Page 49 of Haunted By the Shadow of Death

I groaned. Why did people so often meet my low expectations? Just when I’d had a glimmer of hope for their souls, they had to prove themselves the lowest of the low.

I glanced around the room, hoping Death wasn’t lurking nearby. There was no reason to kill them just yet, even though they were gross human beings.

“She’s not available,” Kicks said, his voice shifting lower, like when he was ready to kill someone. He wasn’t moving at all, like he didn’t trust what would happen if he even allowed himself to flinch. I wasn’t sure if he was breathing as he stared them down.

If I could’ve, I’d have explained this was a dead end and put a stop to it all. Rex had no idea what he was getting into. He thought he was wading around in a baby pool, but it was shark-infested waters. Neither of us were showing our teeth, but he was no competition for the people he was sitting across from, especially me. My own personal bodyguard was even worse than Kicks. She didn’t mess around when it came to threats.

“You can have her back. We just want to borrow her for a while.” Rex smiled, and his friend laughed.

Six months ago, this would’ve terrified me. Not now. I couldn’t quite even get upset enough to care. Unfortunately, Kicks wasn’t feeling the same. He was going to explode where he sat, and these two idiots didn’t realize they’d lit the fuse on an atomic bomb.

“She’s. My. Wife.” His words were coming out through a clenched jaw. I had to give it to Kicks—if you were with him, he protected you to the death. He wouldn’t just wage war for you. He’d wage a grudge match that would go on for a thousand years.

“It’s our gasoline that you and your settlement are going to need. Are you saying one woman is more valuable than gas?” Rex said.

“Yes.” Kicks got to his feet and pulled me up with him, as if he thought I’d linger behind with these two.

Rex and Trigger got to their feet, too.

“We can either make a deal that will work for all of us or we can do it a different way,” Rex said.

“If you’re smart, you won’t speak another word,” Kicks said.

I put a hand on his arm. I wasn’t looking to get traded for some gas, but I wasn’t ready for him to show his true colors in this place. He could stand firm and yet not kill them.

“Can we talk outside for a second?” I asked.

Even though the rage wasn’t directed at me, the look in Kicks’ eyes was still a little overwhelming. How stupid were these men to assume they had the upper hand?

“Please?” I said.

I could see Kicks begin to bend, turning slightly toward the door. The tension was still high, but there was a slight chance of turning this around if I could manage to get him out the door and talk to him alone. Who cared how horrible these people were? What they said?

“That’s right. Listen to the wifey. She obviously doesn’t mind the idea.” It was the first time Trigger had spoken, and I wished he hadn’t.

Kicks froze. Dumbass Trigger just had to say something. He couldn’t let me get out the door and save his sorry hide.

“It doesn’t matter what they say,” I said, stepping in front of Kicks, in between them and him.

“Now she’s going to try to protect him from getting into a fight he can’t finish. Knew she was the smarter one,” Rex said, and the two of them laughed.

“Piper, you need to step out of the way,” Kicks said.

“I think—”

He picked me up and placed me behind him.

“Look, we tried to do it nicely, but we’re taking your woman whether you want us to or not,” Rex said. “Now you won’t get anything out of the deal. There’s not enough women left. She’s the most valuable thing you have. Did you really think you could keep her on your farm?”

Two more armed men appeared in the doorway to the sitting room. Blondie ducked back behind the door, but not before I saw her in the hall behind them, not even a little surprise on her face.

“Tell your men to back off before I have to kill you all,” Kicks said.

There was no way we were getting out of here now without someone dying, and it wouldn’t be us. So which was worse? Did I try to stay out of the fray and let Kicks shift and kill them? Could he kill four at one? Or would I have to step in, have them all drop and convulse while turning an ugly shade of gray? If I killed, would that horrible feeling of something other inside me grow? That was the scariest thing of it all.

“It’s over,” Rex declared. “Walk away nicely and we’ll let you live. Otherwise we’ll kill you in front of her.”

“The only ones who’re going to die are you and your friends,” Kicks said. He sounded pretty confident. Maybe no gray men today?

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