“What the fuck!” Tony yells as Shepherd shifts the gun onto Rod and shoots him in the leg before shifting it to Tony, the only one left standing.
“Come here, Killian,” Shepherd says, voice oddly even and steady.
I feel like I’ve never needed anyone so much in my entire life. I rush to him as he grabs my wrist and pulls me behind his back.
Tony seems to be shocked still merely by the fact that Shepherd would raise a gun on him of all people. “You… you fucking betray me for a piece of ass, Shepherd? I fucking raised you. I fucking saved your goddamn useless life. When you were out there selling your ass on the streets as a kid, I gave you a place to live where you could be something. Where you could have something. And this is how you repay me?”
“And that’s why I’m not going to kill you,” Shepherd says, voice almost emotionless as he shoots Tony in the leg.
I think Tony is beyond comprehending the situation as he stumbles. Then he’s pissed as he grabs for his gun before remembering that his gun is currently in Shepherd’s hands.
“I’m sorry, Tony, but I’m done,” he says as he pushes me through the open door and grabs my wrist. “Quick.” He doesn’t need to tell me twice as he starts running. “The others will have heard the shots.”
He drags me after him, away from the front door and back toward his room. I want to ask him why he’s going back, but I also know that I need to trust him. He just shot three of his own men for me. He’s not going to risk his own life going back to his room unless he absolutely has to. He pulls me into the bedroom and locks the door before rushing over to the dresser and yanking open a drawer before fishing around.
Once he’s grabbed whatever he was getting, he shoves me toward the window, which I open and crawl through.
“If Delta gets wind of this, we’re dead, got it?” he asks as he climbs through after me.
I nod as he grabs my wrist and starts running. My stabbed arm aches, but I ignore it as I’m pulled toward the front gate. “The dog.”
“He’s fine.”
“He’ll alert them.”
“He won’t bark at me,” he says as the beefy gray dog stands up to watch us. Shepherd shoves a key in my hand and points out at the vehicles beyond the gate. “See that red car there?”
I nod.
“Get in it and lie on the floor.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right there,” he says as he rushes for the dog.
I take the key and run as fast as I can out to the car. I unlock the door before crawling in. That’s when I see the front door to the building open and four guys come out. Can he take on four guys? Why the fuck did he go for the dog? He could risk it all and just for a fucking dog.
I glance down at the key in my hand, knowing I could put it in the ignition and drive away. I could get away while Shepherd holds them off, but I have to trust he can get through this. So I sink onto the floor and beg that he makes it here in time.
A gunshot makes me jump. I know that if he gets shot, we’re done. There’s nothing I can do if they reach the car before him.
The driver’s door opens and I jump as a dog comes flying in before jumping into the passenger seat to sniff me where I’m crouching on the floor in front of him. Shepherd climbs in and reaches over to grab the passenger seat belt. I’m confused until he straps the dog in and throws the car into reverse.
“You… you took on four people?”
“Five, actually. There was one behind us,” he says as he takes off, tires squealing. My head slams into the dashboard, but the dog stays safely strapped to the seat. It’s probably going to eat me, but I hope the seat belt keeps it pinned back.
“Ow, my fucking head. Why can’t I be strapped in?”
“Because I care more about the dog,” he says as he flies out onto the road.
I hear a ping off the car and jump as Shepherd puts a hand on my head and shoves me back down. “Stay down.”
I cradle my throbbing arm to my chest as he drives, engine roaring down