Temperance: Biker Romance (The Davis Chapter Book 2) by Davida Lynn

but the gunfire was too loud. He waved his arms and finally got Alcatraz’s attention. Al gave a nod and Bandit turned back. The hand signals didn't mean anything to me, but I'm glad they meant something to him.

    “Wait for Al before we go.”

    After a break in the gunfire, Alcatraz came out from under the staircase. He had a handgun in one hand and what looked like a sawed off shotgun in the other. As he gave us cover fire, the three of us ran for the hallway, leaving him behind. I gave a quick look behind to see Alcatraz, both guns blazing. There was a look of anger and pure joy on his face. His mouth was dropped open in a primal scream that was drowned out by the guns he fired.

    Thunder was in front and I stayed behind Bandit. I was at full sprint when I ran into the back of my man, who immediately pushed me back against a door and out of the danger. Thunder was opening fire down the hallway at some unseen enemy. More lights flickered and then went out. I looked in to the darkness, back the way we had come. My thoughts were with Alcatraz, though. With my back. It up again a door, I hope he could fight his way out of the entry. Part of me felt like we had abandoned him. I knew we had to keep moving forward, though. Conrad was the main target. My mother was inside the mansion somewhere, and there was no doubt in my mind that her life was in danger.

    Maybe that was what caused something inside of me to change. That very real thought that my mother was in danger anywhere near Conrad flipped some hidden switch in my mind. With my gun raised high, I shoved my way past Bandit. As lights flickered down the long hallway, I spotted the man standing in our way. He saw me, too, and as I fired, I dropped down behind a chest of drawers. Wood splintered past me as I dropped down and out of sight.

    “Celeste!” Bandit’s said, but I wasn’t going to turn around and risk losing my concentration.

    I quickly raised a hand behind me, hoping he would see the thumbs up. Whether he did or not, I don’t know. The lights went out completely, and it washed away any plans I had. I couldn’t see the guard at the end of the hallway. The crashing and shooting calmed for a second, and besides my beating heart, there was nothing. I was pinned down; trapped.

    Something banged against the floor and rolled into my leg. I jumped, my heart coming to a crashing halt until I realized what it was. The Mag Light was heavy, but the cool metal felt great in my hand. I cupped my other over the end and hit the switch. Red glowed through my hand, and even covered up, it lit up my immediate surroundings.

    It was risky, but I had no other choice. The radios had gone silent since we had gotten inside the mansion. If Alcatraz had gotten up the stairs, he hadn’t let us know. There was no reason to stay silent. My heart ached at that thought. I couldn’t waste another second. Men were fighting; putting their lives on the line for me, and I couldn’t live with myself if anyone wasn’t at the bar the next night.

    I flipped the Mag light off and got onto my haunches. I’d only have one shot to get it right, and even that was one in a million. With my back to the chest of drawers, I tightened my grip on the flashlight in my left hand. My finger teased the trigger in my right hand. I let out one shaky breath and moved.

    Standing, I hit the button on the Mag and lobbed it with everything I had. The blinding brightness tumbled through the air, lighting up a circular sliver of the hallway. First the floor, then the ceiling, then the floor again. It tumbled through the air, and I caught a quick glimpse of the security detail standing dead center. I brought the handgun up and squeezed.

    My bullet might have missed, but the flashlight didn’t. While the private guard was busy aiming at me, the flashlight clocked him just to the side of his nose. I ran from behind the chest, bursting towards him as he raised both hands to his face. Every shot I’d taken had