Carter didn’t need her help, landing a sweet right hook that broke the general’s jaw. Ryder didn’t want to be left out. She ran over and winked at Carter as she swung a foot up into the general’s crotch, then moved past the two of them to take out the generals she’d chosen as her next targets. Carter’s general didn’t know what had hit him, but he did once Ryder’s boot connected with his junk. He dropped to his knees, whimpering in pain.
Carter came over and gave Ryder a fist-bump. “Nice moves.”
She accepted the gesture with a grin. “Thank you. I was going to say the same to you.”
Graham sighed dramatically. “You two are breaking my heart. Why can’t you just settle down, Carter?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Maybe the three of us could settle down together sometime…”
Ryder snickered and rolled her eyes. “Honestly, of all the times and places to reignite the bromance.”
The fight was pretty much over. The few remaining generals held up their hands and surrendered, not so tough when they ran out of bullets. The Merry Men got to work tying the generals up.
“Sorry, you two aren’t my type,” Ryder told Graham and Carter as she bound the general’s hands behind his back with his own shirt.
Both men clutched their hearts and Carter went the extra mile for dramatic effect as usual. “Say it isn’t so, Ryder. What can I do to earn your love?”
The generals looked at Ryder and her friends as they continued their banter.
Vicky snickered. “Ryder goes for the fluffy type.”
Ryder rolled her eyes. “Keep your eyes on them. I’ll get the door and free everyone on Level Six. Nice work, guys.” Ryder smiled as she walked down the stairs to the door and pulled on it, but the door it wouldn’t open.
“Carter, give us a hand.” Ryder’s request was greeted by a round of applause from Carter as he headed toward her.
It was firmly locked.
Ryder tried it again, then went back up to Level Five. “Shit. Massimo might know how to open the door. He knows all the technology stuff.” Carter nodded, and Ryder looked at the glass ceiling. There was activity on Level Four—a few generals who must have been down the tunnels when they passed through the level. And there were Mad.
Ryder turned to her team. “Willard and Koda, can you find Massimo and tell him that we can’t get into Level Six? We need him to get the door open. Be careful, there are Mad and generals on that level.”
“Got you,” Willard replied. Koda just nodded. The two men ran for the stairs to find Massimo.
General Finn had regained consciousness. He struggled to his feet and glared at Willard and Koda, missing the gravity of the generals’ situation completely. “Stop them!” he screamed.
The other generals looked at Ryder and her friends, not sure what to do. They were weaponless and now outnumbered.
Ryder’s lip curled, and she shook her head at Finn in disgust. “It’s over. Stop ordering them to do Afana’s dirty work.”
“It’s not his dirty work. It’s to keep our civilization alive. It’s great work, not dirty work!” General Finn spoke with such passion Ryder knew that he truly believed every word of what he’d just said.
Clint laid a stunning haymaker across the general’s jaw. General Finn was unconscious before he hit the ground.
“Damn...” Rang out from both groups.
Clint rolled his shoulders. “Time for you young ones to learn a lesson from an old-timer. That’s how you knock out an ass-licking skeleton like that motherfucker.”
“I think I’ve got a semi-on.” Carter grinned smugly.
Ryder smirked. “You get semi-ons at the oddest times. Do you need Graham to give you a hand, or you good to get on with the job?”
Carter looked down at his bulge, then winked at Ryder. “What do you think? Door first.”
Chapter Twenty
Terrier spotted Ryder looking at him through the glass ceiling.
She’s fucking done it! Terrier thought. She’d come back to the bunker to rescue everyone.
He felt relief wash over him, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. Terrier had a lot of hope that Ryder and the people she’d brought with her would get them out of there, since they’d already made it through five levels. He had worried that if Ryder did return, the generals would kill her before she ever reached him.
Instead, she’d fought off the Mad and the generals. He’d always known that Ryder could face anything that was thrown at her and come out on top.
Terrier pumped his fist in the air. “We’re waiting for you, Ryder!” he shouted. “You’ve got this!”
Ryder glanced at the level above where they’d left Massimo and Fluffy, along with a pack of Mad and Afana. Ryder hoped they were okay. It was really hard to see anything with all the blood smeared across the glass. They had to be all right.
She looked back down at Terrier, who had a huge grin on his face. He pumped the air with a fist and shouted something she couldn’t hear. Ryder grinned back mirroring his gesture. “I’m coming for you all, Terrier! Hang on just a bit longer!”
Time to set her friends free.
Koda led the way back up the stairs to find Massimo, with Willard close behind him. The two men climbed the stairs two at a time, trying frantically to stay out of the Mad’s reach. The men made it back to Level Four, where they’d left Massimo and Fluffy to kill Afana.
Koda nodded at Willard. Willard had his knives up and ready to throw as Koda opened the door.
Koda opened it a fraction and peeked into the level, but the door was flung open before Koda could release his grip. He was pulled into Level Four and the arms of the
