Page 40 of Stone Cold Bad
I motioned with my head toward the door.“Slide it open.”
As he opened the door, skull went flying past the opening, landing hard on the driveway.I shoved red out with my foot and climbed out with my gun, ready to kill any fucker who came near me.
Slade’s grinning face greeted me.“Holy shit, you’re a mess.”
Loud grunts came from the other side of the van.Slade leaned his head that direction.“Hunter is taking care of the circus strongman back there.”
A low groan came from behind me.Skull was just coming to.Slade had already done a number on him.He pushed halfway to his feet.Slade stepped forward, but I put up a hand to stop him.
“My turn.”My leg flew out.I kicked the guy’s head so hard, blood flew from his ears.He flopped face down on the driveway.I looked around.“Where’s the fourth guy?”
“The small dude ran toward the beach.Hunter scared him.”
Hunter walked around to our side of the van.His knuckles were bright red, and there was some blood sprayed on his shirt.But it wasn’t his blood.“Who did I scare?”He looked at me.“Fuck.What the hell did they do, drag you behind a fucking horse?”
“Feels like it.We’ve got to get back—” A gunshot fired through the trees, and we all ducked.Slade reached for his gun.
“I’ve got this.I’m suddenly feeling much better, and I’m in the mood for a little payback.”I headed to a small brick wall that lined the driveway and dropped down behind it.I waited for a flicker of movement.There was more than a flicker.Another shot was fired.He was just shooting blindly.I, on the other hand, saw exactly where the shot had come from.The second he dashed away from the tree he’d been hiding behind, I fired a round.He yelled out and grabbed his leg.
Hunter nodded.“Not bad for a guy who looks like he’s been run over by a tractor.”
“Let’s get out of here.We need to get to Ward’s place and find Jade.She’s in a lot of danger.”
“Yep, we’ve got the address,” Slade said.“That was where we were headed after this place if we couldn’t find you.”
Hunter walked over and patted me on the shoulder.“Glad we found you, little bro.”
“Yeah, me too.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
JADE
Icame to just as Ray was pulling into the driveway.For a second, the facade of the house looked so familiar, I’d forgotten what had happened.For a split second of time, I was back with Ray still trying to figure out how to eventually free myself from the man I hated.Then Colt’s battered face flashed through my mind, and I broke into sobs.
Ray walked around to the passenger side and gripped my arm like a vise as he pulled me roughly from the car.“You’ll have to get over this drama scene fast, sweetheart, because it’s getting on my nerves.”
“You were supposed to let him go,” I cried.“That was part of the deal.”I wrenched my arm free and ran.He grabbed my hair.I reached back to keep him from ripping it out of my head.I fell back hard on my ass, but he kept his grip on my hair.He yanked on it, and I reached up to the roots to stop the pain.
“Get up or I’ll drag you back to the house by your hair.”
I got to my feet.My tailbone ached from the fall.I sighed with relief when he released my hair.His hand wrapped around my wrist.There were several men standing in front of the house like guards.
“See, you’re so fucking hated, you have to pay people to protect you from your enemies.”
“That’s what happens when you make a lot of money.”We got to the front door.“Seems you can buy anything when you have big bucks.”He opened the door and pushed me inside.“By now, that scumbag you were living with is dead.If you leave, there’ll be no one to run to.Besides, I’ll just track you down again.”
I swayed on my feet.I’d caused Colt’s death.The man I loved.I thought about that for a second.I loved him.It wasn’t just passion and an infatuation, I had fallen in love with Colt.
I spun around.“Then just kill me.Living here with you is far worse than a long, slow death.”
“That can be arranged too.Don’t bother to run.The guards are there to keep enemies out and you in.”He walked toward his study, which, of course, meant he was going for the bourbon.In less than an hour, he’d be drunk and even more vile.
I watched him walk to his study door and realized my hatred for the man had gone past the point of sanity.He’d killed Colt for no reason.I grabbed a heavy copper vase from the table in the entry.I ran toward Ray.The fake flowers fluttered to the ground as I lifted the vase over my head.
Ray turned around and lifted his arm.My forearms nearly broke in half as they smacked his hard arm.The vase bounced off his shoulder and clanged loudly as it clattered to the marble floor.He swung his fist at me, and I stumbled back.Shards of light sparked across my vision and I couldn’t tell which way was up.I fell hard onto the cold floor.
Ray reached down and pinched my skin painfully as he grabbed my arm.This time, he didn’t wait for me to get to my feet.The skin on my legs stuttered along the smooth floor as he dragged me to his study.My head lolled back as he grabbed both my arms and jerked me to my feet.With a solid push, he shoved me onto the sofa.My neck snapped and my head jolted back and forth.Everything turned fuzzy gray.I flopped down on the cushions and hid my face to keep the room from spinning.
