Page 78 of Shadowed With Fear

“Peanut Butter.”

I grab the bar and toss it on the table in front of her. “Munch away, D. Food’ll be a little bit longer.”

Dahlia mutters her thanks, tearing the wrapping open, and taking a quick bite. “Why are you cooking so early?”

“That mission B said we had?” I peer at her stirring the ground beef in the pan.

“Yeah.”

“It’s tonight. We’re heading out to the warehouse around six.” I turn around, leaning against the counter, gripping the edge.

She kind of deflates at the news. “Oh. Okay. So, what do I do?”

I ran my hand down my face. “I thought you could go to Liz’s. If not, Brahm might stay back, and you can sit with him at the warehouse. Either way, I have to go.” I sigh and she nods.

“I’d prefer to stay with B, if that won’t be a problem. Liz wasn’t at school and I’m pretty sure it’s cause she’s sick.”

I cringe. “Gotcha. Okay. I’ll text Brahm. You should too.”

“Will do. I’m excited. I can’t wait to see what you guys actually get up to. I bet it’s badass.”

* * *

“This is totally not badass!” Dahlia shouts in the background in my earpiece. Brahm tells her to shut up.

“What’s it look like down there, Shadow? I can’t see fucking anything anymore,” Brahm’s voice cuts through the speaker. I can hear him tapping away at his computer, cursing under his breath.

“You’re dark. All of you are. I don’t have eyes.”

“Fuck,” Henry mumbles beside me.

We’re in a building on the edge of East End and Tennabris, one of the meeting places our dear friend Marcus told us about. The problem? There were about eight guys guarding the place, and Adam tripped an alarm.

This was supposed to be a simple in out. Check for civilians, scout out supplies, and then it would be determined whether it goes up in Adam’s flames, or I install a few of Brahm’s little toys around the place since he couldn’t do it himself anymore.

But now, something’s blocking the video for Brahm’s to watch us on our body cams, and I have no fucking idea what I’m doing without him telling me, and he can’t tell me what to do if he can’t see what I am doing.

“Should we back out?” Adam asks over the radio.

“Yeah, this is going to be a disaster if we push on. Those guys know were here, we can’t install the cams, and I don’t think we can even check if there’s any stock here, Sire,” I whisper to him, crouching behind a tall crate with Henry.

“No, just wait. They might leave. We have to get something out of this mission, guys. This was the last meet up, so something has to be there.” I can hear his frustration over the slight static.

I sigh. “Okay. Okay. Ten minutes and that’s it.”

But we should have just left then. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but one second, we’re spread out around this loading bay in the building, hiding behind crates and barrels. The next second shots are flying by our heads, whizzing around the room, smashing into concrete, sending a spray of debris clouding the room. There yelling, and curses, and a sharp cry of pain that has my stomach sinking into a pit in the ground.

“What the fuck was that? Alex?” Brahm rages.

“Here, boss.”

“Henry?”

“Alive.”

“Grayson!?”

My eyes rake over the scene, loud bangs, flashes of light, and orders being made to the men hunting us.