Cygny's Six

“Come on, Leo. Take the shot, or are you that whipped by a little pussy.”

Leo slumped against the wall as if one of his feet had slipped out from under him and Nicholas started to laugh.

“Yeah, I didn’t think you had it in you at all. Go on, put it down, be a man at least for her sake. After all, she’s the one we both love the mo-”

A shot exploded in the room and Cygny felt it tear through the flesh of her right arm.

The pain was incredible but she stayed on her feet. Even when he tried to grab a hold of her by her clothes, she shrugged him off and turned toward the front of the room. Helena sat on the floor, her legs tucked up under her as if she was posing for a portrait. The only incongruous part of it was the SIG SAUER weighing heavily against her smaller, delicate hands.

A loud bang came from the front of the house and Cygny stumbled toward Leo. “The team?”

He nodded. “Who else?”

She smiled as she snatched the handgun from Helena.

Thinking of the other woman as her sister would probably not be possible for her. The kind of family she wanted didn’t try to kill the man she loved.

At Leo’s side, Cygny wrapped her arm around his middle to hold him up.

He tried to pull away, arguing with a look and a grumble.

“You’re shot.”

“And you’re barely able to stand, now shush.”

Helena folded her arms across her chest. “I hate you both.”

Cygny shook her head, but didn’t take her eyes off of the woman. It didn’t matter if they were genetically related or that she had saved her life and taken their father’s by doing so. Helena needed help and doctors worthy of the task.

Leo leaned against her, his cheek on the top of her head. “What are you thinking about?”

She shuddered and he pulled her closer as if he wasn’t already freezing. “I’m glad he didn’t raise me.” She swallowed and felt her ears pop like she’d just changed altitude. “Can you imagine what I would have been like? What kind of monster I’d be.”

“I don’t believe that,” Leo turned so that they had their backs against the wall, “you were always going to be the same amazing person you are.”

“Cygny? Leo?”

“Here!” Cygny called out. “We’re secure! You’ll need three sets of cuffs.”

The team pushed into the room in perfect formation, leaving Helena sitting on the floor, staring up in amazement. Everyone was armed to the teeth but Cygny could easily tell them all apart by their sizes and how they moved.

Roman stopped at her side with Beck at his. “What happened?”

Cygny blew out a breath. “It was all a set up to get at me and Leo. That man there,” she lifted her chin toward Nicholas who was sprawled out on the floor, “was my boss at National Security.”

Beck drew in a soft gasp. “He’s the one who framed Leo.”

Cyngny nodded. “He wanted to get back at us both for what happened.”

Leo groaned and she felt his hand grip onto her side to hold himself up.

“I’ve got to get Leo warmed up.” She addressed Roman and Beck at the same time. “He was left out in the cold and sedated. I need to get him into a shower and raise his body temperature to a safe level. Can you guys take care of the rest?”

Before either could speak, Leo argued, letting them know that Cygny had been shot.

She turned an angry gaze on him. “It was a simple graze. I can bandage it. YOU need to get warm before you get hypothermia and I have to put you out of your misery.”

Roman sighed. “Sounds like you’ll both be okay. Beck, can you check Cygny’s arm and bandage it up. We’ll leave Leo to her tender care until we’ve got the rest of this wrapped up.” He took Leo’s weight onto his shoulder as Beck cut Cygny’s sleeve away and used the fabric to wrap up her injury tight enough to stop the bleeding. “This will work until we get everyone back in town.”

Leo handed his composite gun into Roman’s hands and started down the hall with Cygny.

He stopped short a few feet away to ask. “How long do we have?”

Beck and Roman shared a look before Beck answered him back. “Ninety minutes. That should be enough time to... get warm.”

Leo lifted his arm in a mock salute as Cygny grumbled under her breath. “I should just leave you in there all by yourself.”

* * *