Page 3 of Caught in the Crossfire

LEONA

Hooked Nose shouted something in a gruff, threatening voice and then waited, like he’d commanded I hand over my knife, but that was not happening. I tightened my grip while I watched both Puffer Jacket and Hooked Nose for signs of movement. When Hook lunged, I steeled myself. Wynn had taught me well.

I darted to the side, avoiding his grasp, and drew my knife across his outer arm. The skin split into a long gash, and blood dripped to the floor.

Damn, Ryu’s knifewassharp.

Hook stared at his arm, those beady black eyes wide in disbelief, before fury rolled across his face. He lunged again, but I dodged, and this time drew my knife down his back. In a rage, he shouted something. Puffer Jacket staggered into our cell, heading straight for me. Before I could avoid him, a body slammed into him and he flew back against the cell bars.

Max.

“Cut my ties,” Max demanded. I hesitated only a second before I did as he asked. His right arm hung limply at his side, and he grimaced in pain as he moved, but he raised his left into afist. The Max problem could turn into a Max solution if we could get out of here.

We stood together as the Albanians righted themselves. They were massive compared to me, and slightly larger than Max, but we could take them.

“Drop your knife,” Hook said in broken, accented English.

“No,” I replied.

“What are you doing?”Max asked in Italian. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Already his breaths were uneven. His typically immaculate suit was now crumpled and grimy, and his disheveled blond hair fell limply across his eyes. Again, I wondered when they’d taken him. How bad were his injuries?

“Getting out of here,” I responded.

He didn’t have time to respond before the two Albanians lunged at us again. I danced out of the way of Hook, ducked behind him, and slammed the blade deep into his back. I yanked it free before he could turn, and he dropped to his knees. Without hesitation, I plunged the knife into his neck. The man grasped at his throat, blood pouring over his hands. His eyes went wide, and he collapsed.

One down, one to go.

Puffer Jacket shouted again while he leapt toward Max, but Max dodged his punch and landed one of his own against the man’s jaw. I stalked forward, ready to sink my knife into his heart, when four more Albanians rushed into the room.

I whirled, ready to face them. Max would have to deal with Puffer Jacket alone.

This time, I ran atthem. I jumped on one, stabbing my knife under his chin, up into his jaw. Blood spurted across my face, drenching my hands. I yanked the blade free as I dropped to the ground and turned to the next, but he got a lucky backhand across my face and I fell back against the wall, reeling.

I blinked, trying to get my bearings, while my grip tightened on the knife. If I lost it, I was dead. My hands were bloody, butthe knife felt steady in my grip. I couldn’t let them get the upper hand. Wynn taught me to rely on my speed and agility against a larger opponent, and I’d do exactly that.

I lashed out at the next guy, slicing a gash down his face. He recoiled, stepping out of my reach. Max shouted, and I glanced behind me when a hand tangled in my hair and yanked me back. I screamed, the pain searing my skin, as I stabbed blindly above me. The knife connected with something because the man hissed and jerked my neck back again.

Icouldn’tdrop the knife.

I stabbed again, but a punch connected with my stomach, and suddenly I was choking on nothing. The fist in my hair yanked back again while I doubled over.

“Leona!” Max yelled, slamming into the man who held my hair. The grip loosened as the three of us fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs. I was still struggling to breathe when Max’s hand clamped on my arm and yanked me to my feet.

When I looked at my hand, the knife was gone.

My eyes went wide as I searched the floor. “Shit!”

I couldn’t see it anywhere.No.

“Get on your knees,” a harsh voice said in front of me.

A gun barrel pointed directly at my face.

Fuck.

The barrel pressed against my cheek. Max faced down a gun of his own beside me. The sound of the gun cocking reverberated off the metal walls.

“On your knees.”