The Colt & The Cobra - THE SPECTER SERIES [book six]

Chapter FIFTY FOUR

Colt Knox

-BANG-

The shock of a shotgun blast starts me awake to find myself face down on the floor, lying in a puddled mixture of Oliver's blood and my own, tasting metal and petrol.. As I lift my disorganised and concussed head, I swear I can hear Savannah and her distant, dulcet voice speaking to me, urging me to move; 'Get up, Colt.. You need to get up now..'

I can hear heated arguing shouts from somewhere close by, but they don't mean anything.. I might have brain damage because the words sound like garbled nonsense to my ears.. Or maybe even an unknown foreign language.. Nothing is clear, it is murky madness and mayhem in the De'lucca garage..

"Guuuh.. Guhhnn.." Oliver gargles next to me, and his eyes focus on something behind me with unspoken insistence..

I writhe around, hauling myself to my knees, trying to understand what is happening.. Trying and failing.. Failing while phasing in and out..

Through blurry eyes, I see Vincent, crouched over a tiny little body with a mass of pretty blonde curls.. "S-Savvie? S'that you?" I sputter, trying to speak but my words are a messy slurred drawl.. My limbs are heavy and my chest aches, the effort of moving like wading through hot honey..

"Guhhnn.. Gunnn.." Oliver groans again and I look down to see a discarded Markov sami-automatic just laying there..

Immediately and on instinct, I reach to pick it up.. With my wrist still chained together I'm restricted somewhat, but not enough to prevent me getting a good grip on the stock.. Rising to my feet, I don't waste time with questions, well beyond giving a fuck about casualty.. I fire fast, taking down the closest mark, a tall, dark haired figure with his back to me and he goes down hard on his face, a shotgun flying from his hands to clatter away..

-BANG- BANG-

I fire off two more shots, hitting another target who appears in the doorway as I stagger forward.. "Mmff.. Savvie? Savvie! Get away from her!" I turn the pistol on Vinny, when he sees me he falls back on his haunches..

"You prick.." I huff, struggling to breathe, my finger itching at the trigger and when he babbles like a baby I fire two rounds into his kneecap..

"No no please!"

-BANG-BANG-

"GAAAHHHHHHH!! STOP!!" He screams, clutching at his leg.. "STOP! Help her! Help her! You said you love her so help her!" He shouts at me like I am a lunatic, panting for breath..

Help her? What the fuck is he talking about?

I don't understand.. I'm so confused..

Vinny cries, reaching out to shake the girl beside him, turning his back on me.. "MIKKI! MIKKI, PLEASE WAKE UP!"

All at once clarity hit me and I see her.. Not some fucked up figment of my imagination.. I see Mikki and she is buckshot, real bad...

"Aw shit, Sugar.. No, no.. VIn, call 911!" I fall to my knees, fumbling to gently lift her shirt to see the damage to her beautiful body..

Fuck.. It's worse than I thought..

Her skin is punctured all over her left side, blood seeping like a fountain from her dainty limbs and torso..

I force myself to focus, everything outside of keeping Mikki alive until the ambulance arrives is unimportant.. Tearing the shirt from my back I apply pressure to the larger wound to the side of her abdomen where the damage is most severe.. Even if I can't fucking breathe, I still wheeze a command to the shit-scared shit-head who'd tortured me only hours ago.. "Call 911, and get me something to stop the blood! FUCKIN' MOVE!"