Page 15 of Under Her Command

Chaos erupted.

Gunfire tore through the space, sparking against metal. Victoria felt Isabel press close against her as they moved, keeping low, dodging between cover.

“Iknewyou didn’t mean that,” Isabel muttered, her breath slightly ragged.

“You’re welcome,” Victoria shot back, reloading quickly.

One of the gunmen vaulted over the railing, landing just a few feet away. Isabel reacted fast, turning and firing before he could get a shot off. He crumpled to the ground.

“Two left,” Victoria counted, scanning the upper level. Isabel inhaled sharply, pressing her free hand to her bicep.

Victoria’s stomach dropped. “You’re hit.”

“Not the time, Langley.”

Victoria’s jaw clenched. Blood was already seeping through Isabel’s sleeve, dark and sticky. But she was still standing, still moving. The last two shooters were repositioning. Victoria tracked their movement, then met Isabel’s gaze.

“One each?” Isabel suggested.

Victoria huffed. “Try to keep up.”

They moved in sync. Isabel fired first, catching one of the shooters in the knee, sending her tumbling down. Victoria lined up the last shot and took out the remaining shooter with a single, clean shot to the shoulder.

Silence settled over the warehouse, thick and heavy. Victoria exhaled slowly, her gun still raised, eyes scanning for movement.

Isabel swayed slightly. Victoria caught her by the elbow, her grip firm. “You need a medic.”

“Youneed to stop worrying about me,” Isabel muttered, but she let Victoria steady her.

Footsteps thundered outside. Seconds later, the side door burst open, and Collins stormed in with a tactical team, weapons raised. Victoria finally lowered her gun.

“Took you long enough,” Isabel muttered.

Collins’ eyes darted between them, taking in the bodies, the still-smoking weapons. “Jesus. You two all right?”

Victoria nodded. “Torres needs medical attention.”

Isabel groaned. “I swear toGod,if you send me to the hospital?—”

“You got shot,” Victoria snapped. “You’re going.”

Collins smirked. “Looks like you two had fun.”

Victoria inhaled, steadying herself. The case wasn’t over. The fight wasn’t over. But one thing was damned certain—she owed Isabel Torres her life.And she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Victoria exhaled sharply, her ears still ringing from the gunfire. The scent of gunpowder and rusted metal clung to the stale warehouse air as backup flooded the space, securing the scene. Officers moved swiftly, sweeping the area, calling out the all-clear as the bodies of the downed shooters were checked for signs of life.

“Two dead,” Collins reported, stepping over the crumpled form of one gunman as she holstered her weapon. “One’s still breathing—barely. We’ve got a medic on her now.”

Victoria’s gaze flicked to the body count and immediately scanned the area again, a gnawing sense of wrongness settling in her gut.Something was missing.

Her eyes narrowed. “Where the hell is Natalia Voss?”

Collins stiffened before glancing toward her team. A quick exchange of words confirmed it.

“She’s gone,” one of the officers said grimly. “Must’ve slipped out during the chaos.”

Victoria felt her pulse tick higher. “Are you telling me the only person in this damned building who could give us real answers justwalked away?”