Page 151 of Steel

“Or anyone else,” I mutter.

“Yeah, that too.”

I pull into the driveway of the abandoned place I’d found her at and take in the damaged house. There’s no way that shit is going to be any good, which defeats the damn purpose of us using it as leverage against Killer.

“Can you make it in there, or do you need to stay here?”

Shooting a glare at her, I climb down from the Bronco. Pain wracks my body, but I keep it hidden behind the mask I’m so damn good at wearing. She doesn’t need to worry about me when there’s so much other shit going on.

“I can make it,” I snap.

Her brows raise, and she purses her lips. “All right, tough guy. Let’s go then.”

The abandoned neighborhood still sits as empty as it was the night I found her, but I don’t let my guard down, knowing Killer could have people staking this place out for just this reason. Despite the way it may seem, he’s not a stupid man, and there’s a good chance he knows she’s probably hidden the pictures.

I slide my gun from the holster under my cut and hold it loosely in my hand. My eyes drift between our surroundings and the woman marching her way to the dilapidated house in front of us.

“This place looks even worse than the last time we were here,” she says, shoving the half-broken door the rest of the way open.

Last time, we had to squeeze through the fucking opening. Examining the door now that we’re in the daylight, I can tell this damage is man-made and not from being exposed to the elements.

“Careful,” I call softly when Bailee stumbles over a piece of wood sticking up from the floor.

While she goes in search of the film, I watch our backs from the front door. I don’t have faith that Killer won’t take this chance to sneak up on us. It’s what I’d do if I was him.

The trees across the road draw my eye as they sway in the breeze. Their trunks are wide enough for someone to hide behind if they need to, and with how dense the woods are over there, it’d be hard to pick out what belongs and what doesn’t.

“Someone has definitely been here looking for something,” Bailee calls to me from somewhere in the house.

There. About ten feet in. They moved, and for a short moment, they were visible through the thickness of the branches and leaves.

A loud crack followed by the splintering of wood and Bailee’s screams have me turning on my feet and running through the house to find her. Agony pierces every part of my body from the fight last night, but I shove it away as I hurry toward her.

“Bailee,” I yell.

Shoes collide with the wooden floor as she rushes to me, her hand clenched into a fist at her side. The color has faded from her face, and her eyes are wide with fear.

“Someone just shot at me,” she pants.

“Yeah,” I say, grabbing her hand. “They’re in the woods. Were you able to find it?”

She unfolds her fingers, showing me the canister in the middle of her palm. “Now, we just have to hope that nothing damaged it.”

Another shot scrapes against metal, and I grit my teeth when I realize they hit my fucking Bronco. Before we can take another step, shot after shot rings out, and I keep count in my head.

“Goin’ to have to reload, and that’s when you’re goin’ to run for the Bronco while I keep you covered. Sounds like only one person out there, but now they know we’re here, there will be more comin’. We need to be out of here before that happens. I can take on one or two, but not as many as Killer will send.”

Bailee’s shoulders snap straight, and her eyes harden as she nods. “We need to do something with this so we don’t lose it.”

“Gonna damage it if you stick it in your shoe?”

She grimaces, not liking the idea, but shrugs anyway. “No worse than it could be now.”

Bailee leans down and slides the canister into her tennis shoe, moving her foot around until she can get it into a place that’s comfortable before rising back up and staring at me expectantly.

I guide her to the door, being sure to keep my body in front of hers. I’m a bigger target, so they’ll aim at me first.

“When I tell you to, run to the Bronco and jump in then get low. I’ll keep him distracted while you do.”

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