Blood Lands (Savage Lands #5)(54)

Gunshots fired, then bellows and the sound of flesh being hit.

Biting my lip, I fought back the urge to look behind me, keeping my concentration on the lock, not wanting to waste even a second Warwick was trying to give me.

The thud of a body hit the ground next to my leg, an HDF uniform patch in my peripheral. A large hand swiped down and grabbed the gun from the victim, shooting down others of his troop.

Brexley, focus! Adrenaline discharged, my arms were quaking as I worked the lock, the kids cheering and screaming on Warwick and me as the fight continued behind me.

At any moment, Warwick could be killed.

At any moment, I could be shot in the head.

And I had no magic to help us. The link to give him strength was dead. The power in my DNA was in hibernation.

The pipe slipped from my sweaty hands, clanking on the floor, pushing up my fear and speeding my heart rate.

“Hurry the fuck up, Kovacs!” Warwick’s voice strained as he kicked another guard to the ground.

A whimper came out of my mouth, and I tightened my grip on the weapon. It was too big, the point not slipping into the lock. It wasn’t going to work.

Fuckfuckfuck.

My eyes lifted to a little boy standing before me. His bottom lip trembled, his eyes wide, pleading with me to not give up. To not leave them here.

“A kurva életbe!” Fucking hell! I stood up, desperation and rage exploding through me. I lifted my arms, and with all my might, dropped the spear like an ax.

Clang!

The metal vibrated, squealed, and pierced the air as I struck it again and again. My anger took over. There had been so much loss. So much death. So much pain.

All I wanted to do was save these kids from any more of it.

Grunts, yells, gunshots, and bones crunching mixed in with the piercing bangs of metal, like a song of agony. Of heartache and pain, a melody for the words we could not express.

If I died here, at least I went out trying to save them.

I drove the pipe into the lock resembling a madwoman, shrieking with effort, epinephrine roaring through my muscles.

Clank!

The lock snapped, and I stood for a second in shock as the door fell open.

Holy shit.

I reacted in the next breath, flinging open the gate, motioning the kids to move. “Go! Go! Go!”

The oldest boy and girl took control, moving the children to the doorway like a gaggle of baby geese.

Not hesitating, I grabbed two guns off the ground from fallen officers, shooting at anything around Warwick, their bodies dropping to the ground at his feet.

He twisted his head, his gaze catching mine, blood gushing down his nose and mouth. His eyes lit up in flames of violence and carnal hunger, sending shivers through me. Lust.

Fuck that man.

“Come on!” I belted, forcing myself to not rip his clothes off right there. Heading to the door, I wanted to be the front line to what we might come against once we reached the top.

Warwick shot four more guards before darting after us, taking up the rear. The pounding of all our feet going up the skinny stairway matched my pulse as we made our way to the next level.

Pushing through the door, I peered out. No guards yet, but I could hear them coming for us, their yells telling me they were very close.

“Hurry!” I pulled the door open wide, motioning for the kids to head down the tunnel. Only a few got out before a group of officers came around the corner.

“Run!” I ordered them as I fired at HDF, forcing the soldiers to duck behind the wall.

The children filed out, the older ones holding toddlers on their hips or backs, getting the group down the long dim tunnel.

Warwick came up the stairs, barking at me. “Go! I’ll hold them off.”

“We do this together, Farkas.” I shot at a few HDF sticking their heads around, trying to shoot us. “Always.”

He peered at me for a moment, his jaw moving as if he wanted to speak, but he clamped back down, his head dipping in agreement.

We worked as a team. Equals. Whatever lay ahead, we went in together, and we came out together.

Or we didn’t at all.

In sync, we both trotted backward, firing at anything that moved, until we got deep enough in the tunnel they started to venture out, coming for us.

“Run.” Warwick roared, whipping around and taking off. Our legs pumped together while shells struck the ground and walls near us, our forms zig-zagging to stay out of the line of fire.

“Shit!” Warwick hissed under his breath while his attention locked ahead. Squinting, I realized what he was looking at. A gate blocked off the tunnel ahead. A checkpoint. But of course, it wasn’t the worst thing.

There were guards stationed there, and all five officers had the kids at gunpoint. Soldiers were coming from behind, and a blockade was in front.

Ó, hogy baszd meg egy talicska apró majom! Oh, may a wheelbarrow of small monkeys fuck it.

We were screwed.

“Remember when we had to cross the bridge when I took you from Killian’s?” Warwick peered sideways at me.

“You mean the one we got shot and almost died on?

“But we didn’t.” His voice was low and growly. “I’m not going back, Kovacs. Just like that day. It’s forward or nothing.”

Inhaling, I nodded my head. “You know this is suicide, right?”

A cheeky grin hitched the side of his mouth.