Page 56 of Stray
“God, you’re fucking amazing, strawberry.” I drew her gaze to mine. For just a second, we were the only people in the room. Time stood still. We were one.
Then Rebel kicked the door open, shattering the illusion. He stood in the threshold, hands raised to show he was unarmed.
“I’m here, motherfuckers. Who wants to die first?”
CHAPTER THIRTY
STRAY
“Very funny.” Forgetting about Codie, Noah stepped toward Rebel, his gun raised. “Get inside and close the door.”
Completely unafraid, Rebel tilted his head to one side as if considering the instruction. “Let Codie go first. She has nothing to do with any of this, and you damn well know it. Since when do we bring innocent parties into this shit? Is that really the way you want to do things? Didn’t you learn from River’s mistakes?”
Noah’s face reddened. His finger tightened on the trigger. Honestly, I was surprised that he hadn’t already blown a hole in Rebel’s head. I got the feeling that he didn’t want to rush that moment. He wanted to savor it.
“Fair enough. Let’s have it your way. Colt, untie Codie.” Not once did Noah take his icy stare off Rebel.
Colt made a noise of disappointment but did as he was told. He cut through the ropes holding Codie, allowing her to get off the chair. She staggered as she took a few steps. Her legs were likely numb from the rope.
“I don’t want to leave without Stray.” Her worried gaze darted to me.
“Leave now or you don’t leave,” Noah snapped.
“I left my keys in my car,” I said. “Take it and get out of here.”
She hesitated near the door. She knew this was her only chance to escape, and yet she struggled to leave me behind. Fuck, I adored this woman. Right now I needed to know she was safe and alive. Nothing else mattered.
“It’s all right, strawberry. Go ahead. Get out of here while you can.” I nodded, doing my best to silently tell her I would be fine. I would see her soon.
With a muffled sob, she slipped past Rebel and disappeared into the night. My shoulders slumped in relief.
Colt kept his gun on me while Noah aimed at Rebel. The situation wasn’t looking too good. Especially not when Noah told Rebel to sit on the chair Codie had just vacated.
Hands stuffed into his pockets, Rebel sauntered across the room toward the chair like he didn’t have a care in the world. Even I envied his composure. I was ready to snap.
Rebel sat down on the chair, scrutinizing Colt’s technique as he began to tie him up. “Really? This is how you’re going to kill me? Tied to a chair? That’s pretty fucking pathetic.”
Instead of using the gun, Noah pulled a knife on Rebel, pressing it against the side of his neck. “You’ve got a lot of attitude for a man that’s about to die. Are those your final words?”
“Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. Those knots might have held Codie but they sure as hell won’t hold me. Maybe you should Google how to tie a proper knot.” Rebel’s grin grew wide. He was enjoying every moment.
That’s why we were best friends. We were both more than a little crazy. This life wasn’t for everyone. One needed to be a little unhinged to handle it.
“Maybe you need to start taking this a little more seriously.” Moving swiftly, Noah stabbed the knife into the top of Rebel’s thigh.
That’s when the back door of the warehouse opened. Casper, Dom, and Auryn filed in with guns held ready. As Colt turned to take a shot at them, I leapt from my place on the floor, tackling him down. I wrapped my hand around his, keeping him from firing the gun. After slamming my elbow into his face, I was able to tear the weapon from his grasp.
“Back the fuck off.” Dom pushed forward, shoving his gun in Noah’s face. “Drop your fucking weapons.”
Noah let the knife fall to the floor with a clatter. He dropped his gun next. Both hands raised, he seemed to be inwardly cursing himself for taking his eyes off the cameras outside. Did he really think Rebel would come alone? Did anyone ever?
“Son of a fucking bitch.” Pressing a hand to his bleeding thigh, Rebel picked up the chair he’d been sitting on and smashed Noah in the face with it. “You stabbed me, motherfucker. Big mistake. Do you know how pissed my fiancée will be?”
“Tie them both up,” I said, shoving Colt onto his knees. “Dom, do you have the revolver?”
We all preferred semi-automatics for how easy they were to use and reload. However, there were times when a revolver proved useful. Dominik often carried both.
“I sure do.” Dom pulled the gun from the small holster strapped to his belt.
