Blades of Winter by G. T. Almasi Read Free Book Online Page A

hurt, especially my teeth. That’s where the Overkaine comes in.
    We approach the door to the stairway on the far side of the floor. “Solomon, direction.”
    “Stand by, Scarlet, very blurry.” We stand by, then we hear some noise in the stairway. The door bursts open. It’s three of the paramilitary guys! They’re as surprised as I am, but they aren’t hopped up on synthetic adrenaline, so it’s game over for them. I punch the first one in the throat, shoot the second guy in the face, then spin around and kick the third sucker so hard that he flies backward and cracks his skull on the wall. They all hit the ground at the same time while the Squaddies rush by me and pound the shit out of them. ExOps Squad troops are serious about protecting their Levels.
    My guys are still giving the baddies a giant tune-up when Trick comms, “Scarlet, retain some of those assets for interrogation.”
    Oh, right, we’re supposed to harvest some intel. But by the time I call off my Squad, it’s too late. It might have been too late anyway. Those were some masterful Bruce Lee–style hits I laid out.
    “Uhh, roger that, Solomon.” I’ll break it to Trick later. I look at Raj, who has a funny expression on his face. His eyes are scowling, but the corners of his mouth are twitching like he’s trying not to laugh. Maybe he likeskung fu movies, too. I point up the stairs and say to Raj, “Shall we?”
    Raj shakes his head and grins despite himself. He says, “We shall.”
    We creep into the stairwell, then we hear some muted explosions and a long exchange of small-arms fire from outside.
    “Solomon, this is Beta 1. Be advised, multiple hostiles exiting from the south side.” The sound of gunfire crackles through Beta 1’s radio microphone. Some of the rats are trying to jump ship.
    Patrick is ready. “Beta, this is Solomon. Suppress hostiles and stand by for support.” More noise from outside as our helicopters pitch in. We don’t always bring a gunship with us, so this may have caught the kidnappers off guard.
    I climb up the stairs slowly because Trick is busy coordinating the activity outside. At least I thought he was.
    “Scarlet, this is Solomon. You look clear to the top floor.”
    “Roger.” I launch myself up the stairs with Raj and Alpha Squad right on my six. Rapid movement now counts for more than worrying about our comms being monitored. When we reach the door, I hang back and let Raj bash the lock out with the butt of his Bitchgun.
    “Solomon, this is Scarlet, direction.”
    “Wait one, Scarlet.” The noise level outside dies down for a second, and then there’s a huge explosion that bounces us around like the BB in a can of spray paint. Patrick must have been evacuating a couple of our people from the blast zone. He’s right back with us after the floor stops dancing around under us.
    “Scarlet, be advised you have five hostiles coming your way. Another four have exited onto the roof with the subject.”
    Mom!
    “Roger that, Solomon.” My jaws are clamped tight. Only my training and the drugs keep the screams inside.I stand at the door and flash hand signals to my guys:
Five enemies approaching from front
. Raj and the Squad are set up on the steps below my door. I’m on point, at the top of the stairs, monitoring Li’l Bertha’s bad guy detector.
    When I see movement in the passageway, I pull the door open, uncork a grenade, and toss it out into the hall. They’re only a few feet away, much closer than I thought. One of them yells “Grenade!” and winds his leg up to boot it back at me. I slam the door shut and brace myself between it and the stairway’s handrail. The door bucks into my back as the bad guys try to kick it open. Then the grenade blows the door completely off its hinges, and my featherweight self catapults down the stairs past Alpha Squad.
    I tumble down the steps as Raj opens up with the Bitch. Imagine five Mack trucks crashing into each other at full speed. That’s almost how