Page 87 of Red Queen (Red Thorns Crew 3)

Benji blinked. “I take it you’re going to tell me what I’ve done?”

I nodded. “Yep. Your mistake was coming after us.”

He feathered the trigger. “Desperate people say desperate things. Why do I get the feeling you’re only stalling for time?”

I shook my head. “Nope. We knew you’d come. We counted on it, actually. And now? Here you are. Just like the pawn we thought you were.”

Max grumbled, “That’s enough.”

Benji’s hand trembled. “Let the woman finish. God, you’re always such an asshole, Max.”

I drew in a deep breath. “Did you really think Max would run? I mean, really. Truly. Running from a fight. Has he ever done that? Did you really think he’d do that?”

Benji’s eye twitched. “Tell your girl to shut up.”

Max shrugged. “I’m pretty sure she’s already showed you that she doesn’t listen to me.”

I smiled. “It’s kind of true. Max likes to portray that he’s got me on a leash. But his ass is mine for bailing him out of all this stuff.”

Benji hissed. “You didn’t bail him out of shit.”

I shrugged. “That’s cool if you think that. But if you shoot Max? You’ll never know how I got him out of that holding cell eight hours earlier than intended.”

Benji’s eyes finally snapped my way. “What?”

“You’re curious, aren’t you? How I knew when the crew needed to be at the police station. How Max got out of jail sooner than instructed. How I figured out that Max’s father had half the damn police department in his pocket. You want to know all these things, right? So you can report back to Mr. Ryddle like a good little puppy?”

“Seriously, gorgeous. That’s enough.”

Benji feathered the tri

gger again. “Let the woman speak.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Benji. Now where was I? Oh, yes. I was telling you exactly how I knew everything I needed to in order to get Max out of that holding cell.”

“Spit it out or eat lead, sister.”

“Wow. So very impatient. I’m sure Mr. Ryddle wouldn't like that one.”

Benji whipped his gun over to me. “Tell me!”

Max jumped in front of me again. “You keep that thing pointed at me, asshole.”

I peered from around Max’s body and grinned. “John did everything we told him to, Benji.”

He blinked. “What does this have to do with--?”

“Oh, I’m back to our current predicament. Where you said John was a coward? I mean really, Benj. Keep the hell up.”

“Dani.”

I patted Max three times on the back. Signaling to him that we still needed time. Just like the signals we’d talked about on the way to the motel.

And he shut up.

“Benj--can I call you Benj?--John did everything we asked him to. He’s good, too. Right? And you did exactly what we thought you’d do. You came right here, putting yourself in harm’s way with a gun you barely know how to wield. And where’s Mr. Ryddle?”

Benji swallowed hard. “I’m just fine with guns, thanks.”

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