Chapter 5: Firefight

Bullets tore through the walls as Evelyn and I ducked for cover. The sharp crack of gunfire echoed through the safehouse, punctuated by the sound of splintering wood and shattering glass. Whoever these people were, they weren’t here to negotiate.

I peeked out from behind a metal cabinet, catching sight of a man in tactical gear moving toward the door, rifle raised. Without thinking, I fired a single shot, and he dropped, his weapon clattering to the floor. But for every one I put down, two more took his place.

“Back door?” I yelled over the noise.

Evelyn was crouched near the far wall, exchanging fire. "Blocked! They’ve got both exits covered!"

Of course they did. Professionals. These weren’t street thugs. They were trained, precise, and heavily armed. And right now, they had us pinned like rats in a cage.

I slid over to Evelyn, reloading my gun. "How many are out there?"

She fired another shot before ducking back. "At least eight. Maybe more. And they’re closing in."

Great. I glanced around, looking for any advantage we had. The safehouse was stocked with weapons, but none of them would matter if we couldn’t find a way out.

"Cover me," I said, grabbing a duffel bag and stuffing as much ammo and gear as I could. If we were going to fight our way out, we needed to be ready.

"You have a plan?" she asked, firing a burst that forced one of the attackers to retreat behind a car.

"Working on it," I muttered.

Another barrage of gunfire tore through the window, forcing us both down.

"We can’t stay here," she said, her voice tight. "They’ll bring the whole place down on us."

"I know." My eyes fell on a ventilation shaft in the corner of the room — barely big enough for one person, but it led out to the alley. "There."

Evelyn followed my gaze, shaking her head. "Too small. We can’t both fit."

"Yeah, but one of us can. You take the drive, get out, and I’ll cover you."

Her eyes snapped to mine. "No way. We do this together."

"Look," I said, gripping her shoulder. "You want to keep Blackwell’s secret safe? You want to make sure they don’t win? Then you need to get out of here. I’ll buy you time."

For a second, she hesitated. Then, reluctantly, she nodded. "Fine. But you better not die, Damien."

I gave her a grim smile. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

As I prepared to give her cover, she crawled toward the vent, prying the cover loose. I fired a few shots at the men outside, drawing their attention. The air filled with gunpowder and smoke, and adrenaline pumped through my veins.

"Go!" I shouted.

She slipped into the shaft, just as one of the attackers stormed the door. I dropped him with a quick double tap, but more were coming. A grenade clattered through the broken window, rolling across the floor toward me.

"Sh*t!" I dove for cover just as it exploded, the blast rocking the entire room. My ears rang, but I forced myself up, firing as soon as I saw movement.

If Evelyn could just get out, maybe we had a chance. But as I emptied my clip into the next wave of attackers, I knew this was only the beginning.

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