Life Without Them (On Hold)

Chapter 25: And the Winner Is...

~Sang~

The twins run back to us in a fit of laughter, and it takes everything in me not to laugh along with them. I scoop Morgan into my arms, while North grabs Cole. Kota opens up the closet, looking for the door to the inner corridors before holding it open for us.

My phone buzzes in my bra as we're running through the passage that'll connect us to Corey's place. I have us stop right outside the door that'll lead to his linen closet. I pull out my phone, typing them a message before turning the screen around to them.

We need to be on guard now. The last team is either in here, or in Marc place.

Kota and North nod, and I whisper to Morgan that it's time to be ninja's. Her little eyes widen before she nods vigorously. Turning in my arms to see Cole, she signs out the letters to ninja before putting her finger to her lips. Cole nods back, repeating her gesture and giving me the 'ok' sign.

Having the 'all clear', I open the door slightly, gun at the ready, and move into Corey's linen closet. I place Morgan on her feet and open the closet door. On silent feet, we move through the apartment, on guard for anything. We're almost through the living room when the air shifts and I catch a whiff of the ocean.

"Oh shit," I murmur. "Ambush!"

I have just enough time to grab Morgan and dive behind the couch before the first shot flies over my head.

"No point in hiding Princess," Victor calls out. "We have you surrounded!"

"There's only three of you, Victor!" I call back, trying to get a pinpoint of where his voice is coming from. "You can't have us surrounded!"

My eyes dart around the room as I try to locate the boys any any open spaces the others could be hiding in. North, Kota, and Cole managed to make it around the corner to the hallway, and since more shots haven't fired off, that means Victor, Silas, and Marc, are most likely in the kitchen or dining room, both places with only one exit. We could either make a play for the front door and regroup in one of the other apartments, or we could try to take them out. We do outnumber them, so the advantage is slightly in our favor, but how to get the message to the guys without alerting our enemy? Signing would take too long...looks like it's time for a hail mary.

"Magpie," I whisper. "You want to win this right?" She nods. "How would you like to be the one to take out Daddy Victor?"

She nods vigorously, a giant smile on her face.

"Ok, here's what I want you to do. I want you to sit by the end of the couch, and when Daddy Victor pops out of his hiding spot, I want you to get him."

"But Mommy, what if Daddy Victor doesn't come out?"

"Oh, he will. Just be ready, ok?"

"Ok."

"Good." I get Morgan setup, and then hope to high hell that my plan will actually work. "Hey Victor, you're a numbers guy right? I mean, you have to be to do the things you do with technology."

"You know I am," he calls back. "But being a numbers guy didn't really help Corey, did it?"

"How do you know it was us that took him out?"

"I didn't, until you told me. What do you want, Princess?"

"I want our kids to win. Don't you?"

"You know the rules of warfare, Princess. No one is safe."

"Not even your precious baby girl? Tell Daddy how much you want to win Magpie."

"I really want to win, Daddy."

"Would you deny your little princess a victory?"

"Nice try, Sang," Marc calls out, his voice coming from the direction of the dining room. "But whatever you have planned, it isn't going to work."

We'll see about that.

"I wasn't talking to you Marc, but thanks for giving away your position. Tell me, is Silas with you or Victor?"

Before either of them can answer, I hear a shot go off behind me. I turn to see Silas standing tall, right outside of the linen closet. He huffs and tries to look behind him, his breastplate lit up bright red. I smile before turning back to the others.

"Looks like you just lost a man Marc. Now Victor, the odds are really stacked against you guys. Why don't you just concede defeat, and we'll let you walk away with your dignity intact?"

"My dignity will be perfectly intact when I take you out, Princess."

His voice sounds closer now. He must've used the distraction to sneak out of the kitchen. I turn around to see Silas leaning against the wall, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Get ready, Morgan," I whisper. "If you think that's true, Victor, why don't you come out and face me like a man?"

"Oh, I intend to."

I push Morgan around the side of the couch just as Victor pops up from the other side and smiles down at me, firing off multiple shots at my exposed chest. As my breastplate turns red, Morgan wails in disbelief, firing off her own shots at her father. His eyes widen as he turns to look at her while she's still firing. Two shots hit his chest before Marc springs out of his hiding place around the wall of the dining room and fires at Morgan. His shot hit her square in the back and she cries out in annoyance.

Hearing his sisters anguish, Cole runs from out of the hallway firing off shots anywhere he can aim. Marc has no problem dodging his shots as he runs out into the living room, right in North and Kota's sight. They both emerge from the hallway and fire off shots at Marc, both of them hitting him right where it counts.

Marc's breastplate turns red as he groans, throwing his head back in defeat while Cole pounds his tiny fits on his stomach for getting his sister out. North and Kota slap hands in victory right before our phones buzz.

Phil: Team 3 has been eliminated. Team 5 wins!

Damn straight we do.