Page 8 of Deadly Ruck
"I've never used one," Max said as I handed him a handgun.
"If anyone points a gun at you, point that end at them and pull the trigger," I instructed. "Make sure you don't shoot one ofus." That was as much advice as we had time for right now. If we got through this, I'd happily give him more.
"Do you know who it is?" Chelsea asked softly. She took a gun without flinching, even though I knew she didn't want to use one. She was the strongest, most beautiful women I ever met. Much stronger than she gave herself credit for.
I wished I could have kept her from this, but I couldn't. There was an inevitability about it that was out of my control. Not just because the Brantley family wanted her back into the fold, but because she belonged to this life more than she was prepared to admit. She wasn't going to go and hide in a cupboard and let us deal with whoever was coming. She'd stand back to back with the rest of us until the end.
"No, but I have a few guesses," I said. "Everyone get down and start heading for the back door." I didn't want to get pinned down in here if we could help it.
The moonlight was fainter in here, but I made out Frost, crouched beside me. "I don't suppose you have a secret tunnel anywhere in this place?"
"Not that I know of," he said. "I'll be sure to have one added after this."
I nodded. That sucked, but it was what it was. The mansion had one. More than one. We could have escaped through one of them and been gone before anyone noticed.
Here, we'd have to be careful.
Keeping to the back of the pack, I followed the others to the back door.
"Are we making a run for it?" Storm whispered, loud enough to make me wince.
"If it's safe." I worked my way around them to crouch beside him. "Open the door as quietly as you can."
He grunted, but did what I told him to, working the lock open with a soft click. He placed his hand on the handle and turned it slowly, easing the door open inward.
"There's someone out there," he said, more softly this time.
"Yeah," I agreed. Several someones. They had us surrounded. "Stay here. When they move away, run. Head for the forest and lose yourself in the trees."
"What are you gonna do?" Atlas asked.
I didn't answer. I rose to my feet and walked back to the front of the house, making no attempt to quiet my footsteps. I took out my phone and turned on the light before I unlocked the front door and pulled it open.
My gun down low, I moved the phone around, as if trying to figure out the source of the power outage. I kept the device in front of me, so the light would mask my identity, for now.
A male voice shouted and a couple of them converged on my position.
"What is this?" I demanded. Now was not the time to show fear. I was an innocent man who rented out this lovely, peaceful cottage for a couple of nights.
Okay, chances were, they weren’t going to buy that. A guy could try.
"Ferris Ramsey, who are you trying to bullshit?"
I turned the light and shone it right into Carlos Jones' eyes.
"Fuck." He put a hand up in front of his face. "You got a death wish?"
Slowly, and with no apology, I lowered the device. "Not tonight. Since when does the head of the Crimson Vipers come out to a place like this?" Especially in person.
"Since you have something I want," he said evenly.
"I'm flattered, but not interested," I said dryly. We both knew he wasn't talking about me, but I needed to keep him distracted so the others could sneak away. I'd keep him here for as longas possible. Even if he killed me for it. For a long time, I knew I might die to keep Chelsea safe. And the others. It was what I signed up for and what I'd take if that's how this went down. In the scheme of things, I was no one important. Just another lackey. Jones would kill me without a second thought or hint of regret.
He snorted. "You're not my type. If you were, I'd just insist. You do work for me, after all. Right?"
"Of course I do," I said. "If I have something you want, why not just ask?" We both knew it wasn't that simple. Even if I was loyal to him, I wasn't giving up my woman, not without a fight. I'd die first, but I preferred he be the one to do the dying.
"I was asking myself the same question," he said easily. "I said to myself, Carlos, why are you going to all this effort? Why not just take what you want, like you always do? And you know what the answer was?"
