Page 117 of Queen of Anarchy (Dirty Broken Savages 2)

42

Priest

There areshouts and yells from the other Kings as Ash pulls River up into a low crouch and drags her behind the car. Another bullet hits the car’s bumper with a metallicping.

Everything crystalizes in my mind in a single heartbeat, and the adrenaline that beats through my body making things seem to slow down for a moment. There was blood on her neck. I don’t think the bullet pierced anything vital, or she would’ve gone down like a sack of bricks the minute it hit her. But it almost did. It almost killed her.

Someone is trying to hurt River.

There’s someone with a gun here, who knows where we live and that she’s with us, and they want to hurt her.

No.

That’s the only thought in my head. Just no. I don’t give a fuck who they are or what they want. They can’t have her. They can’t hurt her.

I won’t fucking let them.

I scan the street, eyes frantic as I search for any hint of whoever is doing this. I catch a glint of light reflecting from the shooter’s gun from behind a tree halfway down the block, and I draw my own weapon and fire in that direction.

There’s a muffled grunt and then the person takes off running down the street, dashing off to try to get away. Knox takes off after them, and I’m right on his heels, chasing them down the road to catch up. Both of us are running like machines, like nothing could stop us.

I can hear my feet pounding the pavement, and Knox is just a little bit ahead of me. My breathing is harsh and my heartbeat thuds in my head.

It almost reminds me of the two of us going after the gang that killed Jade all those years ago. Knox is a good person to have in your corner when you want people to suffer. All the Kings are, but my cousin makes it into an artform. And together, the two of us are unstoppable.

Back then, nothing else mattered more than finding each and every motherfucker who was responsible for what happened to Jade and making sure they paid for it. Knox was more than happy to help me with that, just because I asked. Just because we were family who actually gave a shit about each other.

That’s part of what cemented the bond that we still have now.

And now?

Now it’s personal for him too.

He cares about River just as much as the rest of us. He was one of the first to accept her and want her to stick around. The one who went after her when she left and brought her to the gala that night because he wasn’t done with her, even if the rest of us were trying to pretend we were.

Someone trying to take River out, or even hurting her in the crossfire because they wanted one ofus,sparks that dangerous anger in him. I can see it in the way he runs, like a predator that’s not going to stop until it’s captured its prey. He’d hunt this fucker down to the ends of the earth if he had to.

So would I.

I’m right on his heels, cold fury beating at my chest as we go.

All I can think about is what could have happened. How River could have been shot, and none of us were ready for it. I remember my nightmare, all those hands trying to drag her down and take her away from me.

It’s not going to fucking happen.

I don’t care who this asshole is. I don’t care if he’s the one with the vendetta or if he’s doing someone else’s dirty work.

He’s not going to have her.

No one is.

That thought beats in my mind like a war drum, keeping me going. My muscles burn as I run, but I don’t slow down.

The shooter keeps looking over his shoulder, and when he sees we’re still after him, he tries to run faster.

It doesn’t work well.

Knox and I are closing the distance quickly, running this guy down. We’re well away from our neighborhood by now, running through the trees that form a little wooded area near our subdivision. There’s a nature trail back there somewhere, but no one ever uses it.

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