Page 76 of Bone Dust

Ian

“D

id you hear that?” I freeze and look over my shoulder. Though darkness swallows my every step the sound of a scream chills me. My heart thunders in my chest, the beat keeping pace with my racing thoughts. I take another step, though a sense of urgency makes me want to run.

“It came from over there.” Sam’s low voice barely registers above the pounding rhythm in my ears. With a gun in one hand, the other one balls into a fist. A switch flips inside my head. I have no plan and am unconcerned for my safety as an adrenaline rush puts wings to my feet.

“Ian, stop.” I ignore the desperation in Sam’s voice and keep going, no matter the consequences. Getting to Savi and Gigi is all that’s on my mind and the impulse is one I can’t comprehend. Despite the risk, I move, driven by a force I can’t explain. I’ll be damned if I waste one more breath moving at a snail’s pace to get to my little girl and her mother.

“God damn it!” I hear Sam behind me, but he isn’t alone. I catch a glimpse of other men when I glance over my shoulder.

I run to a pile of old tires and the shadowy figures keep their distance as Sam comes near.

“Who the fuck are they?” I spit in a hoarse, desperate whisper.

“Discord help,” Sam answers equally as low. “Don’t blast off like that again. You’re going to get somebody killed.”

I don’t know what the hell to think. The locals are territorial and don’t welcome outsiders, but I’ll take any help we can get at this point. Though The Brethren have a reputation as black-hearted bastards, it only takes a shred of decency to make a man protect a child.

I count on that thought, halting my steps as murmuring voices become my compass.

“Get behind me,” Sam orders.

I follow his lead, inching slowly as we navigate the darkness, and the other men do the same. Sam puts his hand up and we stop as a beam of light bounces off the walls of an abandoned mineshaft.

Crickets, whose sounds have been stunned into silence, start once again with their fiddler’s song. I can’t make out how many people we’re up against, but I’ll take any cover that the night sounds give.

A man comes ahead of Sam. “I know this hole like the back of my hand. Let me take the lead.”

“I got your six,” Sam answers low.

As we wait, hoot owls signal to each other. Nature buzzes all around and my skin prickles when I feel a touch on my shoulder.

“Stay close,” Sam says, and I nod. The other man puts a set of something like binoculars to his eyes and I’m guessing they're made for night vision.

He comes near enough for us to see him and points. I follow with my eyes, struggling as the pitch darkness nearly renders me night-blind.We inch forward together, our silent footsteps fueled by determination. Just as the moon peeks from behind the clouds, the man juts his head forward, then moves slowly with expert precision. We follow with caution, keeping out of sight as much as possible. My head is filled with questions—who he is and who does he work for—but I squelch them, careening my thoughts back to what’s going on inside that mine.

The entrance looms a ghostly shimmer of light from within a mineshaft and I feel a refresh of adrenaline course through my veins.

“You’re a smart girl. I’m a businessman. Ian owes me. Drake owed me. Without them, I wouldn’t need you. You see where this is going, right?”

My head jerks up at the sound of my name and the same question Savannah asked was now mine as well. What do I have to do with this?

I jolt forward, ready to rush in, but Sam locks me down with a vise grip on my shoulder. “One more minute.”

He bores an intense look straight into my eyes, conveying strength and courage. It convinces me we can do this if I trust his timing. I’m still beneath his stare, and he loosens his hold. Jerking his head toward the hole in the wall, Sam silently nods and lifts one finger. I understand his message and wait as sound trickles from the opening.

Sam lifts his hand, and moves his finger in a circle. The chills that creeps into my bones feels like a warning. It’s a reminder that we’re playing a deadly game and the stakes are high. Two men—no, three—come around. There are five of us standing in a tight semi-circle, barely breathing, like lions in wait. My finger is poised on the trigger, preparing to pounce at any moment, as we all stand ready for the next command.

“Come near us again and I’ll fucking kill you!”

My ears perk. Savi’s angry.

“What are you going to do with them?—”

“You’re a sick little fuck, Drake. You know you don’t give a shit; you just want to know if I’m going to fuck her before I sell her—or is it the kid? Don’t tell me you want her first.

The psycho laughs and my vision tunnels. I’m suddenly no longer in control. Everything around me fades away as a feral growl rips from my chest and I detach from reality and go wild.

---