Page 117 of Outcast

My heart stopped.

"Places us at the top," he said lightly. Was this the Due I’d known for years? He didn’t seem like it. He was cocky, exuberant, and unhinged. Not in a good way.

Oh God, this was going to kill Esteban.

"No. It makes you a target." I lowered my voice. Esteban and Matías both rested hands on my shoulders as they stepped up behind me. I stood straighter with their support. Taller knowing they had my back. "If you can't play nice in the sandbox, you'll get buried in it. Maybe not by these men." I swept out my hand, encompassing the floor. "But by everyone else still in it."

"That's funny." The light in Due's eyes grew brighter. "Because right now, the only target I see is you."

"You're outnumbered. You'll never leave here alive." He only had seven other men. I had the rest of the gang at my back.

"That's where you're wrong." His smirk widened, creasing his face in a macabre image. "We havemanymore than seven."

He whistled and all around us, Dirty Dogs attacked Dirty Dogs.

Fuck! Fuck, that was what I was afraid of.

Due had to go. If he was dead, we’d end this. The rest would stop fighting. I believed that in the depths of my soul.

I pulled the small handgun tucked safely in the back pocket of my dress, and jumped forward.

Esteban beat me there as he caught Due by his throat and slammed him into the ground. I aimed. But I couldn't get a good angle with Esteban trying to punch through his stomach.

Two men caught my arms and I screamed, kicking back. They avoided my hits as they dragged me away.

Hap and Trig had my arms. "You fucking traitors! Let me go!"

Esteban glanced over his shoulder. Then he abandoned Due and raced toward me.

I wildly searched for Matías.

There he was. Surrounded by three old Dirty Dogs. They had been some ofPapá'sbest friends. When I got my hands on them, they would regret the day they ever decided to turn against us.

Esteban reached us and smashed his fist into Hap's face. He stumbled back, taking me with him. Trig tugged on my arm, and I winced at the way they were pulling my body in separate ways.

"Let her go," Esteban growled as the cool edge of a blade slid against my neck. Trig wrapped his arm around my chest as he notched the knife tighter against the underside of my chin. I tried to swallow, but the knife bit deeper.

Across the room, Matías bellowed.

I couldn't see him. Was he hurt? Or worse?

Clamping my eyes closed, I thought of how he held me. My arms were pinned to my sides, but if I could just angle my hand backward…

"Nuhuh, bitch." Hap snatched the gun out of my hand and tossed it to Due who was now behind Esteban.

"Est–" I tried to warn him, but the knife was too tight. I was going to slice my throat open if I talked. Widening my eyes, I glanced behind him.

He understood, spinning to face Due, raising his own weapon and aiming it at Due's face. Three men raised theirs and pointed them at Esteban.

"You're going to regret this!" Matías screamed as he came closer. I could just see him out of the corner of my eye, as guy after guy tried to step in his path. He threw punches, tossing them aside, but there were two men for every man he dispatched.

"Maybe," Due agreed. "But not before your brothers are dead."

Matías froze and RJ, one of my least favorite Dirty Dogs, got a hit in across his cheek.

"That's right, Matías. There's an attack on your brothers' place as we speak." Due slanted his gaze my way. "Did I say I cleared out the new club? I meant I cleared out theproblemsand left a handful alive who wanted to separate from Matthews' insufferable rules. They agreed to assist if I promised them a slice of the pie. With both you and the brothers out of the way, there's no one else for them to worry about."

Amorette. Thebaby.

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