Traded (Blood Ties Book 5)

The glass window of the restaurant shattered with a resounding BOOM!

Something heavy hit me from behind and drove me to the ground beside our parked car. I couldn’t move, could only turn my head, to find a dead man on the pavement. Not just a dead man…one of ours. My pulse spiked as I took in his body. Blood covered his chest and splattered his face. His mouth was open, his eyes—I winced and turned away from the sight.

Screams came from inside the restaurant, but I didn’t dare look. I couldn’t care about them now.

“Colt!” London roared, the gun kicking in his hand as he fired…crack… crack…crack! “Get down NOW!”

That heaviness left me as London pushed to his feet. I jerked my head up to watch him lunge toward a gunman who stumbled onto the pavement and lifted his gun, aiming at Colt.

London shifted his gun.

BANG!

BANG!

I jerked and screamed, unable to take my eyes off the gunman as both shots sounded.

There were too many of them now, two vans filled with men who spilled from the open doors and scurried out into the street. I turned my head and found the wide, unblinking eyes of our guard before I glanced at the gun in his hand. One hard shove and I scrambled forward, snatched the weapon, and spun.

My dress billowed out, almost making me trip.

Only it wasn’t the dead gunman I found. He was dead on the pavement at the steps of the restaurant.

London wobbled and his face was unnaturally pale as he met my stare.

“London?” I whispered, searching his eyes.

“Get behind me, pet.” His voice was strange, shaky.

There was a hole in his jacket. A hole that shimmered…his blood. I shoved forward and grabbed hold of him as his knees gave way.

“London!” I screamed, clinging to him.

Crack!

The thunderous sound of gunfire made me flinch. I jerked my head upwards as more of the men came, scurrying around the parked cars like rats. Only these rats had come for the kill. Reflex took over and forced me to lift the gun in one hand and take aim.

Crack!

The gun bucked and the bullet shattered the window of the Mercedes in front of us.

“No,” London growled as he lifted his own.

Crack.

He squeezed off the shot while pushing me behind him.

Crack!

They went down, hitting the ground hard. But there were more of them coming. Colt unleashed a roar. The sickening sounds of fists on flesh filled the air.

“We have to get out of here.” London jerked his gaze to me, then glanced at his men.

He looked behind us, to see two more of our bodyguards dead on the pavement. Desperation filled his voice. “Can you run?”

Fear gripped me tight.

“Vivienne…can you run?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I can run.”

He turned around, lifted his gun as the crack…crack…crackcrackcrack of automatic fire peppered the other side of the car. The hiss of the tires followed, leaving us stranded as three more gunmen came.

We were going to die here.

We were going to—

The roar of an engine grew louder. I jerked my gaze as a black Explorer mounted the curb and shot clear across the intersection. Tires shrieked as the four-wheel drive skidded sideways and stopped in the middle of the street.

Crack!

London took aim. “Carven!” he roared. “Your brother NOW!”

But the deadly son was already out of the car and racing toward us.

I’d never seen anything so terrifying. Carven slammed into Colt’s attacker, his hand driving down over and over and over…stab stab stab…

Blood shot high as the assailant slumped to the ground, and Carven lifted his other hand and stepped away from Colt, swung that deadly glare my way, then shifted his gaze behind me. “Wildcat…get down.”

His command was so calm…so…chilling.

He lunged forward, took aim, and unleashed shot after shot.

Boom!

Boom!

BOOM!

The window in front of me shattered. London grabbed my arm, shielding me with his body as he dragged me from the destroyed Audi and toward the dark alley beside the restaurant.

Crack!

Colt charged forward as another enemy came from the other side of the van. Everywhere I looked there was chaos and blood. It was too much. Too much blood…too many deaths. I shook my head and stumbled backwards, hitting a wall.

London lunged forward, lifting his gun and stumbled around the ruined Audi as Carven charged around the other side of the van.

Boom!

BOOM!

I jerked and moved back, desperate to get away, and hit something hard…and warm.

Something that reached around and clamped over my mouth.

“Sh…sh…sh…” A deep growl echoed against my ear. “I’ve got you, Daughter.”