was
shocked but already scrambling for a weapon. Will stomped a hard boot on Evan
’
s outstretched wrist, and he howled
loudly against the concrete floor.

Will secured the magnum while Jase
wrestled Evan onto his back, landing punch
after
bloody punch into Evan
’
s face and kidneys until he stopped resisting Jase and only
writhed in pain. Will handed Jase the heavy silver revolver.

Jase stood over Evan and cocked the gun.
He fired off a single shot into Evan
’
s chest. Every part of Evan
fell limp like a dropped stage curtain. Jase let the gun
drop heavy onto the body.