Page 106 of Red Fury

She grunts and groans until the door finally gives way with a crack. She catches it before it can crash to the ground, and I rush to help her lower it gently to the floor.

“You did it.” I mouth.

“That was loud,” she mouths back.

We stand there for a few moments, sure someone will come running.

When all seems clear, we tiptoe through the underground corridors toward the stairs.

Shadow points up at the stairs and then shows me the sign to keep quiet. It doesn’t take long before I hear them too. Two guards positioned at the exit.

“Fuck me! I think those two are going at it again,” one of them says.

“Again?”

“I think so.”

“It gets louder each round,” the other one mutters.

Shadow holds up two fingers, and I nod. She’s already moving, wanting to use the element of surprise to her advantage.

“I suppose that it is their last night together.”

“It might even be their last—” The first guard doesn’t even see her coming before she’s behind him, one arm around his throat, cutting off his air supply.

The second guard starts to yell, but she kicks him in the throat using the first guard as leverage while she continues to choke him.

Guard Two grabs his throat. Before he can recover or raise the alarm, I get him into a headlock. Within seconds, both guards are unconscious on the floor.

I give her the thumbs-up.

We make our way up the stairs and through the building, staying in the shadows. Outside, there’s one more guard patrolling the perimeter. Shadow goes after him, trying to get him in a headlock as well, but this time, he reacts too quickly. He twists his body, freeing himself with a low growl.

Then he lunges at Shadow, who blocks the blow. His second punch gets her hard in the gut. I have no doubt that if she were at full capacity, it wouldn’t faze her; perhaps he wouldn’t havegotten her in the first place, but right now that isn’t the case, and she goes down. I put myself between Shadow and the guard. His next hit connects with my jaw, but I barely feel it. My focus is on ending this prick quickly so I can get Shadow somewhere safe.

My punches are precise and brutal, but the vampire is fucking strong. That and quick. It’s like watching a blur. I’m still not at full strength, and it shows.

He gets a few hard punches in, and I stagger back. By now, Shadow is up and on him. I join in, and the two of us finish him off, cutting off a yell of alarm, but not before it punches into the night. He drops to the ground like a sack of shit. That, too, sounds louder than it should.

I’m sure someone must have heard that.

“Run!” I whisper-shout.

We get to my SUV just as the guard on the pavement starts to rouse.

Dammit all!

“Hurry!” Shadow urges when she sees the guard shake his head, trying to stand.

I key in the code to the compartment in the wheel well of my car. There is a beep, and my spare set of keys falls into my hand.

I unlock the vehicle with the press of a button, and we both jump in.

“Shit,” I mutter as I start the engine.

I push on the accelerator, and we take off with a screech that has me wincing.

“You’re coming to my apartment,” I tell Shadow. “I’m not letting you out of my sight until you board that aircraft to Draig. We’re sticking together from here on out, and we’re not going to argue about it.”