Free Winter's Legacy: Future Days (Winter's Saga Book 6) by Karen Luellen

Evan’s left arm at a completely unnatural angle.  Crazed-Laughter Guy was distracted and moving across the room to join in the fun at Creed’s expense.
    Evan slowly reached with his right hand into his front pocket and almost yelped for joy at the feel of warmed plastic at his fingertips. 
     

11 Barbecue
     
    Kylie’s lighter.
    He yanked the lighter out, ran his thumb across the metal cogs, reached back over his head and held the flame against Clever Guy’s face.
    What happened next was a blur. 
    With a yelp of shock and pain, the soldier released his hold enough for Evan to spin and elbow his burned face.  As the soldier doubled over, blood gushing from his broken nose, Evan grabbed him by the back of his shirt and his biceps then yanked down hard, driving his face directly into Evan’s knee.
    From his peripheral vision, movement caught Evan’s eye. 
    “Drop it!” Crazed-Laughter Guy was pointing his gun directly at Evan’s face from where he stood across the room. 
      A lightly perfumed breeze billowed in the space between the soldier’s itchy trigger finger and Evan’s grim face. Time held its breath. 
    Hollier, always anxious to draw blood, cocked his weapon and dug the barrel deeper into Creed’s forehead.  “Drop the lighter, asshole.   We only need one of you to talk, and I don’t give a shit which of you squeals,” he hissed.
    Sweat droplets trickled from Creed’s bloody face, splatting salty and wet on the hard tile.
    Evan wasn’t thinking about surrendering.  He was thinking of his family, silently praying for their safety, even as he calculated odds of their survival. 
    They only need one of us to talk. 
    In his moment of clarity he knew the best option was to take himself out of the equation while taking as many of the bad guys down with him. 
    Evan glanced over at Alik struggling to keep his eyes open through the swelling.  He offered his brother a minuscule nod good-bye, then turned back to Creed and half winked just before he ripped his thumb across the metal cogs.
    Two things happened in the half second that followed.  From nowhere, a body hurled itself at Evan and the soldier with the itchy trigger finger fired.  The bullet hit the body in front of Evan with a sickening whap!  
    Blond hair unfurled beautifully as the body spun through a graceful pirouette before crumpling in a tragic heap at Evan’s feet.  Kylie’s bright -green eyes gazed up at Evan, her body starting to convulse in the throes of death from the bullet meant for him. 
    “NO!” he screamed in shock and fury.
    He ripped the lighter on again, grabbed the flame and shot the red stream across the room like a flame thrower.  He found his aim precise as he controlled the distance, velocity and intensity of the blaze.  He didn’t flinch at the horrific sounds of those screaming.  He couldn’t show any mercy.  These soldiers were the enemy trying to hunt down his family—his mother—and no one was going to hurt his mother ever again.  Ever!
    Evan used his hearing to determine when the room had enough.  Now, the screams were fewer replaced by groans.  He released the lighter’s tab and closed his hand.  The fire immediately stopped pouring from him. 
    Then, just as fast as it came, Evan held his hand out and absorbed all the flames still burning in the room.
    Sticky, thick blood still oozed down his chin from his shattered nose, but Evan didn’t care about himself.  He fell to his knees at Kylie’s side and gasped at the sight of her.  Her green eyes were closed now.  The scene was surreal as he shook his head in shock at the look of serenity on her beautiful face as she lay in a field of violence, destruction and death.  Her face looked luminously pale, serene.  If it weren’t for the droplets of blood splattered across her neck, she looked as if she had finally found peace.  With shaking fingers, he searched her neck for a pulse. 
    He felt one flutter weakly.  Her heart was barely