CHAPTER 9

Closing the metal door as quietly as possible, I glanced around the bright warehouse. I plastered my back to the concrete wall and crouched, searching for the best place to explore first.

Damn it. I was totally out in the open, and I had no idea which way to go. My breathing sped up. What the hell was I doing?

The massive amount of merchandise stored here was overwhelming. Stacks upon stacks of full pallets stocked the endless aisles of metal shelves, and these shelving units were arguably as tall as a frigging dinosaur.

How in the hell did these people find anything here? Or here's a better question. How in the hell did they stack stuff so high, and then get it down later?

I ran across to the closest shelf and crouched near the end. Where was everyone? I surveyed the area, listening for voices or movement, but only the hum of lights filled the silence.

"They're in here somewhere," A voice said from far away. Unless the maniac gun squad had taken off their masks, it had to be an employee who spoke.

I glanced around to find the source of the voice. Did someone see or hear me come in? Unable to find anyone, I chalked it up to echoes. The acoustics in this place had to be off the chain. Someone could be at the end of the warehouse, and I would hear them.

I backed down the aisle to the opposite end, finding a long row of metal doors. The loading docks.

At the end of the loading docks, a metal staircase caught my attention. It went up at least two stories and it was visible to the entire warehouse. There was a doorway at the top, and the door was wide open. It had to be offices. Maybe Derek and Thomas were up there.

Glancing around the deserted area, I was glad to find the owners of the voices weren't near me yet. Pressing the butt of the gun to my shoulder, I ran to the staircase as light-footed as possible. I felt like a complete dumbass as I spun in circles pointing the gun in every direction to make sure no one was following me.

When I got to the stairs, I was suddenly mortified. If I went up, anyone in this place could see me, but I had to do it. The guys were in here somewhere, and I had to check the offices. Getting up the stairs was imperative, but what if the maniac gun squad was up there? They were imprisoning sick children and abusing them for God's sake.

So, what did that mean for me? They would treat me much worse, especially when they found out I'd stolen from them.

A muffled yell came out of the door above.

I ran under the stairs and squatted, flattening myself to the wall. Anyone could see me from the bottom level, but if they were coming down the stairs, I'd be difficult to see.

I waited ten long seconds, but no one showed. I had to go up there. What if Derek and Thomas were hurt? Waiting here made me a coward.

Screw it.

Running on the front of my feet, gun raised and ready to shoot, I did my best not to make any sound.

When I reached the door, I noticed two men wearing gas masks at the opposite end of the warehouse with their guns raised. Lucky for me, they didn't see me as they searched under shelves.

Were they looking for me? I couldn't worry about them. I needed to close the door.

I glanced through the doorway for movement, and was relieved to see a long, empty hallway with several closed doors. The walls were covered with cluttered bulletin boards, signs, and permits.

I entered and closed the door. A tiny squeak of one hinge was like a frigging emergency siren in my ears.

My whole body was on high alert. If anyone heard that squeak, I was dead meat. As soon as the door closed, I rotated the stupid little lock on the knob. Yeah, that would totally keep the maniacs out.

The gun trembled in my hands as I studied the hallway. Papers were strewn about on the tile and fresh blood was smeared under a sign that read, "Safety First."

I scoffed.

A thud hit the wall to my right, which volunteered itself as the first room on my list. Before I opened the door, I pressed my ear to the wood, listening for any sign of the guys.

Metal scraped against the floor.

Holding the gun with one hand with my finger near the trigger, I let out a breath and turned the knob. It didn't budge. Locked.

A loud bump against the door made me jump back. They'd heard me try to get in. I shook, gun ready, as I waited to demand where my friends were. The door never opened.

I listened again. No voices, just movement. Why hadn't the person come after me? I'm sure they'd heard when I tried the knob.

Okay. I would try the other rooms. Maybe I would find a key. I couldn't holler for Derek or Thomas. It was too much of a risk. What if the remaining members of the maniac gun squad were up here?

The door on the opposite side of the hall opened with ease. I pushed the door open with the barrel of the gun. It was a break room. There were two large tables with two half-full cups of coffee. A third cup lay on its side, coffee splattered over the table, and drizzling to the floor.

I gasped as I watched the stream of coffee.

A man in a black uniform lay sprawled on the tile, blood pooling around him. He was most definitely dead with his eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.

Holy hell! He was a guard here. His badge read Jon Sanders. I couldn't look at him any longer. He was dead. I couldn't imagine Thomas or Derek doing something like that, but that meant the maniac squad was definitely up here. Shit.

What if Thomas or Derek were dead? What if they were both dead? How would I get out of here? The keys! I'd left the truck keys in the ignition.

Damn it! I was stupid as rocks tonight. It was probably the kid chewing his arm off that did it. Holy frigging crap! Stop Casey. Just Stop.

I could do this. I didn't know if the guys were dead. All I knew was that Jon Sanders would never go home again. I blinked back tears.

Clenching the gun close, I closed Jon's door and moved on to the next one. Just before I tried it, a loud yell came from the end of the hall. Thomas!

I didn't even think as I ran toward the door. I steadied my breathing if that was even possible. I had to look like I had my shit together when I threatened whoever had Derek and Thomas.

The gun shook in my hand as I opened the door.

Thomas's haunted eyes landed on me as someone kicked him in the stomach. Blood ran into his eyes, and his cheekbone was split open. They had his wrists cuffed behind his back while one of the maniac squad beat the crap out of him.

And I thought I was a coward. This jerkface with the gas mask was the coward.

I searched for Derek, only to find him knocked out on the floor, his hands were also cuffed. Another member of the maniac squad was standing over Derek like he was going to wake up and hulk out or something.

