Page 52 of T-Bone
I managed to get to my feet, and I saw him, looking like a crazed man bathed in moonlight.
“He loved her and that little girl so much.”
I held back a snort and rolled my eyes. “Yeah, then explain the black eyes and busted lips. Explain the broken arm. Or the broken clavicle when she was pregnant with Gemma. Or the other three babies he beat out of her.”
“Shut the fuck up!”
Gotcha.The moon acted as a spotlight and I took aim and squeezed the trigger, tagging his left shoulder. He hit the ground with a loud grunt. “He beat her so badly she couldn’t even leave the house for weeks at a time.”
“He didn’t.” Nate’s grunted disbelief was palpable, almost anguished.
“He did and if you’re saying you didn’t see it then you don’t know yourbrotheras well as you thought you did. And if you did, then you’re as much of a monster as he was.”
“Marcus would never.”
Footsteps sounded to my left and without hesitation, I turned, aimed and shot once.
A groan sounded followed by the sound of a body hitting the forest floor.
“Matrix? Chico? Answer me goddammit!”
He was worried now, afraid that he hadn’t brought enough men.
“I’m here.” The deep voice was close, but I couldn’t get a good direction on the sound.
“Chico, thank fuck! Get that bitch and bring her to me. Now!”
Assuming the man, Chico, was coming from the opposite direction from where the other guy went down, I crawled towards the body that still hadn’t moved, but I wasn’t quick enough. A pair of hands grabbed my hair, catching me off guard.
“No!” The word left my mouth before I thought to hold it back.
Nate laughed. “Gotcha, bitch.”
Chico started to walk, and I made it as difficult as possible, calling on the skills I taught the women who attended the self-defense classes I taught twice a week after handing in my detective’s shield. I kicked my legs and twisted my torso, making it impossible for him to take more than a few steps withoutstumbling. My foot finally connected with the space between his legs, earning me a grunt.
“Fucking bitch.” He dropped me to the ground and hooked an arm around my waist, which allowed him to carry me more easily.
“That’s right, bring her to me.” Nate stood there, proud and smiling. “Now that we have her, we’ll just have the Steel Demons trade the little girl for this pain in the ass.” His smirk only pissed me off.
Trade. That was his big genius plan? We didn’t even know Gemma was there for certain. Though I hoped if T-Bone and his club brothers were following my lead, they’d get to the cabin and find her. I decided to buy myself some time and let Nate think we had her, “That’s a dumb fucking plan,” I finally said. “They won’t trade.”
“We’ll see about that. Chico get this bitch back to the bike.”
I laughed, distracting him while I figured out my next way out. “Yeah, we will see. Or you will, anyway.”
He shook his head. “Too bad we’re meetin’ like this. I might’ve liked you.”
There it is.I found what I was looking for, hooked to my belt loop on the right side. I slid my finger through the cold metal hook and gripped it tight. “Too bad abusive assholes don’t really do it for me.” I reached back with my right hand and drove the finger blade deep into Chico’s throat. Over and over I stabbed him, in quick, staccato jabs until his grip went slack and his body began to fall.
I fell to my hands and knees about ten feet from Nate, quickly scrambling to my feet and putting more distancebetween us. “I really didn’t want to have to kill anybody, but you left me no choice.”
He flashed a tight grin, but his eyes were dark with malice and delight. “Don’t worry because Chico is the last person you’ll ever kill.” He raised his gun and aimed it right at me. “Get ready to die, bitch.” His finger slid to the trigger, hand as steady as the trees that surrounded us.
“You first,” I said and then lunged forward, leading with my finger blade. I knew I had to be aggressive because despite my training, Nate was bigger and stronger. The blade sank into his side, but he reacted quickly, slamming both hands—and the butt of the gun—down on my back.
I dropped to my knees with a grunt.
And that was my final mistake.
