Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
“I think it’s pretty fuckin’ obvious she don’t, Blaze.”
The other man raised an eyebrow but said nothing else. A few seconds later, the two men chasing her slowed to a walk. One of them raised a hand in greeting.
“Hey there! Thanks for catchin’ her.”
Neither me nor Blaze said anything. Blaze stepped slightly in front of me and the young woman while I pulled off my cut and shirt, then shoved the tee over her head before urging her to sit just inside the gate in the grass next to the fence. Wasn’t much, but hopefully it made her a little more comfortable.
“Wait here,” I said softly. She looked at the men with sheer terror and whimpered. “Nope.” I pressed my hand to her face and turned her to look at me. “You focus on me.” Again, she let out a little whimper before meeting my gaze. “Now. Wait here. We’ll get rid of this riffraff, then figure out what’s next.”
“They’ll kill me if you give me back to them.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she tried to shift her gaze back to the men. Blaze was currently backing them out of the driveway.
“No one said you had to go with them.” I kept my tone gentle. She was heartbreakingly lovely, even dirty and terrified as she was. The longer I was in her presence, the more I wanted to wrap her up in a layer of protection and keep her safe from the whole fucking world. And that wasn’t me. “Just stay here. We’ll take care of this.”
She stared at me with the most unusual coppery eyes I’d ever seen. They shone through her tears like new pennies in the silvery moonlight. Then she nodded ever so slightly, and I helped her sit back in the grass before joining Blaze.
“Of course, she wants to come with us,” one of the guys was telling Blaze. “She only ran because she thinks she’ll make more money with you guys. Little whore’s only out for one thing. Right, Mick?”
“Hell, just ten minutes ago she was beggin’ me to come down her throat.” Both men laughed.
Blaze glanced at me when I stopped beside him. I shook my head.
“She doesn’t want to go with them.” I said softly.
“Sorry, guys. Lady doesn’t want to leave with you.” Blaze’s smile wasn’t congenial. He looked more like he was looking forward to them trying to force the issue.
“Now wait just a Goddamned minute!” This time, Mick answered. “She’s our property. Bought and paid for.”
“That so?” Blaze glanced at me before growling at the man. “Who the fuck sold her to you?”
“Mr. Noyb.” The other guy said with a smirk. “None Of Your Business.”
“Joke’s on you, pal. ‘Cause I’m makin’ it my business.” Blaze’s hand shot out, snagging him by the throat and squeezed.
“What the fuck?” Mick stumbled backward. I lunged for the smaller man and held him in a similar hold with my fist around his neck.
“Who sold you that girl?” Blaze repeated. “Name. Contact info. Or I strangle the fuckin’ life outta you.”
“We stole her off the streets, man!” Mick said, his eyes bulging. His hand clawed at mine, but I just squeezed harder. “Watched her daddy leave while she was in a gas station restroom! I swear!”
Blaze took his radio off his belt. “Brick. Roman. Gonna need the barn. Got two pissants at the gate who need a little education.”
There was a silence before I heard Brick’s voice over the radio. “Copy. Be at the gate in five.”
“She ain’t no toddler,” I snapped. “You didn’t just take her from her daddy. How’d you get your fuckin’ hands on her?”
“Dude, shut up!” Mick hissed at his companion.
“I ain’t dyin’ for that bastard. It was all great when he promised no one would miss her. He might not turn her in missin’, but these guys sure the fuck will.”
“He’s wrong, you know,” I commented. “We ain’t filin’ a missin’ person’s report. You’re gonna die because of what you’ve already done.”
The guy’s bladder let go and he whimpered. “Please, mister! It wasn’t my idea!”
“Shut! Up! They’re gonna kill us no matter what we do, Caleb!”
“Yep.” Blaze grinned at Mick, tilting his head sideways and getting right in the guy’s face. His voice was soft and menacing. Hell, if he’d been in my face looking like he was at this guy, I’d have paused to reflect on my own misdeeds. “Only question is how hard you die. It can be a quick, easy bullet to the head, or you can last a few weeks. Choice is yours. But don’t think that few weeks will be spent in comfort.” The smile Blaze’s lips widened into wasn’t pleasant.
“Look,” Caleb said, frantically looking from me to Blaze and back. “The guy said he was her daddy. Gave us five thousand dollars to kidnap her and keep her quiet for a couple of weeks. Said if he needed us to look after her longer than that, he’d double it.”