Pick us back

we will always rescue you

Racing towards Nova, a strange wave of calmness washed over me. I knew this feeling; it was the same cold focus I used to get right before Dad sent us out on a job. Pulling into her driveway, I nodded at the boys. We screamed up the path, killed the engines, and the silence that followed was deafening.

​I checked the safety on my gun. Marcus didn't hesitate-he kicked the front door clean off its hinges. A guy lunged at him, swinging wild, but Marcus slipped the punch effortlessly. I didn't waste a bullet; I slammed the butt of my gun into the guy's skull.

​"f**k off!" I snarled as he crumpled. "Nova! Where are you?"

​Screaming echoed from upstairs. Ezra took off, charging through the house and throwing anyone in his path down the stairs like they were nothing. I followed, kicking at the bodies on the floor, spitting on them. "f*****g scumbags," Marcus muttered behind me.

​We burst into the hallway and found a woman laughing, casually counting a stack of cash. "How does that feel, aye, Nova?" she jeered. "Finally getting what you f*****g deserve, you w***e!"

​I walked straight up to her and shoved the barrel into the base of her skull. The click of the safety coming off sounded like a thunderclap in the small space. I leaned into her ear, my voice a low hiss. "What the f**k did you just say, b***h?"

​Marcus pushed past us. His eyes locked on a guy with his pants down, hovering over Nova. Before the bastard could move, Marcus grabbed him grabs his sacks and twisted with enough force to make him howl in agony. Ezra was already there, pulling Nova away, stripping off his own shirt to cover her. He cupped her cheek gently. "It's okay. We've got you."

​Marcus was a blur of rage, his fists already turning black and blue as he pulverized the guy's face. "You f*****g touched her!" he roared. The guy screamed back, "No, I didn't! Please!"

​"Julian!" Marcus shouted. "Hand me the wrench!"

​Julian smirked, slamming Nova's mother's head into the doorframe to knock her out cold. "f*****g cunt," he said, giving her face one last kick. He stepped over to the guy clutching his crotch, stood on his neck, and put a round into his shoulder. "f**k you." He reached into his boot, pulled out the heavy wrench, and slapped it into Marcus's hand.

​Marcus forced the guy's mouth open and ripped a tooth clean from the bone. As the man shrieked, Julian silenced him by putting two rounds into his knees.

​Nova was huddled in the corner, shaking and sobbing. "Please stop... please, just get me out of here."

​She scrambled forward, snatching the money back from her mother's limp hands. She grabbed her keys and stumbled toward the stairs, heading for her bike. Julian took one last look at the woman on the floor and delivered a final kick. "You don't deserve her. You never should have taken her from us. She's ours again."