ONE
Ryder
I pressed my back against the back wall, gun drawn, safety off, as Axel made his way around front. Screams echoed from the house, but I didn’t make my move. Not yet. If we were going to get Paige and the others out alive, we had to time this just right.
And, fuck. Cruz could be in there. His bike wasn’t out front, but, from the information we gathered, it seemed he was on his way to relieve Blaze. If anything happened to him…
I pushed the thoughts from my mind. Worrying and doing best-case scenario shit was for fucking pussies. There was no best-case scenario because there was only one scenario. Axel and I wouldn’t fail to get everyone out alive.
The backdoor creaked open, and I straightened, readying my finger on the trigger. A pale set of female legs stepped out onto the porch. A tattooed hand covered her mouth, and her eyes were crazed with fear, tears spilling down her cheeks. I could see the start of a nasty bruise forming over her already swollen eye, and my jaw clenched. Fucking bastard would pay.
Her eyes locked with mine, and widened. I held my finger to my lips. By the reddish blonde hair, I assumed it was Paige, and was grateful to see her alive, even if she was pretty banged up. I was also so fucking glad Axel was on the other side of the house. If he had seen that they laid a finger on her, he’d go ballistic on the prick. No question.
The asshole pushed her forward, so I snapped the silencer on my gun, and crept out from the shadows, pointing the barrel of my gun at his head. Before he could react I pulled the trigger, his body lifeless before he even hit the linoleum. Blood splattered across her face and the guy collapsed. Paige sucked in a breath to scream, but I wrapped my hand around her mouth and yanked her into the darkness.
I tapped my finger to my lips again and motioned for her to stay hidden in the bushes. Her hands and legs shook and I squeezed her shoulder. “You’re going to be alright,” I whispered.
“What the conyo was that, e s é ?” someone yelled from the inside. “Go check.”
“Stay here,” I whispered, and she nodded emphatically, eyes still wide as she curled into a tiny ball. I stood, keeping my body bent slightly, as I took the back porch steps two at a time, stepping into the doorframe of the house.
A short guy with a bandana stood in the small kitchen, his back to me, as he listened to the commotion in the other room. This time I clearly saw the skull on his cut. Fuckin’ Almas. If we weren’t already on the brink of war, my next move would send us into a full on battle with each other.
Bandana guy’s set a foot into the kitchen, hitting the dead guy, and his teeth grinded as he reached into the waistband of his pants. By the time he got it out, it was too late. I put a fucking bullet right between his eyes.
I heard Paige’s muffled screams as she clamped her hand over her mouth. Fuck! She’d followed me anyway. A gunshot, and then the sound of shattering glass, echoed through the house. I held Larry’s car keys out to Paige.
“There’s a black Chevy Malibu parked down the street. Get in it, lock the doors, and hide under the seat. You got me?”
Her eyes darted to the keys, but she didn’t make a move to take them. “But… my friend. She’s inside.”
“Axel will get her.”
“Axel’s here?” Her eyes went wide, peering further into the house.
“Yes, now go.”
She nodded, and hesitantly took the keys, but before she took off, she turned to me. “Promise me, he’ll be okay.” Her voice was desperate, and her eyes bore into mine as if they were searching for any ounce of hope that the people she cared most about in this world would walk out that door alive.
I didn’t make promises I couldn’t keep, but I was sure about this one. “I promise.”
With fear in her stance, she ran away from the house, and I slipped in the back door. I followed the source of the noise as my eyes scanned every inch. If I didn’t want