Page 58 of Storm and Tempest

He slammed his shoulder into the wall just before the door.

Maizie let go of his hand.

Jax looked in the room.

The second lawyer who’d been standing guard lay on the ground, blood on her chest. Another woman he’d never seen before clutched her shoulder and squared her aim on Samuel. She’d killed two so far, and anyone else who’d come across her before she made it this far.

“FBI!” That part was a reflex, but he couldn’t let her kill Samuel. “Put the gun down!”

The bound man stared at her, wide-eyed and breathing hard.

Jax said, “Don’t?—”

She squeezed the trigger, and Samuel toppled back, along with the chair, a bullet hole in his chest. Jax fired as well, hitting her in the head.

She crumpled to the ground, dead before she hit the floor.

“It’s clear,” he said to Maizie. He rushed over to Samuel and touched two fingers to his throat.

The young woman said, “That’s a lot of blood.”

Jax tried to recall where his phone was. “We need EMT?—”

Samuel nearly pulled Jax down on top of him by grabbing him by the arm.

Jax’s hand landed in the blood-soaked shirt on Samuel’s front, and the guy groaned. “Sorry. Hang on. We’re gonna get someone to help you.”

Samuel shook his head. “Don’t bother.”

Maizie knelt on the other side, tears in her eyes.

Jax said, “You don’t have to die.”

Samuel tried to speak again but was forced to cough. Blood appeared at the corners of his mouth.

“Easy.” Jax had to ask, “Where is my wife?”

Samuel coughed again, groaning from the pain.

“Where is she? Tell me.”

The grip on Jax’s arm slacked, and his chest rattled with the next breath. Samuel said, “Offshore,” and the life left his eyes. His head tipped to the side and his hand fell away from Jax’s arm.

“What on earth?”

Jax looked over at the door and saw Ramon there. Zeyla peered over his shoulder. She ducked away and disappeared down the hall. Ramon said, “We just got back from the charter company. What happened?”

“One of theDominatusoperatives came in. Four dead, including her.”

Maizie turned to Ramon. “Sandra is one, too. She had a knife.”

Jax remembered that Elliot’s sister had cut him with that blade and lifted his arm. It stung when he moved his hand toward him and looked down the edge of his forearm. “Ow.”

“You just realized it hurts?” Maizie frowned.

“Adrenaline.” He rocked on the balls of his feet and stood. “Let’s get out of this room. We need to call…” He cut himself off, unsure that informing the police of what had happened was the best idea. At least not until they were safely away from the scene.

Ramon held out his hand for Maizie and helped her stand.