Page 104 of Caught in the Crossfire

“Got a score to settle with her man.”

“What if he don’t want her?” Gravel’s gaze trailed over Dawn in evident appreciation. “I wouldn’t mind a piece of that.”

“She’s mine,” Patton snapped, voice a growl.

“Settle down.” He held up his hand. “Didn’t know you had a prior claim. If you get tired of her, though, I want first dibs.”

Dawn flinched.

“Shut it, Patton.” Fisher glared at his partner. He dragged Nicole toward the lodge entrance.

Nicole stumbled over the threshold and barely caught a glimpse of a comfortably furnished living room and reception area before Fisher forced her upstairs and down a hallway to a bedroom.

He shoved Nicole face down on the bed and zip tied her wrists together. “Scream all you want. No one will help you. These boys are family and friends.”

Patton pushed Dawn into the room and used the plastic ties to bind her wrists behind her back. “You ain’t going to escape. If you try, you’ll tick me off. You won’t like me when I’m angry.”

“I don’t like you now,” she muttered.

He hit her with the back of his hand. “First lesson. Don’t sass me. Next time, the response will be worse. Your man might coddle you. I won’t.”

Dawn scowled, her cheeks flushing.

Recognizing the signs of an impending explosion of temper, Nicole nudged Dawn’s ankle with her foot and shook her head. They couldn’t antagonize the cretins. She and Dawn had to remain injury free to run if they had the chance.

“A guard’s at the door,” Fisher warned. “Cooperate, and you’ll see Kincaid one more time.”

Patton stared at Dawn, his hand skimming down her cheek and her shoulder.

“Not now,” his buddy snapped. “Later, G.”

He flicked Fisher a glance, then refocused on his prey. “Get on the bed.” When she didn’t move, he narrowed his eyes.

“Dawn,” Nicole murmured. At the moment, she and her friend were bruised, but healthy enough to run. If they challenged Patton and Fisher, she and Dawn would come out the losers in the skirmish.

Dawn glared at Patton but sat beside Nicole. Triumph filled his eyes before he turned and left the room.

“Why are you doing this, Fisher?” Nicole asked.

He paused in the doorway. “Kincaid stole my woman and interfered with my plans. No one gets away with that.” He walked out, closing the door behind him.

Nicole turned to Dawn. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I bet Fisher killed Riva.”

“And set up Mason to take the blame.”

“He works with Mase every day. He has easy access to Mason’s tools.”

“He’d also have had ample opportunity to dose his drink with ketamine.” Was Fisher responsible for the drive-by shooting, too?

She refocused on the problem at hand. Escape. “We have to escape.” Nicole twisted her wrists, hissing when the bonds refused to give and dug into her skin. Sliding her wrists from the plastic loop was impossible. “My zip tie is too tight to slip free. You?”

Dawn wiggled and strained for a moment, then shook her head. “No good. I have something that will work, though.”

“What?”

“A knife strapped to my calf.”

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