Page 58 of Savage Sin

Sickness from old memories threatens to grip my stomach, but I rein back control over my body. “We chose this life. But your daughter and the woman behind me didn’t. You can’t do anything for your girl, but that doesn’t mean mine has to pay the price for your sins.”

Fierce eyes connect with mine, followed by a meaty fist. “I will save her. She cannot die. I will not allow it.”

I weave left and miss getting a broken nose and use my momentum to land a blow to his kidney.

We dance back and forth, taking and giving. Blood drips down the side of his face when he takes several right hooks.

Still, he comes back for more when my last fist to his ribs sends him doubling over.

I’m ready to end this.

“Rage!” Persi is a flash of white to my left. My hand flies out to stop her just as Ghost pulls a secondary weapon, aims, hammer cocked.

Hands bury into the back of my shirt. “Incoming and he’s armed!”

I hear her, but the blood-thirsty beast inside me is snarling and hungry. I either feed the beast or others will get hurt. I can’t let Ghost betray someone else and lose another brother. Or worse, have Persephone harmed.

“Rage! Damn it!”

At the last second, her words and Ghost’s line-of-sight registers. I angle myself enough to keep him in my peripheral and Persi at my back, protected.

Ghost fires. Muzzle flash momentarily blinds me.

I take a knee and blink through the massive dots floating in my vision. When I can finally see again, there’s a lump of black in the grass. Wind stirs the smoke enough for me to make out the black cargo pants and boots. In the dead man’s hand is semi-automatic and on his sides are large knives made for gutting large prey—humans.

Whoever the fuck he is, that man came ready to hunt.

A guttural growl rips through the morning, and bullets go everywhere. Trees splinter, dirt flies. Only this time, the reign of firepower isn’t coming from above, but from behind Ghost.

He shoves at my chest. “Go!” He fists my shirt, frantic when I don’t move. “Go!”

But it’s too late to run.

Two rounds go off and Ghost’s weight falls forward.

It all happens so fast. Holding him upright, I have his gun in hand and sinking two bullets into the man I see stepping out of the smoke. He falls over dead and so does the man coming up behind him.

I look at Ghost, who is clinging to me, blood running down his chin. “How many of you motherfuckers are there?” We fall to our knees and I lay him on his back. His fingers come around my wrists.

Using my other hand, I pass Persi more ammo. “Here, take this. Reload. You’re out.”

“How did you know?”

“I counted every shot you popped off.” I roll Ghost to the side. Since I’m not shot, I know the bullets are still lodged deep inside Ghost.

Persi’s hands are shaking, but she silently releases the clip and slides the fresh clip in and reloads the chamber. “Cover me.”

Ghost forces me to put him on his back. “Don’t, brother.” His face is calm, but those fucking blue eyes of his look tortured and drives knives so deep I can feel the pain deep in my soul. He’s going to die knowing his daughter is out there with no protection.

“Come on, you are not dying on me today!” I try to get him on his side, put pressure on the wounds. Something that will stop him from bleeding out on the grass.

Between my burning throat and the force of emotion choking me, I sound hoarse when I tell Persi, “There are cabins on the other side of the lake. I have friends there. Go! Get help! Keep low and stay tucked between the trees.” There’s not a part of me that wants to send her out there all alone when I know there are more men waiting beyond the barrier of smoke. I have to trust she can keep herself alive or we might all die today.

“Nyet.” Ghost gurgles up blood. He’s weak and his eyes can’t seem to focus on anyone point. He throws a bloody hand out and tries to stop Persi from going. His grip looks weak when he finds her hand and takes it in his.

Instead of throwing his hand off and treating him like the animal is—that we all are — Persi moves behind him and places his head in her lap. She smoothes the hair from his face. Regret tightens in my chest. I had no right to take her and tie her up the way I did. She has so much love for people, despite the horrible actions of so many in her life. Including me. But the kindness she shows Ghost goes beyond anything I’ve witnessed in another human being when she has every right to put a bullet in men like us.

“There’s more, isn’t there?” Her voice is tight, but calm. “These men belong to my family. I can tell from the black cargo and the guns. How many, Ghost? How did they find us?”

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