Kiss Me While The World Burns

s, frantic rhythm against her ribs. Her bare feet slapped violently against

tightening over the dragon tattoo on her ribs as she descended

boots making a hell of a racket in the n

fire doors at the bottom of the stairs and rounded t

ing for them st

in front of the vault entrance. They weren't bleeding. There were no bullet h

Victoria yelled through gritted teeth, her fin

oors at the far end of the hall rattled open. Kany and Bruce stu

nd kept twitching upward to cover a glaring, raw red mark stamped right on the side of her neck. Bruce rushed in r

aze sharp enough to cut glass.

s bodies on the floorboards. "Boss, I... we patr

"We came as soon as the main breaker blew, Empres

among the corpses and marched straight past the heavy, reinforce

locking onto the center of the room wher

ng there,

the shards glittering across the floorboards. Th

ep into her palms. "Where the hell is my fucking EM

ink. He didn't swear. Instead of panicking, he immediately stepped up to the shattered cabin

a robbery and more like a mecha

muttered, his voice cold and analytical as he stared at the console. "They didn't break the

stared at the back of his head. The guy was entirely too calm. He was looking

st-paced hum as she raised the barrel of her gun until it was aimed directly at his

int, deeply cynical smirk touching his lips as he looked from the gun up to her gray eyes.

pletely unfazed by the weapon pointed at his heart. "I spent three agonizing weeks in a dark lab sweating over this prototype to build it from scratch. I barely slept,

ht when the security loop started. Convenient timing for a guy who

ndertone of wounded pride beneath it. "As much as I love that you think I'm a mastermind who plans his grand heists around your schedule in bed, that is completely absurd. Why the hell would I waste

snark sharp and unyielding. "Maybe you needed to look like t

amn circle before you start throwing accusations at me," he snapped softly, his v

t a few feet behind him. The glaring red mark on Kany's neck wasn't a bruise from a fight, and it sure as hell wasn't from a secur

ound somewhere in the dark corridors while the real thief casuall

ave a micro

d directly behind him. In one fluid, brutal motion, she whipped her heavy pistol upwar

nto his head, his massive frame going completely limp as he cras

ck are you doing?" he yelled, his hand instantly

her, Kany pivoted on her heel, using the momentum of her first swing

ow rattled his brain. He stumbled sideways, colliding heavily against the wall

s a sharp, humorless sound that echoed off t

her Sig Sauer away from the floor and aimed it straight between Kany's eyes. "Now, why don't you tell me

. Her eyes went entirely dark, the faked panic completely evaporating int

y said, her voice dropping into a flat, chilling regi

ow they got in. Because the override code used to open that cabinet? It didn't co

aze down to Giordan

irk spreading across her lips as she took a slow step backward into the shadows of the doorway

once and died completely, plungi