Page 76 of Savagely Scarred

“GO, GO, GO!” Dylan yells through my earpiece.

“Get the fuck out of here!” He shoves me into Liv and her purse falls to the floor with a thud. I follow Victor’s gaze downward to the grip of one of our guns peaking out.

As soon as he looks back up, Liv punches him in the nose, and I twist his wrist until he drops the gun.

“You little bitch!”

He charges at Liv and I slam him against the shelf. Boxes fall and topple all around us. The backroom erupts in chaos when Axel’s team swarms in from the back entrance. Victor takes my moment of distraction and lands a punch in my gut, knocking the air from my lungs. I double over in pain, and he takes off in a sprint out the door we came through. Liv runs after him and I stumble to follow.

Exiting the room, screams fill my ears. My team has stormed through the front and is ushering the customers and staff outside. I regain my composure and run into the kitchen. My feet skid to a halt in front of one of the metal prep tables. Victor has Liv pinned to his front with one arm, his other hand holding a knife to her throat.

A dull roar fills my head and drowns out every other noise, including the ones coming through my earpiece. I take a deep breath and curse myself for not picking up one of our guns.

My eyes quickly scan the room. All the knives are behind Victor. The shelf to my right has dry ingredients—nothing noteworthy there. To my left is the walk-in freezer. In between us are the stoves. Steam rises from the row of woks cooking whatever ingredients are inside. Chicken and beef are sizzling on the flat grill tops.

“Put the knife down, Victor.” I fist my hands at my sides.

He laughs and his gold tooth sparkles under the lights. I want to punch him so hard that he fucking chokes on it.

“She’s my only ticket out of here.” He presses the blade against her when I take a step forward.

I hold my hands up in a placating gesture. “The whole building is surrounded, Victor. You’re not getting out of here unless it’s in handcuffs.”

My eyes lock on Liv. She remains perfectly composed, showing no signs of fear. Just like we were trained for. Except for the slight flare of her nostrils.

“I don’t think so,” he snarls.

Everything happens so fast. Victor shoves Liv to the floor and then grabs a huge tub of oil and tosses it onto the stoves. Flames flare up and lick the ceiling, creating a barrier in front of me.

Panic sends icy currents through my veins. My body is locked in place—feet cemented to the floor. My heart rate is skyrocketing, and my breaths are coming out fast and shallow.

I can’t get to her.

My eyes widen and I watch in terror while Liv jumps onto Victor’s back with a warrior style growl. He tries to slash at her with the knife, but she dodges it and grabs his wrist. She slams it onto the metal counter repeatedly until he drops it.

The fire alarm blares through the roar of the fire. There’s no chemical sprinkler system in this old piece of shit. Sweat runs down my face as the heat rises to scorching temperatures. I twist and look around for a fire extinguisher.

“Will you have to move!”

My mother’s voice slices through my racing thoughts and I start tearing apart cupboards.

Fuck. No, not now.

I can’t afford to black out. I grip onto the counter when I become lightheaded. Victor and Liv continue to wrestle on the tiled floor. I pull myself back up to stand, swaying slightly.

“You stupid bitch,” Victor hisses.

I turn and look through the flames to see him straddling Liv. His hands are wrapped around her throat. She claws at them while her legs slide around the floor, unable to find purchase.

Flashes of her in that body bag torment my vision. The way her face was drained of all color—the pigment ashen. Her lifeless eyes… staring at nothing.

“WILL YOU HAVE TO MOVE!”

A distressed roar leaves my throat, and I turn to the shelf to my right. I grab the giant tub of baking soda and douse it on the floor where the fire is still burning the oil. As soon as there’s enough room to get through, I run towards them.

I grab a frying pan off the wall and swing it at Victor’s head, striking him on the side of his face. His body topples over and crumples to the floor. Liv chokes, gasping for air, and holds her neck. I drop to my knees next to her and pull her into my arms.

A few people run into the kitchen with fire extinguishers and start sweeping the foaming contents all over the kitchen. It splatters on our clothes and skin. Someone else behind me handcuffs Victor and hauls him out. I ignore them and tune out the shouting going on around us.