Page 104 of Tuck & Roll

“Can’t believe he’s been here in town all this time. Right under our noses.” Tuck shook his head.

“There it is. You need to get down in case he’s watching.” Yeah, the house might be considered to be in town, but it was on the outer edges of Redemption. It was an older neighborhood with old turn of the century houses, sitting far back from the road. Large trees in the front yard cast dark shadows all around, giving anyone wanting to ambush them a perfect place to hide. He did a quick scan from one side of the yard to the other, but didn’t see anyone. He didn’t see Chet’s bike, either. Maybe he parked it in back?

He pulled the truck to a stop behind a white car then pulled his gun from behind his back and set it on the console. “I’m going in. Wait ten minutes then come in.” He didn’t wait for an answer. He hopped out and marched up to the front door. Chet met him at the door with his gun pointed at him. “Where’s Kylie?”

“Shut the fuck up and get inside.” Chet stuck his head out and did a quick check to see if he’d been followed. “Hold your hands above your head while Red pats you down.”

“Seriously?” Darren watched as the brother they called Red stepped from behind the door, a cocky sneer on his face. How many more Phantoms were here? Two he could deal with. Any more than that and he might need help to make sure Kylie didn’t get hurt when it was time to take them out.

“Yeah. Do it.” Chet motioned with his gun for Red to move in and do a quick pat down. Red shook his head, not finding any weapons. Darren hadn’t bothered trying to sneak one in for this very reason.

“All right. Head to the kitchen.” He waved with his gun at the same time he roughly shoved him forward, only jostling him slightly. Darren inwardly grinned when Chet didn’t get the violent jerk forward he’d been aiming for.

The first thing he noticed when he got his first look at Kylie was that she had a big bruise on the left side of her face. Again. The fucker had hit her. Her hair was a crazy mess, especially on top. The second thing he noticed was another Phantom standing behind her with his hand sitting on her shoulder, his thumb smoothing circles against her neck. Motherfucker.

“Give her the drive and take a seat. No. Across from her,” Chet demanded. Darren hesitated a moment then handed it over to Kylie.

“You okay, honey?” She had tears in her eyes, but refused to let them fall. That’s it, girl. Stay strong. She nodded her head. “Give him what he wants.”

“Okay,” she bit into her bottom lip as she accepted the drive. She had the computer up and ready to go as she plugged the drive into the side. Chet came to stand behind her, watching over her shoulder, the gun held steady on Darren. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he nervously glanced at the clock on the wall.

Darren listened to Kylie tap away at the computer keys, her face screwed up in concentration. She paused for a moment, and frowned. When she didn’t immediately start back up, Chet yelled, “What’s the problem? Why aren’t you doing anything?”

“Stop yelling at me! You’re making me nervous and I can’t think.” She gasped in shock when Chet grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked her head back so he could see her face.

“Do I need to give you a little incentive?” he asked. “Fine.” He turned and pointed the gun at Darren’s chest and fired.

“Fuuuck!” Darren’s chair flew back as the impact from such a close-range shot hit him in the right side of the chest, near his shoulder. “What the fuck, man?”

“And consider that payback for shooting me, asshole.”

Kylie was screaming and freaking out on the other side of the table. She grabbed a dishtowel and started to get up, presumably to come to his aid, but Chet shoved her back down in the seat. “Stay put and get on with it.”

He pointed his gun at Darren again. “Get up and straighten your chair. Take a seat.”

He squeezed Kylie’s cheeks and turned her face toward him. “I could have killed him. For now, he’ll just bleed. Next time I have to give you an incentive, he dies. Get me?”

She tried to nod her head, but it was difficult with his grip so tight. Satisfied that he’d made his point, he shoved her face away and told her to get back to work. She tossed the dishtowel toward Darren in an act of defiance, then got busy.

He gritted his teeth as he applied pressure to the wound the best he could. Son of a bitch that fucking hurt. He was going to enjoy killing that fucker once he got his chance.

There was no way Tuck wouldn’t have heard that. The cavalry should arrive anytime. He just needed to keep these assholes occupied for the length of time it would take for Tuck to see there were three Phantoms here and call in the brothers.

Poor Kylie’s eyes were huge and her face a lot paler than he would have liked as she worked frantically to transfer the money. The muscles in Darren’s jaw ticked seeing the red marks left on her face by Chet’s rough grip. She had to be terrified, but it didn’t stop her from working quickly and quietly to get the money back for the Phantoms.

“When’s the last time you ate, Kylie?”

“Um. I don’t know,” she answered without looking up.

“You got a soda or some apple juice around here? Maybe a protein bar?” With the amount stress Kylie must be feeling, her blood sugar had to be dipping low. It had happened a time or two with her pregnancy, but it had never been a big deal. It was usually brought on when she flat out forgot to eat or if she’d thrown up in the morning and needed something on her stomach.

“This isn’t a friendly visit where I offer you food and drinks.” Chet looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “You’re both prisoners and she has a job to do.”

“When her emotions are high, her blood sugar drops. If it drops, she can’t function. She gets foggy headed and if it goes too low she’ll pass out.” Darren was making shit up as he went, trying his best to stall until help arrived. Kylie gave him a quick look over the top of the computer before quickly dropping her gaze.

Chet’s mouth pursed as he took in Kylie’s appearance. He frowned and exchanged looks with M.D. and Red.

“Look, if you don’t get her a snack, she won’t be able to finish what she’s doing,” Darren pushed. She was really pale and he’d noticed her hands were shaking. Whether it was from her needing to eat or being freaked the fuck out, he wasn’t sure, but it worked in his favor.

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