“Adare!” Panic sizzled through Grace, and she bounded out of the snow, running around the smoldering SUV. She slipped on the ice, regained her footing, and kept running, pointing her gun and pulling the trigger several times. Spurts of green laser fire shot out, turning into bullets upon impact as she hit the sedan behind them. Damn it. She tried to stop so she could shoot.

A strong arm caught her from behind and partially lifted her up. She twisted to see red hair tipped with black. “I’ve got her,” her captor bellowed.

Her lungs protested as he squeezed the air out of her.

“Grace,” Adare yelled, grabbing the blade slashing down at him with both hands.

She immediately let her arm drop and twisted the gun back, pulling the trigger at the same time. The Kurjan holding her screamed in pain and dropped her. Benny ran over two prone Kurjan bodies and slammed his fist into the soldier’s head.

Grace hit the ice, rolled, and ran for Adare as fast as she could.

His hands bleeding on the knife, he slammed the hilt up and into the Cyst’s face, quickly rolling them over and capturing the knife. In one smooth motion, he shoved the entire blade through the soldier’s purple eye. The Cyst shuddered several times and then went still.

Adare backflipped to his feet, reaching for her.

Benny threw the now limp Kurjan into the burning SUV. “Dude. Did she just shoot that bastard in the balls?”

“I’ve been practicing,” Grace gulped, searching for another target.

Adare tucked her behind him, looking wildly around. “We have to get out of here.”

Grace swallowed down bile, her body shaking so hard she could barely hold the gun. The Cysts and Kurjans were all down, while everyone still standing was bleeding from several places.

Nick took Simone’s hand and drew her near. “Before we arrived, I called for cleanup and a helicopter to take you wherever you want. Should be here soon. We need to fetch the girls and get the hell out of here, and then you can call and explain to me why the Kurjans and their religious fucking leaders just attacked my very nicely hidden condo.”

Simone leaned around Adare to focus on Grace, her eyes gleaming and a pleased smile on her stunning face. “Nice shot, there.”

“Thanks.” The world began to waver around Grace.

Simone frowned. “Honey? I think you’ve been shot.” Her voice came from far away.

Then, darkness.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Adare held Grace as the helicopter sped toward his mission headquarters in south-western Colorado while the storm continued to batter the world outside. Benny sat next to him, the air popping as he healed himself. On his other side, Jacki had fallen asleep, her wounds slowly closing as she rested.

Blood continued to flow from the wound near Grace’s neck, and he shook her again. “Wake up.”