Ghosted (Team Zero #3) by Rina Kent

Perhaps I count?

I clamp my lips shut around the words fighting to get free. If I say them, there will be no way out. Absolutely none. I bottle them inside and close my eyes, inhaling his intoxicating scent with the hint of cedar.

No idea what’s out there for me, but as long as I have Julian by my side, I’m not the least bit scared.

I must’ve fallen asleep because when I open my eyes, we’re moving. Or more like, Julian is moving. He somehow managed to dress me and cover me with his jacket and do the whole boat trip, and I didn’t feel a thing.

Now, he’s carrying me in his arms towards the car. The act is so effortless as if he’s holding a feather or something. It’s dark outside. I can barely make out the contours of his face.

“Morning, sleepy head.” His lips twitch in a small smile.

“It’s night.” I smile, and my head hurts.

He starts to say something but stops. Alert eyes roam the trees surrounding us. His face turns stone cold as he carefully sets me to my feet and cages me behind him.

Infected by his level of alertness, I dart my eyes sideways but see nothing.

“What’s going on?” I whisper.

I get my answer when bullets fly all around us.





Chapter Twenty-Six





Julian shoves me forward and I land on my knees by the side of the car.

I’m too stunned to move.

A few more silenced shots hiss behind us, and Julian counters with his own.

My palms turn sweaty, and I’m hyperventilating.

“Keep your head down!” Julian orders as he manoeuvres himself so he’s shielding me.

I nod frantically. I’m not planning to show my head to them anyway.

Julian’s face is completely composed. No alert or fear or even reluctance. He’s someone who knows what he’s doing, why he’s doing it, and exactly how to do it.

A killer.

That’s it. Julian isn’t a gangster. He’s originally a killer. Someone whose end goal is ending other people’s lives.

My body is shaking, and I’m scared. No. I’m terrified. Not because of what he is, but because he’s not an immortal and he will die. He might even die right now.

No.

A strange pull of energy slams into me. There’s no way in hell I’ll lose him.

I reach out for Julian and pull him by the shirt. “Give me your spare gun.”

He stares at me for a fraction of a second.

A bullet flies over my head, and Julian pushes me down. I gulp audibly as I hide behind him.

He fires several shots at the scums hiding in the bushes. “I can take care of them.”

Another shot flies past us and lodges in a tree behind us.

I yank Julian by the collar. “Give it!”

He grunts but motions to his waist. I keep my back to the car and inch forward until I’m behind Julian. My fingers wrap around the metal. I check the magazine as he taught me. It’s full.

My body tightens with adrenaline. I peek over the car’s hood, aim and shoot at the twats in the bushes. Once. Twice. Until no more shots come from there. No idea if I killed someone, but I don’t have the luxury to think about that right now.

All I’m sure about is that I would do anything to protect Julian. Just like he’s willing to go all the way to protect me.

A bullet wheezes past me. I’m too stunned to react. Strong arms surround my waist and wrestle me to the ground. Julian. He’s on top of me, face contorting. Droplets of hot liquid fall on my face. Then, I make out the gash in his shoulder. My heart stops beating.

Blood soaks his white shirt red and it’s dripping wet.

“Julian...?”

He grunts as he reaches into his pocket and holds the car keys. “Can you drive?”

I can’t move. My mind goes blank. Julian’s been shot. He’ll die. He’s going to die. Right here. Right now.

I’m going to lose Julian.

My breaths come out in a frenzy.

I think I will black out.

“Firefly!”

I slowly raise my gaze from the blood to his face. Still stunned. Frozen.

Julian cages my face with his strong hand. “It’s just a graze, but I need you to drive. Can you do that?”

I nod. Up and down. Up and down.

“Firefly.” Julian wraps a loose hand around my neck.

I stop the frantic nodding as new energy courses through me. The arseholes are still shooting. We need to get out of here.

I snatch the keys from Julian’s hand. If he’s to survive, I need to be level-headed. I open the front door and climb into the driver seat, keeping my head down.

Julian fires a few shots and sneaks into the passenger seat with an agility that contradicts his shot shoulder. As soon as he’s inside, I speed out of the abandoned neighbourhood.

No one follows us, but I keep speeding through the half-empty streets.

My palms are sweaty and my body is drenched into an uncomfortable heat. It takes all my willpower to focus on the road.

Words tumble from my mouth in quick succession. “Someone should call the police. I mean they used silencers – sorry, I mean suppressors – so maybe no one heard, but this is so huge. We don’t get shootings in England. Shit. We don’t even have mafia in the first place. Just some firms and organised crime rings and the neighbourhood thugs. Liam will go berserker over this. Like are they asking to be arrested or something? I mean, have you seen those fucking cowards ganging up on only two? I want to go back and punch them in the balls. How dare they —”