Page 16 of The Heir

“If you don’t have a warrant, you get the fuck out,” Trista heaved, shooting off the porch toward an officer who was currently tasing a woman in pale jeans. A dark stain was spreading down the front of her pants and she seemed stunned beyond comprehension, unable to follow his commands.

“Lady,” a cop warned, turning his taser on Trista.

I knew it was a taser, but seeing someone hold something shaped like a gun at someone I love broke something in me.

“Aunt Trista!” I snapped, bumping into him with my shoulder and sending him stumbling a pace or two. I snagged her in my arms and used every bit of my weight against hers in a battle toward the porch.

“I got her,” I told the cop who was on my heels now.

He tried to reach around me, but I danced aside, keeping his hands off my aunt.

“I said I fucking got her,” I whirled on him. “Do you want to escalate shit or do your fucking job?”

I was shaking with a sudden surge of emotion. Was this what Donnie felt like? I couldn’t help but wonder.

“Smart mouth gonna get you in trouble someday,” he scoffed, flicking his gaze up and down my bare legs. He snorted with disgust and stormed back toward the crowd.

My eyes locked with Easy’s just before they put him in the back of the car, and he winked at me.

Chapter Seven

Blaze

My lungs burned with every breath I took. My legs felt like Jell-O, but I didn’t dare stop running. Mackie, May and I darted through neighbors’ yards, and down a few different alleys before Mackie doubled to grab his ribs.

“Get the fuck away from me,” he growled at May, glaring at him with blood still smeared across his face.

“Fuck off,” May huffed.

“I mean it, split. We gotta separate.” He fanned the air.

I swallowed, more for air than spit, my mouth was drier than it had ever been. I felt like I needed to puke and every once in a while, things were spinning.

“Where the fuck is Donnie?” I huffed.

“I’ll find out, just… don’t stop.” Mackie shoved at my arm.

I trotted off down another alley and May fell into place beside me.

“I can’t keep running like this. I don’t even know where the hell I’m going,” I managed.

“Just a few more blocks. Steel Cages, your dad’s old club is just up the road a piece,” May encouraged, equally winded.

I wiped the sweat from my brow, and hesitantly nodded my agreement, what else could I do? We alternated between speedwalking and jogging the next three blocks. It wasn’t until he veered toward a tree line that I froze.

“What the fuck, man…? You said down the road a piece…” I called toward him.

May laughed and waved me into the woods. I huffed and glanced over my shoulder. Headlights were lighting up the crossroad at the end of the block, leaving me no choice but to take cover. Sticker bushes bit my legs. When I tried to pry one off it scratched the hell out of the back of my hand.

“Damn it.” I hissed, drawing my hand up to suck at it.

May was well amused. “It’s nothing. Come on. We’re almost there.”

He slid down into a dry creek bed and sauntered down the center of it like he took the path every day.

“You’re gonna have us lost out in the sticks, man…” I was finally starting to sound like myself now that we didn’t have to hurry along.

“Nah. It’s not thick. There is a road twenty yards on either side of the forest edge. It doesn’t break into a big patch of woods for at least a half mile outside of town.”

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