“Which you’re going to tuck into your belt and not use.” Last thing they needed was an amateur’s finger on the trigger. “Go on, put it away and focus for me. We have to get the living out of here. How many ambulances do you have?”

Havers fumbled to get the Beretta’s muzzle into his pocket, making Phury worry he was going to shoot himself in the ass. “F-f-four-”

“Give me that.” Phury took the gun, checked that the safety was in place, and shoved it into the doctor’s waistband. “Four ambulances. Good. We’re going to need drivers-”

The electricity cut out, everything going to pitch-black. The abrupt darkness made him wonder if the second shift of slayers hadn’t come down the shaft.

As the backup generator got rolling and dim security lights flared, he grabbed the doctor’s arm and gave the male a shake. “Can we get to the ambulances through the house?”

“Yes… the house, my house… tunnels…” Three nurses made an appearance behind him. They were scared shitless, white as the overhead emergency lights.

“Oh, dearest Virgin,” Havers said, “the doggen at the house. Karolyn-”

“I’ll get them,” Phury said. “I’ll find them and get them out. Where are the keys to the ambulances?”

The doctor reached behind the door. “Here.”

Thank. Fuck. “The lessers have found the southern tunnel, so we’re going to have to get everyone out through the house.”

"O-okay.”

“We’ll start the evac as soon as we have this facility temporarily secured,” Phury said. “You four stay locked in here until you hear from one of us. You’re going to be our drivers.”

“H-how did they find us?”

“No clue.” Phury shoved Havers back into the office, shut the door, and hollered for the guy to lock up.

By the time he got back to the reception area, the fighting was over, the last lesser being stabbed into oblivion by Rehv’s red sword.

Z wiped his forehead with a hand that left a black smudge behind. Looking over, he demanded of Phury, “Status?”

“At least nine staff and patients killed, unknown number of abductions, area is not secured.” Because God only knew how many lessers were still within the clinic’s maze of corridors and rooms. “Suggest stabilize entrance and south tunnel as well as exit to house. Evac will require use of the back stairwell into the house, and then rapid departure with ambulances and private vehicles. Medical staff will drive. Destination is backup clinical location on Cedar Street.”

Zsadist blinked for a minute, as if he were surprised at the clean logic. “Good deal.”

The cavalry arrived a second later, Rhage, Butch, and Vishous landing one, two, three in the elevator. The trio were armed like tanks and pissed off.

Phury glanced down at his watch. “I’m going to get the civilians and the staff out of here. You take care of finding any loose lessers in the facility and playing welcome wagon to the next wave.”

“Phury,” Zsadist called out as he turned around.

When Phury looked over his shoulder, his twin tossed across one of the pair of SIGs he always wore.

“Watch your ass,” Z said.

Phury took the gun with a nod and jogged down the corridor. After doing a quick scope of the distances between the medical supply closet, Havers’s office, and the stairwell, he felt like the three points were seperated by miles, not yards.

He opened the door to the stairwell. Security lights glowed red, and the silence was golden. Moving quickly, he went up the steps, entered the code for the door lock into the house, and stuck his head out into a wood-paneled hallway. The scent of lemon polish was from the glossy floor.The perfume of roses came from a bouquet on a marble stand. The lamb-and-rosemary combo was from the kitchen.

No baby powder.

Karolyn, Havers’s maid, leaned around the corner. “Sire?”

“Gather the servants-”

“We’re all together. Right here. We heard the alarms.” She nodded over her shoulder. “There are twelve of us.”

“Is the house secure?”

“None of our security systems have gone off.”

“Excellent.” He tossed her the keys Havers had given him. “Take the tunnels out to the garages and lock yourselves in them. Start every ambulance and car you have, but do not pull out, and leave one person by the door so I can get in with the others. I will knock and identify myself. Do not open up for anyone else but me or a Brother. Got it?”

It was painful to watch the doggen swallow her fear and nod. “Is our master…”

“Havers is fine. I’m going to bring him to you.” Phury reached out and squeezed her hand. “Go. Now. And be quick. We have no time here.”

He was back down in the clinic in the blink of an eye. He could hear his brothers moving around, knew them by the sounds of their boots and their scents and their patter of talk. No more slayers yet, evidently.

He went to Havers’s office and sprang the four who were in there first, because he didn’t trust Havers to keep tight and stay put. Fortunately, the doctor manned up and did as he was told, moving quickly up the stairs to the main house with the nurses. Phury escorted them into the tunnels that led out to the garages, and jogged along with them through the cramped underground escape route that ran under the parking lot behind the mansion.

“Which one of the tunnels leads directly to the ambulances? ” he asked when they got to a four-pronged split.

“Second from left, but the garages are all interconnected.”

“I want you and the nurses in the ambulances with the patients. So that’s where we’re going.”

They trucked it as fast as they could go. When they got to a steel door, Phury pounded on the thing and barked his name. The lock disengaged and he let his troop in.

“I’ll be back with more,” he said, as everyone embraced.

He went back down into the clinic and ran into Z. “Any more slayers?”

“None. I’ve got V and Rhage guarding the front, and Rehv and I are going to stake out the south tunnel.”

“I could use some cover for the vehicles.”

“Roger that. I’ll send Rhage. You’re going out the back, right?”

“Yup.”

He and his twin parted, and Phury headed for the supply closet. His hand was rock-steady as he took the nurse’s key out of his pocket and knocked on the door.

“It’s me.” He put the key in and turned the handle.

He met their faces once more and caught the flashes of relief. Which didn’t last as they saw the gun in his hand.

“I’m taking you out through the house,” he said. “Do we have any mobility issues?”

The little group parted to reveal an older male on the ground. He had an IV in his arm, which one of the nurses was holding above his head.

Shit. Phury glanced back at the hall. His brothers were nowhere around.

“You,” he said, pointing to a male lab tech. “Carry him. You.” He nodded to the female holding the bag. “Stay with them.”

As the tech got the patient off the floor and the blond nurse kept the IV bag up high, Phury paired the remaining staff up, one to a patient.

“Move as fast as you can. You’re going to use the stairwell to the house and proceed directly to the garage tunnels. It’ll be your first right after you’re inside the mansion. I’ll be behind you. Go. Now.”

Even though they did the best they could, it took years.

Years.

He was ready to jump out of his skin as they finally hit the red-lit stairway, and locking the steel door behind them gave him scant relief considering the lessers had explosives. The patients were slow, with two just a day or so out of surgery. He wanted to carry either or both of that pair but couldn’t risk not having a gun at the ready.

On the landing, one patient, a female with a bandage around her head, had to stop.

Without being asked, the blond nurse quickly gave the IV bag to the male tech. “Just until we’re in the tunnel.” Then she scooped the sagging female up into her arms. “Let’s go.”