The Cure by Teyla Branton Page A

make Ritter’s life miserable.
    “My father will not be pleased if I’m hurt,” Keene said. “I have information about the Hunters and the Renegades. It involves Mexico. Stuff he’ll want to know.”
    “Mexico?” asked the blond leader. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Of course not. It’s on a need to know only.” Keene’s voice was practically a sneer. He was brave, I’d give him that.
    Now would be the perfect time to act, with their attention on Keene. But doing so would almost invariably get him killed since that assault rifle was now only a foot away from his chest and the added guns behind us almost as close. Jace was fast, but not that fast. I had to act carefully—and soon. Every moment that ticked by meant one more that we weren’t helping Ava and the children and the rest of our Renegade family.
    “Shut up, mortal,” I told Keene. “No use groveling. It is what it is.”
    Keene turned on me. “Oh? Why don’t you make me, Princess? ”
    Jace snorted, and I felt his fear lessen. Good. He’d be more effective that way.
    I leapt at Keene. It was a classic distraction move, one I believed the mortals would buy, but if the Unbounded had lived long enough the ruse might not work. Still, at the rate the Emporium were multiplying, the odds were good that neither of these Unbounded was more than a half century old.
    Behind. Now, I thought at Jace, as I hit into Keene. Pushing off immediately, I rammed into the Hispanic’s rifle. A dangerous move, but necessary since I seemed to be the only one they weren’t interested in killing. I grabbed the barrel of the rifle and yanked it downward. The weapon began spitting bullets, peppering the space where I’d been, sounding like ten trucks backfiring all at once.
    The noise of the gunshot worked both for and against us. Someone would call the police and that might cause a distraction, but it also meant we needed to dispatch these guys quickly before anyone else was endangered. Emporium Unbounded wouldn’t hesitate to take out as many local authorities as necessary to achieve their goal of capturing or killing us. Besides, with the increasing number of Emporium agents in high places, being detained by the police might eventually mean ending up as Emporium prisoners anyway.
    As I fell, I kept hold of the rifle, which jerked wildly in my hand as the Hispanic tried to pull it from my grasp, his finger still on the trigger. Twisting, I threw my weight into his arm, bringing the rifle up and around until the spray of bullets hit the mortal on the right. One down.
    The Hispanic stopped firing. I kicked at his knee and felt it buckle. Too close now to use the rifle on me, he dropped it and went for another weapon. I pulled the trigger on my Sig. He jerked, but I hadn’t hit him accurately enough to stop him. He pulled out a knife as I fired again. This time he went down, swiping at my right ankle with the knife. Deep. Too deep. Pain made my vision turn black. I pulled the trigger twice more. Then again.
    The wail of a police siren cut into the night.
    I pushed back the pain and the darkness receded. The Hispanic Unbounded lay still beside me, but he wouldn’t be out for long. Where was my brother? Ah, there he was, standing over two unconscious mortals, without a scratch on him. The little brother whose shoes I used to help tie. I wasn’t surprised. Even trained, they couldn’t possibly be a match for him, unless they were as good as Keene.
    The thought chopped off as I searched for Keene. He and the Nordic Unbounded were still exchanging blows, their weapons having fallen to the ground. Though the Unbounded appeared to be gifted in combat, Keene was as good as I remembered. He’d spent a lifetime trying to prove to a father who didn’t care that he was good enough.
    The sirens were coming closer.
    Jace leapt toward Keene and the Unbounded. He landed two blows and a kick that made the Unbounded stagger. Another powerful jab from Keene and the