Page 9 of Savage Rule

Thing was, it wasn’t a game. We weren’t playing, though I’m sure he had a blast terrorizing us.

As much of a shit as Mauricio was, he wasn’t nearly as dangerous as the man chasing me now. The stakes weren’t as high. If Mauricio caught me, it meant bruises on my arms and legs. If Gunn does…

I know the risk and somewhere in my brain I register fear. But I’d be lying if I said this doesn’t excite me too. That it doesn’t thrill me to the marrow of my bones to be chased by him.

I plow through the crowded sidewalk on Bourbon Street, shoving people out of my way when there are no open paths.Even though I might have a head start, I don’t believe it’s a huge advantage. Not with Gunn.

So I do what I used to do when I was ten, and plan out not just every step, but every turn, every zigzag. As I apologize to a man who spills his entireHurricanedown his shirt as I whiz by, I’m mapping the whole of the French Quarter, searching my brain for that hidey hole.

Behind me, I hear a fresh slew of curses. A quick glance over my shoulder tells me that I was right, my head start wasn’t much of one, and Gunn is gaining on me.

“Fuck!” I duck, doing my best to run while remaining under his line of sight. The thrill of the chase is quickly waning as I recall just how hard it is to shake him. Which means, I might wear out before he does. Double fuck.

I make my way across the street and pull a sharp right into an alley, blowing through it at full speed until I pop out the other side on Royal Street.

There are a lot less pedestrians, which makes it easier to run, but it also makes me more visible. Not for long though. On an earlier walk I came across a house destined for either renovation, or demolition. I stopped to ponder what they might do to the old brittle place long enough that I memorized the structure, the sad shell that probably hid something timeless inside. Most importantly, I remember exactly where it’s located on Ursulines Ave, just off Royal.

I turn right again and am almost immediately standing at the wrought iron gate of the abandoned house. It sits far back between two buildings, its recessed position allowing for what I’m sure was once a lovely garden in the front.

Not wanting to disturb the ground beneath the gate, I climb over the low brick wall that sustains it and scamper across weeds and dead bushes.

The front door has already been left ajar, probably by the many intruders that came before me. I slip inside and carefully step over broken floorboards and avoid as many spider webs as possible, which is a real feat given how dark it is inside.

Earlier, when I wandered about the place, I considered coming inside to find out just how much history was in danger of being destroyed. Though I can’t see much, the little that is visible shows that time has already taken care of erasing any story this house might have told.

The grinding of the iron gate swinging outside is my one minute warning. Damn, he’s good.

Without another second to spare, I climb the spiral staircase. There is no furniture, nowhere to truly hide, so I position myself within the blackest shadow behind a broken section of the second-floor railing. From here, I can peer down into the main foyer and attack. I have no choice. It’s either this, or let him pursue me until I’ve run out of steam and then I’ll really be fucked.

He pushes the front door wider, probably to allow for his girth, and light spills in around him, casting his shadow onto the grayed wooden floor.

I hold my breath even as my heart seems to pound louder. Gunn enters as if without fear, moving in a circle as he scans the entire first floor from where he stands.

There’s a scampering of tiny feet in the back, and he immediately whirls to it and aims his firearm at an innocent mouse. But he doesn’t shoot. Even though no one would hear it with the silencer he’s placed over the barrel and the noise in the city, and even though no one would miss that mouse, and in fact, most people would be happier if it didn’t exist, he lets it go.

The creature dashes away, completely unaware of just how close he came to being blown to smithereens.

Cute, funny,andkind to defenseless animals? All of my girly parts sigh in unison.

Can we keep him?She-devil asks.

Sadly, I must deny her request. We might want to keep him, but he’s not as likely to have the same compassion when it comes to not killing us.

When the mouse disappears into a nearby hole, Gunn begins his search again. He starts for the stairs. Every muscle in my body engages as I prepare to launch myself on him. I just need him to go another foot forward and he’ll be right beneath me.

He takes a step and I shove through the railing, falling several feet to land on top of him. I take him down hard, but it does a number on me too.

“Fuck!” he yells as he throws me off.

I roll all the way to the wall, hitting it almost as violently as I did him. The wind is knocked out of me but I manage to scramble onto my feet before he reaches me. He throws a punch and I duck. Shards of plaster fly as he hits the wall instead.

“Gotta be faster than that, bitch!” My fists make contact with his unyielding abs, and though I would usually appreciate that in a man, my knuckles protest that attribute. Doesn’t keep me from socking him again and again.

That is, until he snatches my arm and spins me. I gasp as I’m turned, my wrist secured to my lower back, and Gunn’s massive forearm comes across my chest.

“How’s this for fast?” he asks, but before he has a chance to lock me in place, I kick the wall with all my might, forcing him to stumble backward. I take advantage and drop like deadweight at the same time that I drag the heel of my boot down his shin.

I’m instantly released and I roll away from him at the same time as I tug out both of my blades.

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