I’m done with this shit. Nicola’s taking time with Nick that belongs to me. I hike my skirt up and pull the knife from its sheath, tucked into the waistband of my tights. “He said that’s enough.”

She backs up and whirls to face me. “Ha! Your little child bride is here to save you, Nick? Are you skills really that bad, Eleven?”

“I’m not here to save him, you dumb bitch. I’m here to kill you.”

“Right—”

The knife sticks her right in the throat. She makes a gurgling sound and clutches at the blade. But it’s useless. I hit an artery. She falls to the ground choking on her own blood.

I look at Nick’s face for a clue to how he’s gonna take this. “I usually warn them that I don’t miss, but she never gave me a chance.” And then I offer a small smile.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He doesn’t reciprocate the smile.

“One had that file, Nick. So I’m here saving the day. I brought him here.”

“Do you have it?” he asks, hope in his voice.

“You have it!”

“I don’t fucking have it! That’s what we were just arguing about. She didn’t believe me. James has it.”

“James.” Jesus Christ. Can this mission get any more complicated? I look down at my watch, but I don’t need the time to know that the slaughter has already started. I can hear the AK’s and screaming from the beach. And now we need to go back up there.

I grab Nick’s arm as he pushes past me, heading for the stairs. “Don’t go.”

“What?” he asks, barely turning to face me. “What the fuck are you talking about, Sash? Harper’s up there!”

“James can take care of Harper, Nick. Just don’t go. This is our chance to get out. To get away. Let the gangs take out the Company. James will get Harper out and meet Merc here in a few minutes. We can get another boat and leave. Let them mess with the files. We don’t need the stupid files.”

But the whole time I’m talking, he’s shaking his head. “We need those files more than you know, Sasha. We can’t leave here without them. I can’t leave here without Harper. You stay here, wait for Merc. I’ll go get Harp and James, and we’ll be right back.”

“No!” I stomp my bare foot. “No. I’m tired of always being put last. Why can’t you put me first for once? You say you love me, that you’d do anything for me. Then choose me, Nick. Choose me and let’s go!”

I push him in the chest and he grabs my wrists and holds them tight. “I did put you first, Sasha. I left you in that hotel and told you to move on. Get a life. Live it. I put you first and you came here looking for me. With this crazy fucking plan that Tet cooked up and you bought like it was on sale for Christmas. What do you think is happening here right now? You can’t plan a job like this and then go half in. You can’t leave your team behind. That’s bullshit.”

“I don’t care! I just want us to live. I just want us to get away and live our lives.”

“There is no us, Sasha. How do I fucking make you understand? I’m not taking you as a promise. We’re not killing all these people tonight so I can take you as a promise. When we get out of this mess, you’re going home with James. Not me. So stay here and stay out of sight. Or come with me and be prepared to fight.”

And with that, he drops my wrists and starts jogging back towards the stairs.

What choice do I have?

I follow him into the war zone, hoping and praying we get to leave here together, but knowing damn well we’re probably all going to die.

Because isn’t that how James and I planned it? Isn’t that what we decided? Shoot everyone. That was the original plan Tet told me outside the Hummer that day in the Wal-Mart parking lot after Harper was drugged. We’ll shoot everyone. And this party, a party he knew was coming for months, was the perfect place to accomplish that objective.

No one left alive.

And when your army is a street gang who’ve been looking for revenge for a dozen years, well, all bets are off about who lives and who dies when the bullets start flying.

Chapter Thirty-Three

James

I laugh one of those maniacal laughs you only see in movies. I know Harper left with my mother and Sasha followed as planned. So I’ve got a few minutes before all hell breaks loose to have some fun.

“Vincent?” the Admiral asks.

I shake my head. “Wrong.” I watch him come to terms with the fact that I spent last night with his daughter. Hell, I married her—even though it’s not legal, it was still a ceremony of promise and commitment. And he not only watched, but gave me his blessing. “Sorry, Vincent couldn’t join us tonight. He’s not feeling well. Something about seafood poisoning.”

The Admiral’s face goes white.

“Seriously?” I ask, taking a step toward him. “You of all people should be able to recognize me by now.” I take him by the neck, just like I did One, and have his back up against my chest before security shows up. The little red laser dots flash across the Admiral’s white shirt.

“Don’t shoot,” he tells his men.

“We can take him out, sir,” one kiss-ass says. His laser sight flashes me in the eye.

I press my gun to the fleshy part of the Admiral’s lower back.

“For fuck’s sake, lower that laser before you piss him off and he shoots me for fun.”