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“The clerk is heading to the back, most likely to the bathroom.”

Shit. The bathroom was behind the office, and he’d pass me on his way.

I hurriedly worked on the lock, letting out a breath of relief when it clicked open. Creeping inside, I soundlessly shut the door and stayed low. I waited just behind the door, gripping the knob as I listened to his footsteps.

Something clattered to the ground.

“Shit. Damn it, I just bought that one!” the clerk said. “Fuck my life. Why’s Mr. Thorne need me to go check that shit anyway? Fuck, it’s his fault. If I hadn’t come back here I wouldn’ta dropped it. Fucking prick.”

The jingle of keys sent a jolt of alarm through me, and when it was clear the clerk was unlocking the door, I sighed and stood up behind the door. As soon as he stepped inside, I grabbed him from behind, pressing my hand over his mouth. He shrieked behind my hand, muffled but still loud, and I hissed in his ear, “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you don’t shut the fuck up right now.”

He struggled in my hold, kicking his feet up. He hit the computer monitor, sending it crashing to the ground, and with a growl, I wrapped my arm around his neck to choke him unconscious.

He kept struggling, but he was a lot smaller than me. He punched at my leg repeatedly, and then one of them hit my balls. The oxygen left my lungs as nausea churned, and I loosened my grip involuntarily. This fucking asshole.

He let out a shrill scream, turned, and tried to run to the door.

God-fucking-dammit.

I punched him in the jaw, knocking him out. He collapsed and I caught him before he hit the ground, not wanting him to get brain damage, then shoved him against the wall none too gently.

I was praying the security guard hadn’t heard that. I needed to get the fuck out of here.

Quickly turning my attention to the safe, which was the exact same one he used in all his stores, I pulled out my mini crowbar and pried open the door. He used a piece of shit model that was ten years old, so getting it open wasn’t hard. Inside, there was a fat stack of twenties and nothing else. I grabbed the money and shoved it one of my pockets.

“Incoming. Armed guard. He didn’t alert the cop, I think he just heard a noise and is coming back to check it out but you don’t have any time to leave without him noticing, we just have to hope he doesn’t come into the office.”

Fuck.

Crouching in one corner of the dark office, I slid my knife from my belt. I didn’t want to use the gun if I didn’t have to. It was really just for show, a last resort.

The office door was pushed open but stopped abruptly, hitting the unconscious clerk. I wasn’t sure the security guard would even be able to fit through that opening. His hand was wrapped around the door as he tried repeatedly to push it open further.

“The fuck?” he muttered, pushing at the clerk’s leg with the toe of his boot. “Garrett, what the hell⁠—”

I jumped up, slashed the knife at his hand, then shoved the door closed on it. He howled in pain, and I yanked the clerk out of the way. Pulling the door open, I lowered my head, driving my shoulder into the guard’s stomach. I lifted him, then threw him to the ground. He crashed into a pile of boxes sitting on a pallet and groaned.

But he snapped back quickly, reached for his hip, and pulled out his gun.

I sprinted toward the back door just as he fired the first shot. The thunderous sound echoed in the room, followed by three more. Fire sliced through my leg just as I burst through the door. I didn’t stop, hauled ass to the fence, and climbed over, then bolted back to the car, glancing over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure he wasn’t following me.

I jumped in the car and Vincent hit the gas before the door was even shut. I fell into the empty seat beside Brooks. Pain licked up my calf and burned up my thigh.

“Jesus Christ, what the fuck happened?” Cade grabbed onto my arm to steady me while Vincent shot down the road, already going eighty.

“Fuck,” I muttered. “I think he shot me.”

The blood drained from Cade’s face. “Where?”

I gripped the headrest on Cade’s seat, keeping my weight off my left leg.

Cade undid his seatbelt and started climbing into the back. “Where, for fuck’s sake, Court!” He started ripping at my hoodie, trying to drag it over my head, and I pushed him back into his seat.

“Sit down. It’s just my leg, I’ll be fine.”

“Let me fucking see.” Cade wasn’t letting this go, so I sat back and started rolling my pant leg up with a grimace.

“See? Just a scratch.” I let my pants fall and leaned back, breathing hard. “Damn, I haven’t sprinted like that since we rolled that dealer’s house in Springfield. Remember that? He sent his Dobermans after us.” I shuddered at the memory. Those dogs had almost gotten Cade right before we’d jumped the fence.