Free Fight for Me by Jessica Linden Page B

the window, but that was impossible. They were in an impossibly fucked-up situation, barely staying one step ahead of their assailants.
    All three groups of them. It was bad enough when they just had Kent’s men and X’s men after them. Now the goddamn police were their enemy, too.
    “How did they find us?” Natalie asked. “We’ve been so careful.”
    Knox thought about the chatty clerk at the convenience store. Or hell, the employees and other patrons at the burger joint. Maybe even the hotel clerk. Now that their pictures were plastered all over the media, neither one of them could safely show their face in any part of town.
    “Oh, shit.” Natalie paled and covered her face with her hand.
    “What?”
    “The guns. They’re still in the drawer at the hotel. I didn’t get them.”
    Fuck.
    He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, trying to keep himself from punching a hole in something. They needed those weapons. They’d been on the wrong end of several guns lately, and it was only a matter of time before their luck ran out. Shit, it already had. Knox’s shoulder dully ached from where the bullet had grazed yesterday.
    It felt like a lifetime had passed since them.
    His phone vibrated in his pocket and he propped it on his shoulder while he continued to tend to Natalie’s wounds.
    “Knox, man, did you kill someone?”
    “No.”
    “Everyone’s saying you blew some guy’s head off. A bodyguard.”
    Shit.
With everything else, Knox had forgotten all about the guard Natalie had killed. But it was better that they were pinning that on him. If shit went south, he didn’t want her taking the rap for that.
    It should have been him making that kill.
    “I didn’t kill anyone,” he said, and Natalie paled, no doubt also remembering the guard. “Do you have anything for me?”
    “I found a guy who can get you a car, but probably not for a few days.”
    “Shit, Tony. I can’t wait that long.”
    “Sorry, man.” Tony’s remorseful tone told him the words weren’t just lip service. “Is there anything else I can do?”
    “I could use a gun.”
    “Fuck, Knox, that’s more trouble than a damn car.” Tony sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
    Knox disconnected and ground his teeth. He hated having to rely on someone else for this shit. He liked taking care of things himself, but all of his contacts were connected to X, making them worthless.
    Knox pocketed the phone and paced the length of the room. It was an abandoned barbershop, with one remaining chair and gaping holes in the floor where two other chairs used to be. It looked vaguely familiar. Perhaps in another life he had gotten a haircut here.
    He continued to pace, trying to come up with a semi-permanent place they could hide while they figured out what to do. He had nothing.
    Things had gone from bad to worse in a fucking hurry.
    “Fuck!” He punched the aging drywall, leaving a fist-sized hole.
    Natalie approached him apprehensively, wrapping her arms around his slumped shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Knox. I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”
    He turned and wrapped his arms around her, immediately feeling calmer. “None of this is your fault.” He needed to keep himself in check. Losing his cool wouldn’t do them any favors.
    “We can’t stay here,” he said. “The cops will find us eventually. But I’m out of ideas.”
    That was probably for the best. His previous ideas hadn’t worked out. They’d been run out of the last two places he’d found for them.
    Natalie furrowed her brow, then her eyes widened and a smile erupted on her face. “I might know a place.”

    Natalie hadn’t seen Amelia North since her mother’s funeral. Her father had never approved of Amelia and Natalie’s mother’s friendship, and in turn, Amelia hadn’t approved of Anna Farrington marrying Gerald Kent. Amelia was one of the few people who saw through her father’s smooth veneer, which was why Natalie hoped they could trust her now.
    It took them