Page 76 of Ruthless

I can make out the vague outline of a yellow box truck sitting in the driveway with the engine running, and my heart jumps into my throat. If they enclose us inside, we’re as good as dead.

Everything Connor and Rory taught me about self-defense comes rushing back as I run through different scenarios in my head. They never covered what to do when zip ties bound my hands together, but I’ll just have to think on my feet. The quicker I come up with a plan, the better. One they won’t suspect. I just hope it’s enough.

I tangle up my feet and pretend to lose my balance. It’s a tactic that’s worked on winning fights with my brothers in the past. Most of my body weight shifts forward, causing Lobo to lose his balance. We teeter forward, but he pulls me back upright before either one of us can hit the ground.

“Watch where you’re going, you stupid fucking bitch!” His hand clamps down on my arm so hard that I wince at the pain. I can already feel the burn of the bruise forming, but it gives me the opportunity I need. I let the momentum of his body force me back and work in my favor. I slam my head back until I hear the crunching of bone.

“God damn it!” He drops his hold on me to cover his nose, and I don’t wait around to find out how bad the damage is.

Fiona did something similar because Javi shouts out in pain as well. It’s our one shot, and we’re going to take it.

“Run!” I grab Fiona’s bound hands with my own, and we rush toward the cover of the forest like our life depends on it because it does.

“Lobo!” another voice shouts from the truck, but I don’t look back to see who it belongs to.

“Get the cunt!” Lobo’s nasally voice shouts. From the sounds of it, I got him good.

A smile spreads across my face. It doesn’t make up for the way he slashed up my back, but I still managed to inflict some type of damage, and I’m damn proud of myself.

Dirt and sticks dig into the soles of our bare feet the farther away we get. Gunshots ring out and hit the ground next to us, but we keep going. We’re almost there. A few more feet, and we’ll be safe.

Freedom is within reach, but just as we’re about to disappear into safety, I’m grabbed from behind. I lose my hold on Fiona as I’m lifted off the ground. “No! Let me go, you asshole.” I kick and scream, ignoring the fire crawling all along my back.

“Did you think you could escape me?” he growls in my ear. “I’ve hunted down and killed more skilled targets than you.” He spins me around and forces me back the way we came. “Walk.”

We make it only two steps when an explosion hits, knocking us back off our feet. The wind is knocked out of me as my ass hits the dirt.

“Kennedy!” A sudden lightness fills me at the sound of that familiar voice.

I open my mouth to let him know where I am when Lobo points the barrel of his gun at my forehead. “Don’t you fucking open that mouth.”

“What are we going to do, Lobo?” Javi asks, out of breath.

“She’s the one he came for, so let’s leave him a bread crumb.” He jerks his chin in Fiona’s direction, and chills rush through me.

Javi takes out a knife and slams it straight into her stomach. She hunches over and falls to the ground.

“Fiona!” Tears fall down my cheeks as I watch my friend lie there with her hand covering the wound. Blood leaks out over the dingy gown they gave us to wear.

Lobo slaps his palm over my mouth, cutting off the rest of my words. “Shut up. Or I’ll carve you up next and send you back to him in pieces.” He forces me up against his chest and walks backward. The house becomes farther and farther away until we disappear into the covering of the forest.

Javi follows after us, wiping Fiona’s blood off on the front of his T-shirt. They leave her on the ground like she’s nothing more than the trash they dumped off.

“Head that way toward the back of the property, and we’ll meet up on the other side.” Lobo jerks his head to the left, keeping his hand around my mouth.

“You sure we should split up?” Javi’s forehead wrinkles.

“I’m sure. They can’t follow us both.” Lobo spins us around and continues to walk deeper into the forest.

I dig my heels into the ground to slow us down, but it doesn’t work. My ankle twists as I’m shoved forward.

“Do that again. I fucking dare you.” He digs the barrel of the gun deeper into my temple, and I shiver. “Keep moving. You try anymore shit, and it won’t end well. I promise you that.”

The birds chirp as he forces me to walk through the dense forest. Pine needles scrape across my skin as I struggle to breathe. His grip is so tight that I can’t get much air. We walk a few more steps when we’re tackled from the side. I tuck and roll to avoid my weight landing on my stomach. It isn’t easy with the zip ties around my wrists, but I somehow manage. The impact causes Lobo to lose his grip on me for a fraction of a second, and then he’s on his feet a short time later. I stay on the ground, trying to catch my bearings.

“That’s far enough, Grady.” Zane’s gun is out and aimed at, who I know now is Grady’s head.

My body sags deeper against the ground at the sound of his voice. He’s here. He found me.

---