Page 44 of Wrecked

Finger-sized bruises littered the inside of her thighs and she winced when she entered the water.

Rebel floated on the water closer to Angel. If he could carry his weapons in the house, or get his hands on a knife in the kitchen, then he could have sliced and diced the fucker into pieces.

But then he would be on the run and trying to get Angel out of there. And with all of Jimmy’s men, he would never make it.

And of that, Rebel knew without a doubt. If he killed Jimmy and had to get out alone, no problem, but with Angel in tow?

Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

It was only a matter of waiting for the right time and Crow would come for him.

“Tonight,” Rebel whispered when Angel floated closer in the warm pool, beneath the clouded sky.

Tears started in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks.

She ducked beneath the surface to hide them and Rebel dove beneath the water with her.

Jimmy shifted in his chair and took a long swallow of his bourbon on the rocks. Watching the two young teenagers swimming like seals in the water gave him a hard-on that wasn’t going to be satisfied until he had them both together. Surrounding him, over and under him. Imagining their combined sounds of release or pain, he rubbed his hand hard over his crotch.

Tonight, he would bring them both to his room. He knew instinctively that with Angel along, Rebel would be much more compliant. It gave him a way to avoid rape because Rebel caredabout Angel. First, he would try coaxing the man, but if Rebel refused, all Jimmy had to do was threaten Angel and Rebel would be his.

“Hey, Boss,” Dennis said coming out of the house and drawing his attention from his possessions.

“What?” Jimmy asked when his right-hand man sat down at the table.

“Mitch is missing,” Dennis said.

Just then, Jimmy’s cell phone rang and he made a sound in his throat when his boss’s name flashed on the screen.

There was going to be hell to pay, and he steeled himself when he answered the call.

Dinner that night was strained and Rebel wondered what the hell had happened.

Men came in and out of the room constantly, interrupting the servers as they began to eat.

“It’s San Diego,” Dennis said, coming into the room holding out a cell phone.

Jimmy slammed down his fork and stalked from the room.

Angel gazed at him with wide, fearful eyes and Rebel held a finger to his lips.

He waited, and when Jimmy didn’t come back after ten minutes, Rebel pushed away from the table. Angel grabbed her sweater from the back of her chair and pulled it on. Rebel took Angel’s hand and drew her to the back door.

Since going outside in the back of the house was not uncommon, the two guards at the door moved aside to let them pass.

“Tell Jimmy we’re in the gardens,” Rebel said, and one guard nodded.

With their fingers linked, Rebel drew Angel along the winding path until they reached a stand of trees that butted up against a concrete wall.

Beneath Angel’s sweater was a thin dress that didn’t protect from the weather, but Rebel hadn’t wanted to waste time to change. He would give her the new sweats Crow had purchased for him the other day. They were about the same size, although the pants would be too long.

They only had minutes before Jimmy would find them gone and even though the man would know they were in the gardens, Jimmy would come and check on them.

Of that, Rebel had no doubt.

Crow was in place when Rebel and Angel walked along the path that led to the back wall.

Dressed all in black with a hooded mask, Crow was all but invisible. He thought back over the conversation with Real. He would bide his time and wait, and someday he was going to come back and put an end to Lincoln.

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