24. Griffin

24

GRIFFIN

T he moment explodes into motion.

I draw my gun with one hand, gripping a knife in the other by the time Nathan’s men storm the colony like a swarm of locusts. They come from everywhere, leaping over the walls, running in through the gate.

“Stay with Emily,” I bark out at Max without taking my eyes off the attackers. We should have left while we still had the chance.

Max huffs with irritation. “Yeah, no shit.” He immediately moves closer to her with a growl. He and William close ranks around Emily, and I take stock of the situation. I need to get us safely out of here.

Scanning the area, I see the familiar faces of the colony guards, though they seem more invested in surrounding Richard than in defending Emily or any of their other people. I mean, yeah, the guy was shot and all, but Emily is the one who should be protected above all else. Their loyalty is bound to him, and they treat Emily’s safety as incidental, which only makes me grit my teeth.

Shots fire without targets. People take cover where they can .

Nearby buildings lock down fast, shutters snapping closed, and the sound of doors bolting echoes across the empty square. The move isn’t much of a shield—those thin barriers won’t stop anyone. This colony wasn’t designed to withstand an invasion like this. They’re still haven’t fully recovered from the last one.

I edge away, monitoring the advancing horde of Nathan’s men, hoping their attention stayed fixed on Richard. I’m nothing but an obstacle to them, and if they want him, I’d gladly hand him over myself if it comes to that.

A flash of movement catches my eye, and I dive behind a crumbling stone wall just as gunfire erupts around me, bullets cutting through the air. So much for hoping they only wanted Richard. Nobody here is safe.

There’s no time to waste now; we’re under siege. I drop low and press myself flat against the ground, scanning for an opening. I’ve lost sight of my group. At least Max and William are with her. I should have stayed with them. Splitting up was a mistake. Again. We have to stop doing this.

Bullets hit the wall I’m crawling behind. I’m thankful for the cover, but this situation is pissing me off. Why didn’t anyone shoot the bastard when he showed up? Especially after what he did to this colony the last time. This is inexcusable. I hope Richard survives solely so I can kill him myself. A nice, painful death for all the shit he put Emily through.

Colony folks emerge, returning fire from shuttered windows. Hope flashes through me. Even a little bit of pride. I had thought them all to be cowards, but they’re finally fighting back. They can handle themselves. It’s not their first rodeo, after all. Now to find Emily and the others and get us all the fuck out of here.

I edge toward a nearby car and roll under it, feeling the ground vibrate with the stampeding footsteps. I hold my breath when bullets pelt the dirt where I was moments ago. That was a close one.

This isn’t going well at all. We don’t have the upper hand here, and that’s driving me crazy. I can’t die like this. I refuse to. There’s still so much I need to do, like make up with Emily. I still need to see her again. Most of all, I need to get her the fuck out of this place.

As if materialized by thought, I glimpse Emily moving into a building across the square. Good. She’s safe for now. I can try to get to her.

Peering toward the source of the most recent gunfire that almost took me out, I see one of Nathan’s men turn his attention away, distracted by another skirmish. It’s my chance. I crawl out from under the car and bolt toward the building, weaving through the maze of fighting bodies. I eliminate one of Nathan’s men with ease along the way, so that’s one victory.

Another one of Nathan’s men rounds the corner, almost colliding with me. I grab him and slam him against the nearest wall. He grunts, his eyes flaring with hatred.

“What’s your problem?” I growl, my arm pressing hard across his chest.

“Mine? What about yours? You’re the one who stole from us,” he sneers. “Nathan saved your lives, and you threw him out like trash.”

I press harder against his chest and look straight into his eyes while he gasps for air. My voice goes cold. “You mean the guy who almost wiped out this whole town for fun and still destroyed us again after? Yeah, doesn’t sound like a hero to me.”

“Hypocrites. Every one of you,” he spits out. “Pathetic bunch of people. None of you deserve to live.”

“Well, I see this won’t be resolved anytime soon.” I should have killed him instead of wasting time trying to get information. What a waste .

His knee jerks up into my side, hitting the tender, still-healing wound. The pain is so intense it blinds me, and I have no choice but to loosen my grip and keel over. When I hear the click of the safety on a gun, I drive my knife into his gut, twisting it with a sharp movement. His instant reaction must be to squeeze his hands into fists because both of his guns unload into the ground behind me. Once they’re empty, his body goes limp, and he collapses to the dirt. I lean against the wall to catch my breath before for a moment before moving toward the nearest door. Emily is going to kill me if I’ve opened this wound again, but I don’t see how that’s going to be unavoidable in this situation.

Once inside, I plan to regroup, but something in the shadows catches my attention. A faint, desperate rasping. I raise my gun and inch forward, then freeze.

“Help me…please.”

I squint to see through the dark. It takes a moment, but then I recognize the face. “Richard? What’s your sorry ass doing in here alone?”

He’s slumped against the wall, blood pooling beneath him, his breathing labored. I keep my gun raised and move closer.

“The others went out to fight them off. Judging by the noise outside, I don’t think it’s going so well.” His laughter is a hollow echo in the empty room. “Funny, isn’t it?” He chokes. “They dragged me in here to get me to safety, but it won’t make a damn difference.”

“Every single one of them?” I inch closer. “Now you’re hiding out in here like the coward you are.”

Richard lets out a grim laugh that devolves into a cough. Blood stains his lips. “I’ve lost a lot of blood. So, are you only here to gloat? Or can you put those weapons to good use?”

“Come into the light. ”

“Would if I could. Power’s out, but there’s a lantern in the cupboard. Help yourself.”

I spot the lantern. When I light it, I’m surprised to see the large pool of blood he’s lying in. He wasn’t joking. “Holy shit, how are you still alive?”

“Stubbornness. It’s the cure to mortality.”

“Figures. My bet was on assholery.”

He laughs and then coughs again. “I know we’ve had our differences?—”

It’s my turn to laugh. “Call it what you want, but I’m sure you would have killed me the moment Emily turned her back.”

“Luckily, we didn’t have to find out.”

“Well, at least you’re an honest asshole.” I kneel to the ground and let out a low whistle. “Damn. You look worse than I expected.”

He kicks out his leg and somehow props himself up against the wall. “Do you have any bandages on you, by chance?” He nods at the bag I carry on my back.

“You’re a bold one. That desperate, huh?”

He grimaces. Fear, remorse, and agony shine through in his eyes. “I thought I was protecting the colony, but I left it defenseless against the real enemy that I never saw coming. I know I was wrong. Now, are you the kind of man who has the heart to forgive, or are you the monster that you look like?”

The implication lands hard. It strikes straight through me to my wound that’s more than skin-deep. Anger flows through me and my trigger fingers flexes. I think back to the night in the tent with Emily when she ran her fingers over the raise scar tissue on my face and saw straight past it to the man I am beneath. “I might look like a monster, but I’m far from the level of monstrosity you are.”

“You’re not wrong.” He coughs and sputters.

“Thought you wanted me out of here because you think I cause more harm than good, and now you’re begging for me not to leave, and to actually help you?”

“I was stupid. I see that now.”

Silence fills the room, the outside gunfire and shouting reduced to a dull hum. My gaze flickers to the window. Part of me knows I could easily walk away, leave him here to rot while I go do what I was going to do. Find my girl. It would be so easy.

His breath rasps out.

Emily’s face comes to mind, the way she fights for even those who’ve wronged her. How she gives second chances. Against my better judgement, I lower my gun. “I shouldn’t help you. Not because of what you did to me, but because of what you did to Emily. That’s something I can never forgive. However, I will help you, because I aim to be a better man than you. I might look like a monster, but I won’t become you.”