Page 127 of Hawk
“We’ve got to move.”
She nodded and exhaled before wiping her tear-stained cheeks on her sleeve. Carefully, she opened the bedroom door and peeked out the crack. She motioned with her hand for me to follow her, and I stepped behind her as we walked through the doorway. When we got to the hallway, I stepped in front of her and lifted the knife up, ready to use it on anyone who tried to stop Carla and me from escaping.
I pressed my finger to my closed lips like she’d done to me, and she silently followed me down the hallway. Music was coming from the other side of the house, and with cautious steps, I peeked around the corner before entering the living room. Carla kept her hand on my back as we crept through the filthy house, almost like she needed to ground herself.
“Get me something to drink,” one man yelled, and I could hear Araneta sassing him under her breath as she walked into the kitchen.
Carla trembled behind me, and I could feel it in her hand on my back as I paused our movements and listened for Araneta. She closed the fridge door and was bitching about her fair share as she walked back to the room at the rear of the house and closed the door. The same chemical smell wafted out of the room when the door was open, and I looked over my shoulder at Carla.
When I was sure they were back in the room, I reached behind me and took her hand into mine before moving us quickly and quietly through the maze of garbage on the floor. The front door was within reach when a voice came from behind us.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
I turned and pushed Carla behind me as a man staggered toward us. His eyes were red and glassy, his skin was greasy, and the stench coming off him was horrible. Raising the knife in front of me, he smiled and his rotten teeth were like black pegs in his sore-covered mouth.
“Well, look at you. That cunt is right. We can get a good price for you.” He glanced down at the knife in my hand and back to me as he took another step closer. “What do you think you’re gonna do with that?”
“I’m going to stop you,” I said, and he laughed into the room.
I feared his noise was going to draw Araneta and the other man out, but from the volume of the music coming from where they were, they probably couldn’t hear anything going on out here.
“And how are you gonna do that?” he asked and made a mocking jump toward us.
Carla was pushed against the door and both her small hands were on my back as he got closer. “Cover your eyes,” I said softly over my shoulder to her, praying he wouldn’t hear me.
The man shortened the distance between us, and as he got closer, I gripped the knife tighter, praying I didn’t lose my hold on it. If he got it, we were both dead—or we’d wish we were—so I had to keep calm.
The last step the man took was as close as I was letting him get to us. He went to swing on me, but I dodged his telescoped punch before thrusting the knife forward. I caught him in the middle of his chest, and his eyes grew wide and his mouth opened as he looked down at the blade protruding from his skin.
“You fucking bitch,” he started to say, and with the knife gripped firmly in my hand, I twisted it, feeling muscle and tendons shredding under the serrated blade. He began to stammer and almost immediately fell to his knees before toppling over to the side.
Carla was crouched behind me with her hands over her ears as I turned to her. He wasn’t a threat, but the other two could be on their way, and we had to get out of here.
“Come on. We have to go,” I urged, pulling her hands away from her ears.
She brought her teary eyes to me as I pulled her to her feet and grasped the doorknob in my hand. Without hesitation, I flung the door open and gripped her forearm tightly as I dragged her from the house. She tried to keep up, but stumbled and fell to her knees.
I lifted her from her knees and helped her as we ran through the uncut grass and out onto the street. There weren’t any cars moving around as I looked down and asked her, “Where is the Death Hounds compound?”
She pointed to our left, and we began running down the street toward safety. I didn’t look back to see if anyone was chasing us, and when we got to the end of the block, she pointed straight and I kept us moving.
The sound of a motorcycle began to grow louder, and I didn’t want to make a mistake and get captured again. The house to our right had no lights on, so I pulled her into the side yard and we ducked behind an old car sitting on blocks. When I could see the lights from the bike, I whispered to her, “Stay here and I’ll be right back.”
She tried to grab my arm, but I pulled it from her as I carefully stepped out of the shadows. The lights from the motorcycle flashed across me, and I waved my arms over my head, praying I hadn’t just fucked us. The bike slowed down, and when it got to the curb, I saw a familiar face jumping off.
Skid ran to me, and I nearly collapsed into his arms. He caught me and tried to get me to his bike, only for me to shake my head and say, “We have to get Carla.”
“Who’s Carla?” Skid asked, and I ran back to get her.
She was hiding, curled into a small ball, her eyes closed, and when I reached for her, she jumped and tried to scurry away. I carefully approached her and said, “He’s here to help. I promise you’re safe.”
She didn’t seem to believe me, but I had to get us away from danger. Pulling her to her feet, I practically dragged her to Skid’s bike and noticed he was texting someone. He lifted his eyes to me as we ran to the bike. I put her behind him on the seat, and I held onto Skid with my arms wrapped around Carla, my ass barely fitting on the seat as he sped away from our nightmare.
I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but the one thing I did know was I needed Colton and we had to figure out who Carla was and where she belonged. I made that young woman a promise and I intended to keep it.
She was going to be safe and cared for, even if I had to be the one to do it.
