Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Two hours later, I still hadn’t moved. I sat, straddling my bike, ready and watchful. I’d learned patience the hard way. I could wait as long as I needed. Nothing looked off the whole time until I spotted a man in a battered leather jacket limping slightly as he crossed to an alley entrance opposite the building.
My blood ran cold. I’d know that walk anywhere, even with the added limp. Rat Man moved differently with age, but it was him. He positioned himself perfectly hidden from casual glance but with a clear view of the building entrance. I’d only been a kid when I knew this bastard, but he’d always been careless. Nothing had changed. If anything, he’d gotten worse. I felt an ugly smile twist my lips.
I stayed frozen, watching him watch the building. If I approached now, he’d bolt, and we’d lose our chance to end this. I wished now I’d taken more time to learn how to text or even use the fucking phone Knight had given me. I could operate it easily enough, but I had to take my focus from Rat Man to do it and I couldn’t risk missing something.
A boiling rage built inside my gut at the thought of Rat Man even looking at Ada. I wanted to strangle the life out of the motherfucker. This wasn’t just about protection. This was about possession. And that scared me more than anything Rat Man could do. I’d seen a look on Gremlin’s face nearly four decades ago and I never wanted to see it on my own. I was just sane enough to recognize I had no desire to hurt Ada like Gremlin had the women he fixated on. Not in any way. I wanted her protected and locked away where no one could get to her but me. That way I would never risk anyone taking her from me.
Yeah. I wasn’t feeling quite sane at the moment.
Movement at the building entrance pulled me back. Knight emerged first, scanning the street before motioning Ada forward. She looked tired but stepped out confidently, her hand tucked into the crook of Knight’s arm. They walked to the SUV parked in the reserved section.
Across the street, Rat Man shifted. I watched him pull out his phone, apparently taking photos. His other hand disappeared into his jacket. I tensed, ready to sprint across traffic, but he only pulled out what looked like a pack of cigarettes.
They climbed into Knight’s vehicle, and I counted to thirty before starting my bike. As they pulled out, I noticed Rat Man hurrying to a motorcycle parked farther down the alley. A beat-up Harley, nothing special. Easily forgotten even though it was a bike in the middle of downtown.
I eased into traffic, letting two cars come between me and Rat Man, who trailed Knight’s SUV at a cautious distance. Downtown Nashville gave way to suburbs, then to the highway leading out toward the compound. Traffic thinned as we got farther from the city. Buildings became more scattered, replaced by stretches of trees and open fields.
My knuckles turned white on the handlebars, jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached. Every time Rat Man changed lanes, I tensed. Every time he accelerated slightly, I prepared to gun it. The distance between all three vehicles gradually shortened as traffic dispersed.
The highway stretched ahead, a perfect ribbon of asphalt cutting through nowhere. Just the kind of place I’d choose for an ambush. Just the kind of place where help wouldn’t arrive in time.
Rat Man was making his move soon. I could feel it in the way he sat straighter on his bike, the way he checked his side mirrors less frequently. He thought he was the hunter, following his prey out to isolated territory. He hadn’t realized he was being hunted too.
Traffic disappeared completely as we hit the two-lane stretch toward the river. Just Knight’s SUV, Rat Man’s bike, and me strung out like targets on a firing range. Rat Man hung back for another mile, keeping steady. How the hell he didn’t notice me behind him I had no idea. If I had to guess, I’d say he was so focused he forgot to keep watch for anyone who might have Knight’s back. Or thought that he’d see any threat before it was too late. Then he twisted his throttle. The shift in engine pitch told me everything I needed to know. He was making his move.
I tensed as I watched him accelerate, cutting the distance between himself and Knight’s vehicle. This wasn’t impulse. This was planned. When he pulled a gun from the small of his back, I knew he wasn’t planning to have a friendly chat when he pulled alongside them.
I gave my bike more gas, closing the gap between us. Rat Man was focused on Knight’s SUV, still hadn’t noticed me.