Page 38 of Old Flame

The man chuckled. “Come now. Word is, you got a woman on the back of your bike and a ring on your finger, Abe. What do you want with this hot cunt? Just taking my pay, is all.”

I shivered, trying not to think about what would happen to me if they took me. I might not die, but I would want to. I’d much rather take a bullet than be raped.

“Easy, beautiful,” the man holding me said. “No need to tremble. Lord won’t share you. He likes to make hot little bitcheslike you his sole property.” He paused, and his hot breath was on my skin. I winced. “But if he gets bored, I’ll be the first one to get a taste of this pussy.” He then pressed his hardness beneath his jeans against my lower back.

“Hatter!” Lord’s voice was a sharp sound that had the man holding me to his chest straightening.

“Sorry, brother. She smells so good,” he replied.

Lord glared at him.

“Last chance,” the blue-eyed man that Micah had called Lick said, his voice a snarl, unlike previously.

I saw Micah raise a hand, as if to tell Lick to hold on, but Lick’s threatening gaze was locked on Lord before it moved to me.

“Now, this seems to be a lot of wasted effort for a cunt,” Lord said.

The time it took for me to blink, I saw Lick’s lightning quick move, and then the gun was aimed at me or the man holding me. It was so brief, and then I was falling forward as something wet hit my cheek. The man’s hold was gone, and he fell back, splayed out on the floor.

Shouts, then another one of the men with Lord went down. I sucked in air, frozen in horror. Looking down at my arm, I saw splatters of blood, and I wanted to scream, but nothing came out.

“Let’s go,” a now-familiar male voice said, and I lifted my gaze to see Lick in front of me.

I blinked up at him. “Did you shoot me?” My words came out barely above a whisper.

An offended look came over him. “No, doll. I shot the fucker who had you. That’s his blood. We’ll get it off.”

I swallowed and nodded, although he hadn’t asked me a question. My throat was so tight that I felt as if I couldn’t speak, so I didn’t try again.

“Take her out the back!” Micah ordered. “Have the otherstaken to the bikes.”

Lick nodded but kept his eyes locked on me. “Can you walk?”

I said nothing. I had on one heel. Where was my other? Where was Kendrix?

I turned then to look for Kendrix or my shoe. Not sure what I should be doing. Then a scream tore from my throat at the sight of Kendrix on the ground. Blood coming from his mouth and his eyes staring blankly. He’d been shot. Who had shot him? Why?

Arms scooped me up, and I started to fight back.

“Easy, wildcat,” Lick said and jostled me until he was carrying me close to his chest. “Gotta get you outta here.”

I stared up at him as he began to walk. Where was he taking me? Where was Pepper?

“He’s dead.” I said the two words aloud more for my sake than anything. Letting it sink in.

“Fucker shouldn’t have stolen whatever drug the Landiagos were smuggling through his art gallery,” he replied, glancing down at me. “You aren’t involved in that shit, are you?”

I shook my head, not understanding. “What shit?”

He did a survey of my face, then lifted his eyes back to see where he was going. “Good. Not that they’d get to you. I’d kill ’em first.”

Who?

“What’s the Landiagos?” I asked instead.

“Lord and his gang. They’ve been transporting drugs into the Miami port for years, but mostly stay out of our way. Until today.”

And Kendrix had been helping them? He was dead. His kids! Oh God, and Marlana!

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