Page 50 of Wildflowers

He blows out a breath. “You have the absolute worst timing.”

“Yeah.”

“Do me a favor. Do that again later when I can do something about it, okay?”

“Um. I am going to go do the walk.”

“Good idea,” he says, turning to check out the road into town. But then he grabs me by the upper arm and drags me back behind the bus in a hurry. “Get down. Keep your head down.”

But it’s too little, too late. Because out of the bushes heading down to the creek on our right comes one of the men from yesterday. The one with long dark hair and tattoos. And he’s pointing a semiautomatic in our direction as he walks out from between a couple of the cars we parked off road from the blockade.

Shit, shit, shit.

“You’re outnumbered,” shouts Cody the Creep.He’swalking down the road toward us with three friends. “In case you can’t count.”

Dean swears beneath his breath.

The long-haired dude ushers us out of hiding. His face is as blank as can be. “Weapons on the ground. Slowly.”

We both do as told. Dean turns as he kneels to place his weapon on the ground. Just enough for me to see the bulge down low in the back of his tee. He still has a gun tucked into the back waistband of his jeans.

The man keeps a careful eye on him, just waiting for him to try something. And Dean’s jaw is set and his shoulders are heaving. Like the minute he sees an opening, he is going to tear them to pieces.

“I don’t blame you for being distracted. But no one’s going to hurt her,” says the stranger in a low voice. “Just stay calm and we get out of this in one piece.”

“Are you sure about that?” mutters Dean.

“So good to see you again,” says Cody as he gets within chatting distance. Such a fucking creep. “Where’s your other friend? The redhead with the nice tits? Not that it matters. Nash here told me there’s ten or so in your group, and I cannot wait to meet them all. See who might be of interest to us and who belongs in a hole in the ground. Not going to lie to you, big guy. That’s probably where you’re headed. Because Porter sure did like what he heard about your wife. He can’twaitto meet her.”

Two of the new men with him look me over with prurient interest. One even licks his lips.Ew.But the third stares glassy-eyed off into the distance. No idea what he’s on, but he’s feeling the effects big time.

I refuse to be afraid of these dicks. No matter how much my hands are shaking. And my big mouth gave us an opportunity to escape last time. I wonder if it might work its magic again. “Oh, so you guys are like his errand boys? That must make you feel really important.”

Dean sighs and says, “Baby…”

Cody sneers and raises his hand.

But the one with the gun on us, Nash, says, “Porter wanted her unmarked and in one piece.”

“Fuck’s sake. Where’s the kid?” Cody asks Nash.

“Told him to wait back in the bushes.”

“Thought the whole fucking reason you wanted him along was so he could learn how we worked.”

“He doesn’t need to see this,” says Nash—smoothly moving his aim to Cody.

It all happens so quickly. None of the four men he came with even manage to raise their weapons in time. Nash takes out three of his companions with a single shot to each. The fourth is dropped by Dean with his hidden handgun. Blood blossoms between their eyes and all of the men fall limply to the asphalt.

Whoa.

Birds startled by the sound of the guns take flight from nearby trees. The sounds of shouting and doors slamming come from the small town waking up in a hurry behind us.

But calm as can be, Nash sets down his weapon, along with a variety of other guns and knives. Like, a whole lot of them. He’s done what he set out to do, apparently.

Dean wastes no time scooping up his other pistol and putting me behind him. “What the fuck is happening here?”

Hands held up high, Nash stands still. “I’m going to call to the boy. Then you’ll understand. But don’t hurt him—he’s not armed, he’s just a child.”

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