Page 91 of Fatal Scheme

“Ty, help me move the bed frame!” Massi yells, my body moving on auto pilot as we lay it to the side, creating a shield for us to hide behind.

Similarly, we move the desk, and although it’s nothing but cheap wood, it’ll protect us for at least a few moments while Massi literally throws out our Hail Mary.

Lined on the floor are three low-power grenades, designed to cause chaos and throw the enemy off while we catch our bearings.

Two are smoke flashers, nothing but distractions, and the third is a real explosive, one that’ll likely put a hole in the floors and walls, but powerful enough to fend off a couple of men depending on how close they are to the blast.

“Are you sure about this?” Carter rubs my arm, bringing me back to reality, and I offer a weak smile, thankful for her slight distraction as the footsteps outside the room grow closer.

“No, but I can’t bear the thought of losing you, either.”

“It’s us or them, Tyson. I’m choosing us,” she says, squeezing my hand for reassurance, and although I’m not comfortable with what we’re about to do, there isn’t another option.

“They’re coming. Get ready,” Massi says, perching his pistol above the bed frame, aiming straight at the door, while Carter and I follow suit.

Inhaling a deep breath, I remind myself that this is survival, but the seconds pass like hours as we wait for the door to be breached, or for shots to come through the walls, and I’m wondering what the hell they’re waiting for.

Suddenly, a loud, repetitive noise booms over the house, like a plane that’s flying too low, and the three of us exchange a glance, unsure of what it means.

If I had a guess, I’d say it’s a helicopter, or a small charter plane, but there’s no way our roof is big enough for any aircraft to safely land.

The added sounds make our ability to hear incoming footsteps nearly impossible, but when the door swings open, Massi immediately starts firing, laying down cover as Carter rips the pin, and throws the first flash grenade.

It lands in the hallway, her aim spot on again, and the smoke billows through the corridor, stealing a clear line of vision from every person in this small vicinity.

“Hold,” Massi orders, his controlling tendencies on the battlefield slightly annoying, but he has impeccable reads, and usually gets us out of trouble with little to no damage.

I steal a glance at Carter, who is stone-faced, completely locked in on the attack happening right in front of us, proving yet again that she’s the badass girl we met all those months ago, and doesn’t need anyone to save her.

Over time, she began to accept that we will fight alongside her, and that’s exactly what’s happening right now, the three of us facing battle as a single unit.

“Now, Jasper,” she whispers, and he lays down another round of shots, while she throws the second flash bang, leaving us with one grenade left.

“Fire!” Massi yells, reloading his ammo while Carter immediately locks in, one of her shots hitting a man, his body dropping to the floor beneath the smoke.

Emptying my clip, I’m unsure if I hit anything, but laying down cover fire while Massi expertly fires his shots, striking someone else as we’re able to see them being dragged out of the line of fire through the clearing smoke.

“Two down.” Carter reloads her pistol in record speed, while Massi leads us to the barrier behind the desk, the three of us moving swiftly as we work to gain a slight upper hand.

“Give me the grenade,” Massi whispers, but Carter shakes her head, not handing it over.

“No fucking way, Jasper. I’ve been perfect with my last two tosses, and this one is our money shot.”

“Carter. Don’t fucking fight with me right now. Give me the damn grenade,” he orders, a no-bullshit tone in his voice, but she only shakes her head, her pinky finger looped into the pin.

“No. I’m not letting you get any closer than this,” she argues, reading his mind and pushing back on the plan formulating in his head.

A few seconds is all they need to read each other’s mind, and even in the heat of battle, that is no different.

“Lay down fire, and I’ll use the door as cover. We can’t throw that from here, or else we’re dead, too,” he says, tilting her chin until she looks into his eyes, but her stubborn demeanor is on full display.

“Baby girl, trust him. He’s saved my life plenty of times,” I chime in, hoping to break their standoff and get this going before we’re caught slacking by the men regrouping to take us out.

Their gazes are locked, the silent argument still happening in their minds, but finally, she sighs and hands over the grenade, carefully removing her little finger from the pin.

“I promise, I will be right back, Principessina.” He kisses her nose gently, leaving his pistol and waiting while she adjusts to holding two, only moving once she nods that she’s ready.

“Be careful, brother,” I say, watching as he stealthily moves across the room, sliding behind the door and into position.