Killer Empire

Chapter 39

NATHAN WAS THE first one on the helicopter to spot the clearing in the forest, his sharp eyes narrowing down onto the rendezvous point where there was an open spot to land the chopper.

Immediately, he pointed it out to Devora, yelling, "That's the place!"

It wasn't that hard to miss. Although rows of lush, endless trees filled the land as far as the human eye could see, there was just a little hole created in the dense forestation, enough for a secure little hideout and a place to park a few vehicles.

Devora wasted no time moving into action. On Nathan's command and with the help of his keen instructions, she easily maneuvered the flying vehicle towards the landing area, masterfully steering as though she had been flying for years when in all honesty it had only been weeks. However, she wasn't concentrating solely on landing and parking the vehicle. Her eyes soon fell on two other helicopters that had been vacated, the respective pilots long gone.

"There's someone else here," she deduced, quickly slipping the safety belts off as she pulled out multiple weapons from under her seat. "There are two choppers here instead of just one."

"I'm betting that it's Candice." From the backseat, Leah, who had just awoken a few minutes before, slowly pushed herself into an upright position. She winced in pain, hissing a little when she strained herself a little too much. Upon noticing that his sister was trying to get up, Travis reached forward to help by supporting her back. "She's here to kill Julius Cain. She's one of them."

"I gathered as much when she tried to punch a hole through your head on that stage," Travis grumbled under his breath. He unclicked his safety belt, swearing under his breath, "I'm going to kill her when I see her."

"Get in line." Leah gritted her teeth in pain, nursing the bad bruise that had formed on her cheeks. "Our match hasn't ended yet."

"Uh uh. You aren't going anywhere." Shaking her head, Devora slipped out of the helicopter, tucking the two pistols in her pockets before materializing two more blades to insert into her boots. "You're badly injured. It's a miracle you're even awake right now."

"Devora's right. You're crazy if you think that I'm letting you out there again. You're going to stay put here and take care of Markus. Wait for us to get back." Opening the doors on his side, Travis jumped out, landing on the grass with a soft thud. "Besides, Candice was your best friend. You're just saying that."

"Maybe." Scowling, she continued, "The old Leah might've nagged her to death but trust me, if I weren't feeling like shit right now, I will put a bullet through her head the first chance I've got."

Travis snorted ungracefully, pulling a hand-held pistol from under his previous seat. He loaded the rounds while casually saying, "Yeah, right. Unfortunately, you don't have the chance. You'll just have to leave it to us."

"Not very reassuring," Leah muttered under her breath. Nevertheless, she didn't argue any further and chose to simply settle deeper into her seat with a hiss of pain. She relaxed into the cushions, gesturing to the little boy next to her. "What about him?"

"If Candice is here and headed towards Cain, we've got to keep Markus away from them. She'll be headed here if she manages to get to Cain, or if she decides to take a hostage. For now, just keep an eye on him," Nathan instructed, all while ensuring he had brought along everything he needed. "We'll come get you when it's all over."

With the promise still hanging in the air, the three friends set off, hearts in their mouths as they advanced towards the safehouse just a short distance away. Of course, Devora's heart still thumped wildly against her ribcage, the sound of her roaring blood filling her ears as she bit at the insides of her cheeks. Unable to suppress her worry, she turned towards the two boys, eyebrows scrunched up.