Page 96 of Before Broken Vows

"They must have gotten in another way," I say, looking at it.

"Over here, sir," a man says, waving us over.

We move and see a side door. New handle. I reach out and gently turn it. The door pops open.

Suddenly there's a loud bang, and bullets start flying through the door. I duck, barely getting out of the way. One of my men isn't so lucky. Blood pours from his right eye and he collapses to the ground.

I look up as a flock of birds takes flight from a power line.

And then.

Shouting. Footsteps. Movement inside.

"Go! Now!" I yell, jumping toward the door.

We breach.

The air explodes into smoke and gunfire.

Gunshots ring out. My men are already inside, reapers ready to claim bodies.

I get in and run behind a crate. I scan the area but have to duck again due to the barrage of bullets raining down on us.

A man lunges at me with a rifle. I shoot him in the neck. He drops, choking on his own blood.

I step over him without looking.

Another tries to run. Andrew drops him with two shots to the chest.

Inside the hangar, there's makeshift offices and hallways. My men move quickly and I join Andrew, moving through the corridors like death searching for victims.

The fact that there are more people here than just Milo means he wasn't working alone.

I can't think of what that means right now. Gunfire is erupting all around me. I see a man run by and I fire, hitting him in the leg. He drops and turns his gun on me. I fire three times. The man's body jerks and he goes limp, his eyes turning black.

Down a hall, I see two men funnel into a room and shut the door. Andrew and I make our way toward it. That has to be where Xander is.

A man comes around the corner and fires, his bullet grazing my arm. Both Andrew and I shoot back. His white shirt turns red and he falls backward.

"There. That room," I say, pointing. "Come on."

I run down the hall and kick the door.

Again.

And again.

One more time and the door flies open.

Then I see him. The motherfucker that brought me here. That took my son.

He's slumped on the ground against a wall.

A knife sticking out of his stomach. Blood all around him.

I look around. A window in the corner is shattered. I run over to it and look out.

Nothing.