Page 94 of Dirty Legacy

“Together,” Marcus says, gripping his gun.

For my family, I think, as we hurry through the ruin of the wall and into the trees ahead.

Angie

The man comes to a staggering halt. I throw my hands up. I’m not sure what I plan on doing, if I’m going to punch him, bite him, or bleed on him, but a groan of pure relief wrenches from my throat as Colm rushes to help.

He’s covered in blood. It’s smeared on his shoulder, down his side. His right arm hangs limp and he’s got a gun clutched in his left. “Ladies, I got you now,” he says, snarling through his teeth. “Men came in through the back. We don’t have much time.”

“Mom and Dad are in the safe room. We have to hurry.” Rowan starts toward the doors.

Colm helps get my mother up. He hefts Mom over his shoulder, carrying her like a bag. “Both of you, stay behind me.”

He goes first toward the stairs and onto the main landing. I follow, forcing Rowan behind me. She holds my hand, her palm slick with sweat.

“We’ll be okay,” I tell her, trying to be reassuring. She needs to stay calm right now. “Colm will handle this. We’ll get to safety⁠—“

We rush across the open area at the top of the steps and gunfire erupts from down below.

Rowan screams. I pull her forward, yanking us both to the floor. Colm grunts and blood sprays as his head explodes in a shower of gore, brains, and skull matter. His corpse falls under the weight of my mother, both of them slamming to the carpet.

“Mom!” I scream, crawling forward. There’s shouting from down below and more shooting. “Mom! Oh, god, Mom⁠—“

I reach their side, slithering through blood-drenched carpet. Mom’s motionless. I roll her onto her side and her eyes find mine, a goofy smile on her face.

“Some movie,” she says.

Blazed as hell. Somewhere in outer space.

“You shouldn’t have taken more,” I whisper, pulling her against me. I look back and Rowan’s still lying on the floor, covering her head.

I don’t know what to do. There are men below and if I try to stand, they’ll have an angle on me. But if I don’t start running, they’ll come up and we’re dead anyway.

But Rowan’s behind us, and I can’t carry Mom on my own.

Oh, God.

I brush a hand over my belly. Fear fills me like a weight. I can’t die here—I can’t let my baby die here⁠—

I also can’t let Rowan and Mom get hurt.

“Please, don’t shoot!” I call out. “Please, we’re not a threat!” I can’t think of anything else.

“Stay where you are,” a man calls back. “We’re coming up. If you move, we’ll kill you.”

“Okay, we’re not moving. Please don’t hurt us! There’s an old woman here and a young girl.”

“Don’t move,” he repeats. I hear him on the steps. Climbing, getting closer.

I raise my chin in time to see Cathal striding toward me, a massive shotgun clutched between his hands. My jaw drops as he comes around the corner from his wing, notches the gun on his shoulder, and blasts it down the stairs.

I catch a glimpse of a man’s chest breaking open, blood and ribs blistering the air. Cathal fires again, and again, the booms deafening. “Run!” he roars, shooting down at the attackers below.

I scramble back and grab Rowan. She’s sobbing but she reacts when I touch her. She gets to her feet, crying and stumbling, nearly tripping over Colm’s corpse, but she makes it past Cathal and back into her wing. I hurry to Mom, take her arm, and start to drag her.

“Hurry, damn you!” Cathal shoots again but the next trigger-pull is a click. I scream, pulling as hard as I can, back aching and legs burning. Mom hardly reacts, a goofy smile on her face, drool at the corner of her mouth.

Cathal throws the shotgun down the steps and grabs Mom’s other arm. Together, we get her around the corner. He kneels down, hefts Mom, and lifts her to his chest like a baby.