Page 120 of Ravaged Saints

Dante lifts his boot and kicks the guy right in the head, cracking his skull open. The other tries to reach him, but I shoot before he can even take a step.

“Watch out!” Aspen screams.

I drop to my knees as two men come shooting. We are sitting ducks here. “Dante, take her!” I order, firing against them, making them hide behind the trees.

“They killed her. They killed Bryn!” Aspen’s screams tear through me, each one sharper than the last. My grip tightens on the gun, and I feel the fucking burn of tears threatening my eyes. What the hell happened? Please don’t tell me Ethan did this.

“What?” Dante pulls her up, and she points to a puddle of blood next to us, his eyes locked on mine as he drags her away.

“No! Stop!” Aspen’s screams are guttural, filled with a pain so deep it twists in my chest.

“Where are they?” I ask, forcing myself to stay steady while my insides fucking break. I didn’t like Bryn, but this? She didn’t fucking deserve this.

“Was it Ethan?” Dante asks, but Aspen is too far gone to answer. She sobs, screams, and clings to him as if letting go will make it real.

“Fuck this shit!” I raise on my feet and stride forward, the two fuckers come out from behind the trees and before they can even raise their guns I shoot both of them in the head, their bodies fall to the ground and I hear Aspen sobbing even more, I turn and head back to them.

“Dante.”

He snaps his gaze to me.

“Stand guard.”

He nods, shifting to his feet, rifle raised as he scans the clearing. We’re still sitting ducks out here, and I need to pull Aspen out of this before we all end up dead.

“Aspen.”

My tone is hard and commanding, and I grab her shoulders, shaking her just enough to bring her back. Her bloodshot eyes finally meet mine.

“She’s—” Her breath stutters.

“Where is her body?” I ask, my eyes never leaving hers, trying to ground her.

“The older man told his man to take her body!” She yells, “They laughed, Knox! They said you would never find her body?!” She starts to struggle to breathe.

Fucking hell!

“Aspen, look at me! Now!” I growl, my finger pressing hard on her chin.

She opens, still gasping for air, “I need you to count to ten with me!” I order, and I start counting. She joins in slowly, her voice cracking at each number, but her breathing starts to slow down.

“Was it Ethan?” I ask, rage burning through my veins.

She shakes her head. “Some older guy.” The words barely make it out, as she sobs.

I search Aspen’s body for injuries, and that’s when I notice that her jeans are unbuttoned. “Aspen,” I brush my hands on her zipper.

“Ethan.” She murmurs.

I look up, locking eyes with Dante, and his jaw is clenched so tight that I can hear his teeth grind. “I’m going to kill him; I’m going to kill them all,” he grits out.

“How many?” I ask, gripping Aspen’s face tighter, keeping her locked on me.

“Ten… maybe more.” Her words are barely audible, almost swallowed by the tension.

“Guns?” Dante’s questions, his eyes darting around.

“Maybe half of them. The others had knives.” She’s still looking at me, pleading like I can bring Bryn back just by wanting it hard enough.

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