Page 65 of Deadly Aloha
Unfortunately, the order to drop me was taken literally. When the Bloody Scorpions holding my arms and torso up suddenly released me, my weak body went crashing down onto the steps and gravity took care of the rest. I fell forward like a rag doll, toppling ass over head, down the steps to land in a crumpled heap on the dirt.
Pain lanced my entire frame, my muscles still weak and useless. “Ow…” With my face pressed into the dirt, the word was muffled.
“Damn, Paniolo, that looked like it hurt.”
That was one of the twins, which was a different voice than the one who had ordered the Bloody Scorpions to drop me.
I groaned at the fucker.
“Geez, your back is torn up, Prez.” I had no idea if that was the same twin or the other one.
“No shit,” I growled into the dirt. “Help me sit upright!”
Two sets of hands grabbed me around my arms, answering the question as to whether both twins were there. They got me to my knees. It took a modicum of effort to get my eyes to blink open.
I saw Bacon standing in front of me with his gun pointed over me. I would assume at the two Bloody Scorpions still on my porch. I glared at my SAA. “‘Drop him’? Really?”
Bacon shrugged, not entirely apologetic. “You’re alive, aren’t you?”
My jaw ticked. “Are there anymore?”
“Just these two that we’ve seen so far. Any alive inside?” Bacon asked me without taking his eyes off of his captives.
I was barely able to lift my head towards one of the twins. “Turn me around.”
The three of us spun, my legs dragging in the dirt of my yard. I saw the two Bloody Scorpions on my porch steps with their hands raised. One had one of my daggers still sticking out of his shoulder. My head lolled forward in a less than graceful motion as I looked down my chest. My bandolier was no longer around my shoulder.
I noticed the guns scattered at the Bloody Scorpions’ feet. Bacon must have had them disarm while the twins were helping me up and I’d missed the order.
The sight of my house was disturbing, to say the least. What I could see was destroyed. Anger hit me even harder. My fingers twitched as the realization of what could have happened if I hadn’t been awake.
Lu and Pua could have died tonight. So fucking easily.
“You’re bleeding, Prez,” the twin on my right said. He crouched down. “You’ve got a chunk of wood in your side and your back is covered in splinters.”
“Get Tommy back here.” He was the closest thing to a medic we had.
“They’re already on their way back,” the other twin said from my left.
“They called right around the time your lady did,” the one on the right informed me.
“When they couldn’t get ahold of you, they called Bacon,” came from my left.
I was getting dizzy trying to look back and forth between whichever one was talking. I closed my eyes and just pretended only one was speaking until my head stopped spinning. Fucking sedative.
“Spirit went inside the warehouse they were using as a homebase to try to get some information as to what they’re doing here. He found surveillance pictures of your home, but no Scorpions. Tangaloa’s been trying to call you.”
I grunted. One of these days I was actually going to have to remember where my phone was. “Lu?”
“Still in the basement.” That came from Bacon. “Can you hold yourself up? I want to get these two cuffed—Motherfucker!”
My eyes flew open at the exclamation to see both Bloody Scorpions falling down the stairs and Holly standing in my shot-up doorway. Both landed in the dirt and did not move again.
“I count five down inside, Sir,” she said as she casually walked down the stairs after them. “Four are dead. One’sbreathing but his neck is broken.” Her blue eyes turned on me, and I was grateful for the nearly full moon and cloudless night that let me see clearly. “Impressive.”
Bacon lowered his gun as he headed towards his woman. “I told you to stay put!”
“AndItoldyouthat I won’t ever stay put when you’re in danger.” She smiled up at him. “That’s one punishment I’ll gladly take, Sir.”
