Page 31 of They Will Fall

“I think it was this way,” I hear someone say. A man’s voice, one I don’t recognize.

“Probably just that fucking freak girl who comes out here and takes pictures of birds,” another guy says.

“One can only hope,” another says. “I wouldn’t mind getting a piece from her again.”

My jaw drops open, while my heart pounds like a jackhammer. So far, I know there are three of them. I have no idea who these guys are, but they don’t sound like anyone I want to cross paths with.

“A piece of what?” One of the guys laughs. “The girl practically dismembered your dick.”

“Fuck that. She wanted it. Just got cold feet. Besides, she barely skimmed the surface. Three weeks of healing and I was good to go. She owes me a blow job, actually.”

The footsteps come closer, and closer, and…

“Found her.”

I pinch my eyes shut and tuck my head between my knees, pretending that if I don’t see him, he won't see me.

“Who the fuck is she?”

One of them kicks at my boot. “Hey. Show us your fucking face, or we’ll have to make you show us.” One of the guys growls the demand.

Slowly, I lift my head with a fake smile plastered on my face. “Heyyyy,” I drag out the word as I lift my hand to wave. I stand up nonchalantly and point at the space between two of the guys. “I was just…passing through. So if you don’t mind.” I attempt to squeeze through them, but I’m halted by an arm around my waist.

“Not so fast,” a guy with sleek black hair says. I lift my head to look at him and I’m dumbstruck by his piercing blue eyes. They are literally the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. What’s even more unique is the tattoo underneath his eye. Written in cursive, is the wordSavage.

I point at his eye, hoping small talk will ease the tension. “I like your tattoo. Did it hurt?”

His lip curls up in a mischievous grin. “Probably about as much as it did for you when you fell from heaven.”

“Smooth.” I chuckle. “No. Really. Did it hurt?”

“Who the hell are you, and why are you in our woods?” another guy barks, and I spin around to face him. He’s more cowardly than the other because his face isn’t sporting ink. But on his neck in big letters, is the wordVicious.This one has longer hair with waves and natural blond highlights—sort of a sexy surfer appeal—and his eyes are as dark as I imagine his soul is.

“Umm. I can’t tell you that. You see, I’m wanted for multiple murders, and if I tell you my name, well, I’ll have to kill you.”

Vicious’s eyebrows cave in. “Are you fucking high?”

I look at the last guy. The quiet one. There’s a cigarette perched on his ear and a lighter in his hand that he flicks open and closed over and over again. Bringing the flame back to life, he holds it up to his mouth and I watch him intently, curious what he’s going to do. He looks like he’s going to eat the flame, but he can’t be that fucking dumb.

Suddenly, he blows the flame out in one forceful breath, making it dance toward me. I startle back and he bursts out in laughter before he reaches to grab the cigarette from his ear. That’s when I notice the tattoo on his wrist. It’s in the same cursive writing as the others’, but this one has the wordTwisted.

My fingers snap as my eyes dance from one face to the next. “I know you guys. Not personally, or at all really. But I know your type. You’re Crew, Jagger, and Neo. You’re also Ridge, Maddox, and Lev.” I laugh under my breath at the realization and say more to myself than them, “I’ve survived them all. I’m not scared of you.” I shove my way through them and continue on my path, fully aware that they are following closely behind me.

“She’s cute,” I hear Vicious say.

“Even cuter that she thinks she’s getting away from us that easily.” Savage snarls.

My eyes nearly pop out of my sockets and my heart jumps back into a frenzy of rapid beats.

I pick up my pace, and immediately notice them doing the same.

Before I know it, I’m full-on sprinting through the woods. I dodge branches and jump over logs, and a quick glance over my shoulder shows them doing the same.

The next thing I know, my chest is crashing into the ground and the wind is knocked out of me. Once I refill my lungs, I’m able to get a roaring scream out before a hand is slapped over my mouth. I squirm and kick and try to break free, but I’m no match for one of them, much less three.

My defensive instincts kick into gear and I square my jaw, then sink my teeth into the meaty flesh of the hand silencing me. The metallic taste of iron seeps onto my tongue, but I ignore it, knowing I have two more guys to fend off.

“She fucking bit me!” Savage howls as he cradles his injured hand. “The whore fucking bit me!”

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