Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Mad Dog stalks out of the hall, blood on the side of his face but looking more angry than hurt. “You know this asshole, baby?”
I inch forward. The guy’s face is smooshed against my carpet, so it’s hard to tell. “Is he one of the men in Emily’s photo?”
“Excellent question. Got any rope?” Rebel asks.
“Um…” Inside the kitchen junk drawer, I find the roll of butcher’s twine that was probably used once and has been in there for as long as I can remember. “Will this work?”
“Close enough.” Mad Dog holds up his hand and catches it when I throw.
“Asshole! Get the fuck off me!” the guy on the floor snarls as they tie his hands behind his back, wrapping the twine around and around until there’s no way he’s getting loose.
Outside, a gun goes off, the loud crack scaring up a flock of birds out front. All of us freeze, even the one being tied up like a Christmas ham. Mad Dog stands and draws a gun from inside his jacket as he moves toward the front door. Just before he puts his hand on the doorknob, there’s a knock from the other side. Three in a row, and then three more. Mad Dog and Rebel visibly relax.
Mad Dog opens the door and Riptide comes in. “Run into trouble out there?”
“Handled it. But we’ll need a little clean-up help later.” Riptide looks down at the man on the floor. He nudges the man’s jacket with his boot. “More Devil’s Brigade. What a funny coincidence.”
Handled it? Clean-up?
“Guys, what’s going on?”
Rebel pulls out his knife and waves the tip lazily in front of his captive’s eye. “The lady asked a very good question. Care to explain what you’re doing in her house?”
“Fuck you!”
“No thanks.” Rebel pushes the guy’s face into the carpet, and drives the knife into the floor, right in front of the guy’s nose.
The sound the bound man makes is more animal than human.
“Let me ask you again. Why. Are. You. Here?”
Angry dark eyes glare at me from the floor. “You happy now, bitch? First they killed Red, now Turk’s probably dead. Your daddy must be so fucking proud.”
Ice floods my veins. “Someone killed Red? When?” I might not have liked him, but I didn’t want him dead.
“At the fucking rally. When do you think?” He sneers. “Was it before or after you spread for the fucking Eagles?”
The accusation hits me like a slap. “I…”
“Something you want to say, Melody?” Rebel asks, his voice deceptively calm.
The guy on the floor lets out an ugly, wet, laugh. “Trouble in paradise?”
Mad Dog kicks him in the side. “Shut the fuck up. I’m sick of hearing you whine.”
Rebel pulls the knife out of the carpet and cuts a long slice off the bottom of the guy’s own shirt before balling it up and shoving it in his mouth. He uses more of the butcher’s twine, wrapping it a couple times around his head before tying it off in a bow right over his mouth.
Riptide closes the distance between us and looks down with those stormy blue eyes. “I think maybe we need to have another talk.”
I knew it couldn’t last, but a stupid part of me had hoped that I could give them enough to help, while still staying loyal to my father, but now I’m caught out in being more than I seemed, and not in a good way.
Rebel’s expression is locked down, giving nothing away. Mad Dog looks angry, and unless I’m wrong, hurt. I’ve only known them for two days, but it feels much longer. Like I owe them more.
“I know, and I will, but in front of him, okay?” I’m not sure I could bear it if I had to confess everything in front of the guy taking so much glee in my downfall.
They give me time to pack a few things, and I spend the whole ride back behind Rebel, trying to remember every bit of it because it might be my last.
13
REBEL
PUT HER IN THE PIT.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, and more fuck.
The steps down from Eagle-eye’s meeting room feel much longer than usual. I understand why he made the call he did, but that doesn’t mean I like it.
It was a long, hard ride back from Melody’s house. Riptide stayed behind with the hostage. He’s waiting for Outlaw so they can finish the interrogation and deal with the body of the guy he found sneaking around the back.
How did things go to hell so fucking fast?
Melody sits at the table in the common room, flanked by Mad Dog and Preacher. She looks fucking miserable, just staring down at her hands while she waits to hear what we’re going to do with her.
Obviously she didn’t pull the trigger. The three of us can give her an ironclad alibi on that front, but it’s also really fucking clear she’s been holding back information. She knew who Red was, and we all heard that fucker talk about her daddy. She didn’t look confused when he said it. She looked guilty.