Ghost Bird | ✔

Fifty-Three

"Ready?" Nathan asks, poised to knock the door down.

We all nod in response and I tighten my grip on my pistol. Time to fix this.

With a massive kick, Nathan manages to knock the metal door open. We had shot the locks, but there was no real guarantee that the door would open.

Filing in quickly with the others, I scan the area and take the lead as we stampede down the stone stairs. Once we reach the bottom of the stairs, I jog down to where Silas and Gabriel are, knowing that we don't have much time.

"Hurry!" I hiss back to them. "This way!"

I turn down yet another corridor. This time, thankfully, they follow close enough that I don't have to slow down and wait to turn again.

My feet pound against the stone floor as the eight of us race through the stone and steel maze. Once we are out of the twists and turns and I take off at a sprint. The room with their cell is just ahead. We are so close.

I slam the door open.

"Silas! Gabriel!" I cry. "Your team is here! We're going to get out of here!"

I pull out my shim and jam it into the keyhole. Wiggling it around, I lift up the tumblers and have the door open within seconds. Instead of running though, they attack me with a hug, squishing me.

"Love you guys too but we gotta get out of here!" I exclaim, my attention focused on the footage instead of them now that I know they are safe.

Their eyes widen comically. They look at each other and grin dopily.

"Knock it off and run!" I yell. "I'm going to get the footage! Get to Victor's plane!"

Nodding, Silas leads the way and Gabriel follows close behind the giant.

I sprint out of there and race to where I know their computer is.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Cecile's icy voice cuts me to the core.

"Getting those tapes," I spit. "I am not your weapon, your toy, or your tool. I am Ghost Bird and I am putting an end to this!"

With incredible speed, she wraps her large, dark hand around my throat. "No, you're not," She says lowly. "You are mine, Sang. I didn't sacrifice all that I did for you just to rebel."

"Sacrifice?!" I roar, ignoring the pain it brings my throat as she squeezes it. "What have you lost?!"

"Everything!" Cecile bellows. "Hendricks is kicking me out of the gang as soon as the video is published!"

"Well, then don't publish it," I say, trying to reason with her.

"He'll kill me if I don't," She snorts. "It wasn't his idea, but we were hired to make the video and create chaos worldwide."

"By who?!"

"It doesn't matter," Cecile spits. "It's all over for me anyway. And there is no way you're getting the tapes."

I shoot my foot forward and lodge it into her gut. Her grip loosens and I take the opportunity to knock her arm away from me. I throw a haymaker to her mouth and blood instantly starts dribbling out of her mouth.

"You're not getting the tapes," She repeats firmly.

Turning her head, she spits her tooth off to the side. While her head is turned, I snap a roundhouse kick to her head and she tumbles to the side. I start to sprint to the door, knowing a kick like that could kill a person.