Gangster's Girl (Complete)

Chapter 24 - Part 2

James shoved a table in front on the door, then he took a gun from his waist and threw it at Angel who caught it. Kaiden raced down the passage and into his room.

I was fixed to the spot unable to comprehend what was happing.

"How many?" Angel asked, his exterior calm

How could he be so calm when my rising panic was making it difficult to breathe?

"Too many," James replied and my blood froze. "We have guys an hour out."

They shared a look that spoke volumes. What did that mean for us?

Angel's hand wrapped around my arm and he yanked me behind the kitchen counter in the open plan living area. "You stay here. You do not move."

I nodded.

"You don't move from this spot. Do you understand?" His eyes leveled with mine and I nodded again.

I wasn't as brave as they were to face the danger head-on. Even after all my training with James, I was still too scared to be of any help.

Fear fixed me to the spot where I huddled out of sight as Angel left me. I managed to peer around the side of the counter to see James by one window and Angel by the other. The driver was huddled behind the sofa.

Kaiden returned with guns and something that looked like a bullet proof vest.

Another shot pierced the air and the window shattered as Kaiden bent down to fasten the vest to me. He was rough and quick.

I was in shock and trying to figure out what was going on. Memories of Bruno came rushing back at that same panic that had held me then held me now.

When Kaiden made a move to stand I stopped him with a hand to his arm. "I need you all to get out of this safely. All of you." I emphasized, not able to fathom if something happened to them. He nodded, like he had the power to grant my request.

There were more shots and I closed my eyes unable to face the fear that something would happen to the people I loved. I even held affection for James, who was firing off shots as fast as they were coming in.

Bullets hit above me, leaving holes in the wooden cabinets.

"One shooter at two o'clock," James called out.

"I got him," Kaiden replied, tersely.

"Another one at eleven o'clock." It was James calling out all the positions.

It was still dark outside, making it much more difficult to spot the enemy.

There was so much shooting I couldn't tell which were ours and which were theirs. I pressed my hands over ears trying to fight the panic that clawed me from inside.

We were unprepared. We had been caught off guard and it had been all my fault. If I hadn't left we wouldn't be out in the woods somewhere trying to fight a battle we had already lost. There was no way this would have happened if we had been back at the house.

Slowly, unable to hide any longer, I moved to be able to watch, hoping and praying for some sort of miracle.

Despite being taken by surprise they worked like a team, calling out instructions and executing them. It was the years they had grown up together that allowed them to work this efficiently.

"I'm out," Angel yelled and Kaiden threw him a magnum.

Angel caught it and reloaded the gun.

The fear in me respected how they all faced the danger with a confidence I had wanted to foster.