Reign (Riders of Apollo #1)

Chapter 27: Peyton Lennox

I knew something bad was gonna happen the minute I realised that all of their strongest fighters had gone on that run. 

HR probably know that too. 

Fuck. Never injure if you can't kill, at least I know that now.

I feel the vibrations in the road and peek out the window. Incoming about two dozen HR members riding bikes or driving SUVs. Fuck, they came prepared. 

"Guys we've got incoming! Romeo, Runner on the roof. Start dropping them the minute they get out the cars. You three," I point at a few members - I still need to learn names I swear - they look big and like they're packing, "Take Lexie to the backroom, stop anyone coming in the back door and protect her at all costs. Oi you! Bring the shutters down, I want them coming through this door. The rest of you spread out, weapon up. The fight's coming to us."

We all head to the armoury with only a few minutes to grab enough weapons before they kick in that door. I arrange it so that I'm the first one they meet in the foyer and have to travel to the rest of the house to greet the others, I'd rather risk my life over theirs.  

I'd like to take as many of them out as possible.

The door is kicked in and six men storm in. They're working in tactical units which is actually more beneficial for me. They may think they're well trained but tact teams stick too close together in my opinion and while moving as one entity is effective for upfront battle - e.g. facing more than one opponent - they operate basically like a battering ram.

I turned the lights off seconds before they entered to disorient them for long enough to give me the upper hand. I spin a blade into one's head before throwing myself out from behind the table, driving one blade into one's thigh and my fist into another's face. 

I move quickly enough to avoid the avid bullet spray and slice my katana across the neck of the closest guy.

His dark scream alerts one of them to my presence, I only just miss the shot he aims at me. 

He panics so I shoot him close range before turning to the remaining fighters. Katana to the gut like a shish kabob drops one of them, another greets death by a knife to his eye and the final is removed by a bullet to the throat.

I pull back to regroup, moving weapons and rearranging myself to be more efficient this time around. I click the magazine of the assault rifle I stole from one of these idiots and set myself up behind the table from before.

They send in a splinter pack of three that is quickly removed from commission with the quick firing of my gun. The muzzle flash revealing the fear in their eyes before they drop to the floor without a sound. I listen in closely to the rest of the house and hear no fighting noises, nor any break ins so I can only hope that they're safe.

Thankfully, I remembered to give Runner an earpiece when we were gathering weapons and I click mine on, wanting to know how many we've got left. "Runner, I've got nine dead in here. How many are left?"

"We've dropped six, the bastards keep using their cars as cover."

"Aim for the fuel tank, they won't wanna stay by the cars if they blow up. Have any of them moved round the back or tried for any other exits?" I reload my gun and smile at the carnage they brought on themselves. 

God they really don't think things through, they are smarter than I thought, I'll give them that but they're still idiots. I can't wait to knock over their fucking warehouse tonight.

"All of them have concentrated on this entrance only. You've got another trio coming in, they've got kevlar and helmets."

"Shit." I slide out from under the table and pull my katanas back out, guns will take too long especially since they're not armour piercing. These will be more effective.

Unfortunately, while I get the drop on the two that enter first, the one following is quick enough to get a shot off that buries itself in my shoulder. Granted, it doesn't hurt, just pisses me off. 

I surge forward and he sprays his bullets up the wall as I drive a knife through his forearm before pushing another through the bottom of his chin.

"Where are the last six?"

"Two flanking the SUV to the right, two crouched either side of the door, too close for either of us to access and the other two are headed round the back."

"Fuck." I rummage through the armour on my attackers and sigh in relief when my hand latches on a grenade. I hop over the bodies to the window, take the pin out of the grenade and launch it at the SUV.

It explodes and captures the ones by it in the fire. The smell of the fuel wafts into the sky along with the black smoke created by the combustion. I place a gun in each hand and take a step closer to the door. In this close range, even helmets won't stop the bullets going through and I need to stop the other two before they reach the guys in the back.

I throw the door open swift enough to shock them and drop them with a bullet each. "Which way did the other two go?"

"Down to the right." I take off after them and narrowly miss a spray of bullets as I dive behind a bin. Oh, these assholes are dead.

"Romeo, Runner, check with everyone downstairs. I wanna know if everyone is okay."

"Yes ma'am." I hear a shuffle and focus in on my two targets. One is trying to get the door open with a knife and a small mallet while the other is pointing his gun at the bin I'm hidden behind. 

I've gotta admit they're pretty brave breaking into our place even with all their friends dead.

I shoot out at the knees of the bloke with the gun and he screams, folding to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut, leaving his friend open to an attack. My bullet passes through his neck and the gurgling sound freaks the other guy out to the point he passes out. "All clear." I murmur into the comms as I head over to the live one, putting a bullet in his head a second later.

He's too low down in the organisation to mean much to me so I head back into the building. I send a quick text to my Feds so that they can come clean this shit up without much hassle, they won't have a problem with me having killed a few corrupt cops. 

They'd probably pay me if I asked.

"Everyone good?" I ask as I walk into the room where everyone has gathered. Lexie has been crying but other than that everyone else seems relatively chill.

"Peyton, you're bleeding." Romeo points out and I remember the bullet in my shoulder.

"Yeah, one of these fuckers got a shot off. It's not too bad, hasn't hit anything important." I grab a bottle of whiskey just to clean my hands and the wound before yanking the bullet out making people wince.

Lexie passes me the first aid kit so I slip a few stitches in and just as I'm about to layer a bandage over it, the ten men that left on the run walk in. They look over the bodies and spot all of us, hurrying towards us. Roman grabs me in a fierce hug and I accept it, breathing in deeply with my head buried in the crook of his neck.

"What the fuck happened?" He demands, his voice a hurt growl and I stroke his back, trying to calm him. He pulls back and finally spots my wound. "They fucking shot you!"

"Reign, look at me, I'm fine."

"You got shot." I squeeze his bicep and turn to Bear.

"The Feds are coming to clean this shit up, no arrests and no questions. They were all HR and they are all dead."

"Did you kill all of them?" Bear asks looking a little starstruck.

"Uh, Runner and Romeo killed six from the roof top."

"She killed eighteen, didn't let a man passed to get to the rest of us. Got Lex out of the way before they even arrived, got men on the roof and us armed and out of the way. She saved our lives Prez." Another guy whose name I don't know says and I smile in happiness, I saved them and I'm fucking proud of myself for that.