Page 23 of Outlaws’ Runaway

Savage shakes his head. “Nah. Better that they have to keep wondering if they've got us placed right. The less they know for sure, the more advantage we have.”

“Hey, fuckers! We're talking to you!”

A rock comes crashing through the window, and I have to cover my mouth with both hands to keep the scream in. It won't help for the guys to keep quiet if I give it all away.

Poe puts an arm around me and pulls me in against him. I prop my forehead against his side. “Easy, girl. We're not gonna let them take you. It’ll be a cold day in hell when a bunch of amateurs get the best of the Outlaw Sons. We got this.”

My brain's telling me that it's just bravado, that no matter what he says, we're just three—three and a half if you count me—against who knows how many, but the confidence in his tone is infectious. I breathe very deliberately, long ins and outs through my nose while I try to absorb a little bit of it. Some of the panic recedes. I'm still a wreck, but I'm not a wreck that's about to fall to the floor and start screaming.

Poe’s hand slips under my chin. Soft lips land over my own, hot and demanding, then gone. I look up at him in shock.

He winks. “For luck.”

“You’ve got to the count of three before our patience runs out. We outnumber you fuckers, so just remember, you brought this on yourselves. One!” Eddy shouts.

Okay, that tenseness is right back. I might start screaming now. “I don't want to die.”

“Everyone dies, kitten, but today’s not your day. You’ve still got at least a few more lives left,” Savage whispers.

“Two!”

A gun goes off behind us. I’m so focused on the countdown that I can’t help the scream that comes out. Terrified that I'm going to find Crank’s body on the ground behind me, I whirl in time to watch an unknown man collapse into a rack of blowup toys. He slumps into the dusty display and pulls down several hooks worth of merchandise before lying still on the ground. My mouth fills with bile, and my nostrils flare with the effort of holding it together.

Crank motions to the body with his gun. “They found a way in through the back. Stay sharp.”

Eddy had probably been trying to distract us with the counting to give his guy time to get closer, but when it doesn’t work, he finishes the countdown. “Three!”

Savage puts his hand on my arm. He’s crouched and ready to spring. “Paige, I need you to take a deep breath, reel it in and lock it down. We’re here to keep you safe, right? So if you want to make sure we can do our job, then listen to us. Stay low and trust us. Shit’s about to hit the fan and panic gets people killed. Do you understand?” His eyes, hard as emeralds, fix me to the spot.

I nod, and acting on impulse, I lean in and kiss him quickly. A whispered hardly anything kiss. “For luck.”

Savage jerks back, surprised.

A moment of silence, and then the whole world explodes around us. I knew there were more of them, but it sounds like an army. Bullets shred the laminate floors, knock over stands full of ball gags and anal plugs, and what few shards are left in the window are shattered. Wood splinters bounce into the air as a series of bullets tear up the top of the sales counter, so close that I swear I can taste the sawdust. Poe pushes me down to the floor, then his gun barks twice. Someone out there screams, audible even through all the gunfire.

Crank is braced on one knee with dried blood smeared on his face. He’s holding his arm steady, firing shot after shot into the same general area. “Almost…”

One of their cars explodes out there, setting off a second blast and sending a wave of hot, acrid air through the broken windows and over us, into my lungs. The ground shakes, all the shelves rattle and a shower of dust is shaken loose from the ceiling.

“Got it,” Crank says and grins.

There’s a horrible scream that turns my stomach and refuses to stop. Against my better judgment, I peek over the rubble and see two of their cars on fire, and the blaze is spreading. A body was launched in the explosion and is lying still in the no-man's-land between their cars and the store. The scream is growing weaker. Poe aims, pulls the trigger, and it stops. I think in this case, it was mercy.

God, I can smell it.

I drop back down to the floor and squeeze my eyes shut. It doesn’t stop the horror, but I can almost make myself believe it’s a movie, not reality. Almost. Closing my eyes doesn’t pull the smoke from my lungs or the smell of flames and death.

A heavy hand settles on my back. Crank. “This shit's never easy, and we're fucking used to it. Do whatever you have to do to feel better. We're gonna keep you safe, hear that? Nothing's gonna happen to you while you've got us to watch you. Fucking swear it.” He rubs gently, like he's comforting a terrified pet on new year's eve. Honestly, it's probably not much different.

“Cover me,” Savage orders, moving out. Poe moves into position, following him like a deadly shadow.

I don't know if the other team is running out of men, if exploding cars is enough to scare them off, or if my guys have just killed most of them, but the hunters have become the hunted. Savage and Poe sweep the area, picking off anyone dumb enough to still be out there. Every time I hear a gunshot, there’s a little longer until the next one, until eventually it stops.

Silence.

I still stay down, not taking any chances.

“All clear,” says Poe as he comes back in. “Fuck, that was messy.”

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