Stop (Cold Mark Book 3) (8 page)

She actually whimpered.
How the hell had she become an agent?

“Suck it up and do your damn job,” I growled. “Get everyone moving. We should be in the bunker by now. Every minute we waste is another opportunity for—”

“Oh, shit,” Jax mumbled, pointing to the far left.
Ground
level.

As one, everyone peered in that direction.

Half of our thirty-stack of agents began to run. Literally. They raced away as fast as they could.

Although a brave twenty stormed out of the building we had just exited, holding weapons aimed where our attention was honed. An entire flock of Mian were on the ground, a cloaked spacecraft having now come into view behind them. The entire mass wore black, hiding their bodies in the nightfall. Only the radiant shine of their glowing eyes indicated where they were. Or the sporadic glare from a sword by the explosions in the sky. They were the darkness descending from the pit of Hades.

I shoved the agent next to me. “Bunker.” Another hard punch. “Hello! Bunker, idiot!”

She blinked out of her trance. I saw it in her eyes. She wanted to run.

I stated as calmly as I could manage, “They’re faster than you.
Much
faster.”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, but she quickly went into motion, barking orders. “The agents who just came out, stay here and give us back up.” She pushed forward and grabbed the President’s arm. “The rest of you, with us.” Now…that was why she was an agent. Everyone took the lone orders given, doing exactly as the one sane person said in the stain of their own fear.

Jax and I were herded in a fast rush to the far building, an unassuming whitewashed crumbling structure. I had my doubts until we were led down—at least twenty flights of stairs. Deep underground, the area was lit by yellow horrendous lighting. Down two more halls, descending another round of stairs, and then it opened into a spacious concrete area.

I jerked when I heard the screams erupt from above. The Mian were getting closer.

A solid door made of silver stone, built directly into the wall was opened by four agents, pushing and shoving with all their strength. The President was quickly led inside, and the rest of us followed at a hurried pace, none trying to trample the other, but still moving rapidly as the echoes of battle drew closer. The Mian had undeniably made it to the stairs, the sound bouncing off the walls in a macabre of ghastly music.

The door was shut. Locked down tight.

I turned in a slow circle, evaluating the bunker.

If I were into the latest in technology, this would be a dream room.

Instead, it merely felt like a tomb with flashing screens.

Jax was staring at the door. “What do you think they’ll do to us if they get through?”

“I don’t know,” I stated honestly. “They
actually
brought a war here.”

Jax’s lips thinned. “And it’s personal. Those closest to them stole a valuable item of trade.”

I blinked. “This escape for us has turned to shit.”

“I was planning to go back to Triaz.”

My gaze altered to him. “Really?”

He nodded. “I like Triaz better than Joyal. But I couldn’t let Humans die because I failed to accomplish my mission.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and placed my head on his shoulder. “I’m not mad. I understand.”

He kissed the top of my head gently, holding me as tightly as I was him. “Would you have come back?”

“Maybe,” I answered. “I came here for freedom…but in light of the President’s actions, I’m not sure I ever really had it here either.”

Jax grunted softly. “No shit.” He tipped his head to the side, rubbing my back gently, even when he growled harshly, “Are you fucking deranged in the head, people? The Mian are nearly here, and yet all you can do is stare at two people consoling each other?”

One man grumbled, “You’re
touching
. It’s against the law.”

“He kissed her,” another whispered quietly to her neighbor.

I blinked and said with extreme slowness, “Morons, Mian are outside. What is the bigger issue here?”

The room reacted then, quickly jostling with activity made for a siege such as this. It was about damn time.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

I froze inside Jax’s hold.

The Mian had made it to the door.

Thank you so much for taking the time read Stop. I hope you enjoyed it!
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BOUT THE
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UTHOR

Scarlett Dawn is drawn to all things quirky and off-beat. She believes there are no boundaries for an imaginative soul. Her love of the written word started from at an early age, when her grandmother would take her to bookstores every weekend. Dreams came alive within the books she found there, and now, she is thrilled to share her stories with others who have fallen under the spell of taking fantastical journeys. Scarlett resides in the Midwest with her family.

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