Carrion (The Bren Watts Diaries #1)

Chapter 39

Realizing who shot Nat, Bobby quickly turned the barrel and aimed it toward Logan's back.

But I was already onto him, tackling him to the ground. I pushed the barrel upward, both my hands on the barrel and forearm, and I felt it shuddered as Bobby pulled the trigger, felt the intense heat on my palms. The shot went through the ceiling as we tumbled to the floor, showering us with wood fragments, torn insulation foam, and clumps of dust.

I wrestled with the weapon, yanked it off of his grip. I rotated it around with the barrel facing up, bringing the butt of the shotgun down on his head. Bobby whimpered loudly, clawing at his head, shocked and dazed. Blood started streaming out of his nose.

Bobby cried out, "Yuh bruk meh fuhrking nuuse!"

I struck Bobby on the nose again, using the butt of the gun. "That's for Joe and Daniel, motherfucker!"

"You tried to kill me!" Nat screamed, pointing her bloody fingers at Logan. "We're done! Do you hear me? We're over!"

"I aimed in front of you, not directly at you," Logan said calmly.

"You tried to kill me!"

Logan picked up Nat's rifle on the ground. "You'll live, Nat."

"You ruined my face!"

I got off of Bobby as Logan handed me back the duffel bag. I put the extra shotgun inside the bag and reunited with my trusty Mossberg. I then placed the knife back on the sheath, fiddling with the loosened straps of my vest during the scuffle, and secured it.

"I won't do you that dirty, Bren," Logan said, a faint smile forming. "I got you."

I returned the smile. "Thank you."

"I don't know how long that door will hold."

"Yeah. Let's get downstairs quick."

"You're just gonna leave us here?" Nat whined, still clutching her bleeding face.

I shrugged. "It worked for you. Why not for us?"

Nat glared at me, but she turned her attention back to Logan. "And you're just going to leave your ex-girlfriend just like that? Like the past few years meant nothing to you?"

"I don't know, Nat. You did say I can forget about all of it not a minute ago."

"Wow. I see how it is. Logan Hardy is taking it up the ass." She eyed me up and down with a stinking glare. She regarded Logan once again, added, " I knew you weren't a real man."

"And you're not a human being," Logan spat back. "You left a kid to die, Nat. Whatever semblance of respect or concern left that I have for you, it's gone for good."

Logan didn't look at her after that, and I realized he meant everything that he said. He was shaking, fists clenched, and he briefly closed his eyes before walking toward the emergency stairwell, said, "Come on, Bren."

And it all happened at once.

I didn't see that Bobby was already back on his feet behind me, taking advantage as I was distracted watching the exchange between Logan and Nat. I didn't even anticipate the guy tackling me against the wall, fighting for my shotgun, cursing and spitting at my face like a vector, calling me names under his breath as he tried to yank the weapon off of my grip.

It was then the door of 2022 flung open, and nine riled-up vectors ran out of the apartment. Logan whirled around, aimed his rifle, and started firing.

Nat sprung into action. She dove for the keychain that slipped out of Bobby's middle finger, rolled over to the side, and made a run for the elevator, quickly pushing the "down" button.