Page 47 of Shadowed Vows: Ghost (Nightfall Syndicate #1)

A flash of movement to my right catches my attention.

I react on instinct, using a defensive maneuver Damian drilled into me for hours.

My elbow connects with my attacker's stomach, driving the air from him.

As he stumbles back, I follow up with a palm strike to his nose, feeling cartilage crunch beneath my hand.

The man falls, and I spring forward, grabbing his weapon. Instead of retreating to Kade's position, I use the fallen attacker as cover, scanning for more threats.

"Get back here," Kade growls, his voice deadly calm despite the chaos.

"I've got a better angle from here," I snap back, adrenaline making me bold.

Kade's eyes flash with something dark and dangerous, but there's no time for arguments.

"How many more?" he demands, his gaze never stopping its constant scan of our surroundings.

I force myself to breathe, to think clearly despite the blood rushing in my ears. "I count at least three more. Two by the street entrance, one on the roof across from us."

Kade nods, a hint of a smile touching his lips. "Good eye. Stay low and cover me."

"I can take the one on the left," I counter, already shifting my weight to move.

"Alina," Kade's voice is a razor. "Cover. Me."

Before I can argue, he's moving. I raise my newly acquired weapon, providing cover fire as he ordered—grudgingly .

Kade flows like liquid death, each motion exact and devastating. He slams an elbow into the first man's throat, crushing his windpipe.

As that one drops, he spins, driving his knee into another attacker's solar plexus. The man doubles over, gasping. Kade grabs his head and smashes it against the wall with a sickening crunch.

I spot movement from the corner—a shooter Kade hasn't seen. I snap around and pull the trigger two times in quick succession. The attacker drops.

Without pause, Kade turns to the last assailant. His fist connects with the man's jaw—I hear bones crack. As that one crumples, Kade pulls his gun in one fluid motion and fires, a neat hole appearing in the man's forehead.

The whole thing takes maybe thirty seconds. I blink, struggling to process what just happened.

After the last attacker falls, an eerie silence descends on the alley. The acrid smell of gunpowder hangs in the air, mixing with the fishy stench. My body thrums with tension, my fingers still wrapped tightly around my weapon.

I turn to find Kade staring at me, his blue eyes electric with a dangerous mix of pride, fury, and something darker.

"I told you to stay put," he says, his voice deceptively quiet.

"And miss saving your ass?" I counter, nodding toward the shooter I took down. "You're welcome, by the way."

A muscle jumps in his jaw. "That's not the point."

"Then what is?" I challenge, the adrenaline making me reckless.

Before he can answer, Jax's voice comes through the comms. "Perimeter secure. Anyone need medical? "

"Negative," Kade responds, his eyes never leaving mine. "Targets neutralized."

I hold his gaze, refusing to back down. Part of me is still horrified by the violence I just witnessed—and participated in. But another part, a part I'm not entirely comfortable acknowledging, is exhilarated by how well we worked together.

Kade approaches, invading my space with deliberate intent. His hand reaches out, roughly checking me for injuries, his touch possessive and thorough.

"I'm fine," I insist, trying to step back, but he grips my arm.

"You could have been killed," he growls, his fingers tightening.

"But I wasn't," I respond, my pulse quickening at his proximity. "I handled myself."

His eyes darken as they trace down to where a bullet had grazed my jacket sleeve. "Barely."

He taps his earpiece. "Reaper, we need cleanup at our location. Multiple hostiles down." His voice is calm, almost detached.

As we wait for the team to arrive, I can't shake the unsettling feeling in my gut.

The adrenaline is wearing off, leaving me with a sudden awareness of what we just did.

The reality hits me like a punch to the chest. Men are dead.

Blood is cooling on the concrete around us. And I helped make it happen.

Kade is quiet for a moment, his gaze distant. "I've seen what happens when we play it safe, when we follow all the rules. People die. Innocent people. "

I feel a pang of empathy, even as I struggle with his methods. "I understand that, but there has to be a middle ground. We can't just throw away our humanity entirely."

"Principles don't mean much to the dead," Kade counters, but I can see a flicker of something in his eyes.

"Maybe not," I admit. "But they mean everything to the living. To the people we're trying to protect. If we become no better than the criminals, what are we really fighting for?"

Kade looks at me, frustration and respect in his expression. "You make it sound so simple."

"It's not simple," I say softly. "But it's important."

His hand slides up my arm to curl around the nape of my neck, his grip firm but not painful. "Your idealism is going to get you killed one day."

"My idealism is what makes this worth doing," I counter, not backing down despite his intimidating closeness.

Damian appears at the end of the alley, his impassive gaze taking in the carnage. Kade's eyes never leave mine as he steps back, his fingers trailing down my arm in a deliberate caress.

"We'll finish this discussion later." His voice dropping to a register that sends heat racing through my body.

"And tonight, little hellcat, you'll learn exactly what happens when you disobey direct orders in the field."