Page 143 of Contested Crown
“He’ll be on the top floor,” Evelyn said confidently, looking up.
“Naw, Declan’s smarter than that,” Joel shook his head. “He knows we’re coming, and we’ll think he’s at the top. He’s going to be on one of the other floors, so we miss him, go to the sixth floor, and then he can come up behind us.Pop, pop, goodbye, Los Santos Crew.”
“Pack,” Gabe corrected. “We aren’t a crew anymore. We’re a pack. But that’s actually a good point.”
They all looked at me, and I frowned at the elevator. The doors were open, lights off. If we were getting up to the top floor, it wasn’t using the elevator.
Something crackled, and everyone jumped. The radios on the security guy’s belts came to life, and Declan’s voice came over it, the grin in his voice clear over the airwaves.
“Hello, Miles. It’s so good to see you. I’ve beenwaitingfor you,” he said. “And you’re here. Like DoorDash.”
Glaring down, I reached for one of the radios, pulling it loose and bringing it up. I pressed the button so I could speak. “Why don’t you come out, and we’ll settle this fast, Declan? You can tell me how many stars you’ll give me.”
“Miles. And a littlepackwith you. Should I show you what I can do now to wolves?” Declan purred. “How about I start with Joel and his boys? How do you think they’ll like not being able to shift? You think they’ll go crazy, or you think they’ll just lay down and die?”
The videos on social media still lingered in my head, the way that so many wolves just gave up, just gave in, losing their ability to do anything when their wolf was torn away.
“Let’s go.” I pointed at the stairwell, the door propped open with a brick. I pressed the button on the radio again. “I’m coming for you, Declan. I’ve got your number, and I’mcoming.”
Sliding the clip onto the waistband of my pants, I gestured Gabe’s group into the stairwell first, looking at Cade significantly. He nodded and spoke with two of the House Bartlett mages.
Luckily for all of us, the mages that had escaped were powerful. They’d have to be to have consorts, but even though they’d all been laid up less than a day ago, the two of them managed to put together a net that ran in front of Gabe’s team. We followed behind, as silent as twenty-four people could be, the narrow stairwell only allowing us to walk up two at a time.
When we got to the second floor, the door burst open, but the mages’ spellwork was faster, and it pinned the security guard to the door, the threads of it making it impossible for anyone else to get out. It took a moment for Declan’s men to get sorted, shoving up against the magic, trying to force themselves through the web of magic. One of them managed to get his arm through and had the bright idea to try shooting.
The first bullet deafened me. We were trapped in a small, enclosed concrete tube, and someone had just fired agun—the only thing I could hear was the ringing in my ears, even though I could see him squeeze the trigger again and again.
The scent of blood overpowered me, and two of Gabe’s guys went down, but I didn’t even have time to think. “Get the net down!”
Cade looked overwhelmed, raising a hand to his ear and shaking his head. When I pointed at the shield, he tapped on the mages, and the lines of tattoo slithered away, letting Declan’s guys fall out of the doorway where they’d wedged themselves. Nia leapt up the stairs, her four wolves following her.
With bared teeth, they took out the gunman, but more of Declan’s guys poured into the hallway. My hearing came back in increments, as though I was still hearing everything through headphones.
When I saw two guys come up behind Nia, I didn’t hesitate. I took the stairs two at a time and grabbed both by their necks. Tossing one behind me, I trusted the wolves to take care of him. The one closer to the edge of the stairwell, I lifted up and pushed over the edge.
A one-story fall wouldn’t be enough to take him out, but no matter how much Declan was paying him, someone with a broken leg or two would think twice about continuing to fight.
“Close the door,” I yelled, and Nia nodded, pulling the guys she was fighting out of the way so Heather could move behind her and yank it shut. When Heather was holding it closed, her body braced as someone kept trying to push it open, I gestured to Cade.
His eyes went wide, but he immediately got it. The mages behind him were panting, eyes wide, but he tapped Jack. Theo’s partner threw a net on top of the door, sliding into the cracks and effectively gluing it shut.
“We’re going to have to do that to all the doors,” I told Cade.
The radio at my waist hissed. “Aww. Did I already get two of your guys? You should send them to the hospital. Wait, do you even have an insurance plan?”
“He can see us,” I said, looking around. In the landing, a small, black semicircle was attached to the wall. The red, glowing dot inside told me the camera was running.
“Here,” Cade said. He reached out, a spike of tattoo lancing off his wrist, destroying the camera in a hail of sparks.
I didn’t even wait for the path ahead to be clear. Bending low, I checked on Gabe’s injured guys. One had a bullet in the leg and the other in the shoulder. “Get out of here. Go reinforce the teams outside.”
“No.” The one with the bullet in the shoulder tried to stand. “I can still fight.”
“I’m sure you can, but the point where I’m asking anyone to fight when they’ve got a round in their shoulder is the point where I’m not worth following anymore.” I looked up at Gabe, and he nodded.
“Come on, guys. Let’sgo.” At his prodding, the wolves made their way down the stairs and out the doors. They were wolves, so at least I knew the bullets wouldn’t kill them, but I found myself worrying anyway. They were mine. They were my pack, and I’d let them get hurt like they were nothing more than fodder.
Cade’s hand closed around my wrist, bringing me back.