They were beating the crap out of them and had enjoyed it so much they'd left their guns leaning against the wall. What the hell?

They'd killed an innocent man in cold blood, and now they were beating up my friends? This was bullshit.

Luckily, the entire fiasco had the jackasses facing away from the door. I snatched the two guns from the table and threw them behind me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The sound of my voice scared me.

Every movement in the room came to a halt as the idiots turned to grab their guns. They were surprised to discover them missing.

I pointed my gun at them. "Uncuff them now!"

The two men glanced at each other, but didn't move.

"Uncuff them." I narrowed my brow and when they didn't comply, I was immediately irritated. If I shot one in the leg, would the others come running? They'd killed someone in the break room, and now they were torturing the guys for fun.

My best guess was that the two searching the warehouse wouldn't come running because they knew their companions had things under control. "I said take them off, or I'll shoot you."

One man shook with laughter. The laugh was muffled, but I could hear it.

"You won't shoot us. Just put the gun down, and we'll talk it out." The serious one spoke through the mask.

"Fuck. You." My words were slow. "Uncuff them. Now."

Laughing man wasn't laughing anymore. I could see they were ready to jump me. Adrenaline pumped through me as I prepared to shoot one without accidentally hitting Thomas or Derek.

Derek's body lay motionless on the tile, I couldn't see his face. Please, let him be okay.

Thomas winced as he sat up, he was mouthing something. I think he was telling me to shoot. Did I mention I'm awful a lip reading? A lesson I'd learned twice tonight.

"Look here, cutie, if you give us the gun. We'll take real good care of you." Laughing man's words were full of a promise that made my lip curl in disgust.

"Thank you," I said to him.

He quirked his head to the side and nodded. "That's right. I'll take real good care of you, cutie."

"You didn't even ask me why I thanked you," I said.

Laughing man's voice grew impatient. "Just give me the gun you little bitch."

"Oh, well, if you insist. I'll tell you. I said thank you for helping me do this." I held the gun as firm as possible when I pulled the trigger.

Laughing man fell to the floor. Pain exploded through my shoulder as the butt of the gun kicked back. Damn. That frigging hurt! Pain shot through my arm, but I pushed the pain down. Adrenaline was on my side.

I couldn't tell if I'd hit his leg, but I definitely got him.

Serious guy's hands shot up as he glanced over at his injured comrade. "Don't shoot."

Pressing the gun back to my throbbing shoulder, I glared at him. "Uncuff my friends. Now."

The guy in all his badass gear was shaking as he pulled the keys from his pocket and began uncuffing Derek. Of course, he would free the harmless one first. These guys were shitty human beings.

Laughing man groaned in pain as he ripped his mask off. He rolled to his back, his hand wrapped around his upper thigh. I held back a smile when I realized that I'd nearly hit his gonads. He was in his late twenties with a buzz cut. Not bad looking, but he was the ugliest person in the world. All of them were.

"You shot me." Laughing man shot daggers at me.

"Really? Was that me? Whoops. My fingers must've gotten lost because I meant to do this." I flipped him off.

He spit a yellow loogie on the tile. Gross. "You bitch. You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

Unsure what he meant, I aimed the gun at him, while glancing over to watch Serious guy uncuff Thomas.

Thomas rubbed his wrists as he stood. "I'm gonna need my stuff back."

Laughing man let out an angry huff. "No. Go before I find my strength to kick your ass again."

I took a step forward and gave him a glare. "Give him his stuff back now, or I'll forget how to use my fingers again."

Laughing man flinched slightly. "His stuff won't help."

I knew what he meant, but I wouldn't engage in a debate with him. My finger tightened on the trigger. "I don't see you moving."

Laughing man pointed toward a small black bag as he groaned. "Just take it."

Thomas did his best to shrug off his pain as he made his way over to the bag, looping it around his shoulder. I tried not to show how worried I was for him.

"You won't get far with them," Serious guy said as Thomas knelt to wake Derek. "They're dead weight. You should just get out of here while you still can."

I pointed the gun at Serious guy. "I think you should learn when to keep your mouth shut. You were doing so well. Do I need to teach you a lesson too?"

Serious guy's hands lifted. "No."

"Dude." Thomas slapped Derek's cheek, and Derek let out a groan of pain. My heart ached for him. These sadistic creeps did that to Derek.

Inching backward I looped the straps of the two extra guns over my shoulder. Yeah, they were awkward and heavy, but if I expected Derek and Thomas to walk out of here. I would have to do all I could to stop these jerks from killing us as soon as we turned our backs.

Derek sat up, glancing around the room. One eye was red and swollen shut, and his lip was busted. When his one good eye locked on me, his brow lowered. "What's she doing here?"

I wanted to yell at him for being a dick at the worst time ever, but I couldn't do that. At least not right now. "I'm saving your ass. Can you stand?"

Thomas reached out as Derek took his friend's hand in anger. Why was he so mad? Thomas let out a painful grunt as he helped Derek stand. Derek stumbled. Thomas caught his arm and leaned down to wrap his arm around Derek's waist. Derek limped next to Thomas as they exited the torture room and moved toward the stairs.

I didn't take my glare off the jackasses glowering at me like I was the devil. Well, I had news for them. I wasn't the devil. They were. "Why do you have children locked in the Hummer?"

"I told you we should've killed her when we had the chance." Laughing man spat. I'd been right. They'd known I was out there waiting, which meant they would've killed me sooner or later.

"Those things aren't children anymore." Serious guy said.

"Casey," Thomas called me from down the hall.

"You make me sick." I backed into the hall.

"Cutie, that's the first thing you've gotten right." Laughing guy said as I slammed the door.