The Fight for Forever: The Legend Trilogy, Book 3 (Legend Trilogy #3)(3)

But it didn’t. Miraculously, we all survived without injury.

And that’s when shit got really, really fucking bad.

“I have to go get us some water. We need water. Why the fuck don’t we have water?” Jorie said, slamming the empty cupboard door for the dozenth time.

We hadn’t prepared for the hurricane, and we were shit out of luck. Not to mention thirsty and hungry after hours on end hunkered down.

“You two stay here,” I told her and Bump as I reached for the doorknob. “I’ll get supplies and come right back.”

“Gabe, no. What if—”

I shook my head once, and Jorie cut off her sentence before she could say the one thing I didn’t need Bump to know yet.

Her younger brother looked between us, his eyes narrowing. “What the fuck is going on? You’ve both been acting fucking weird.”

Jorie glared at him. “We just went through a hurricane. Anyone would act weird.” She glanced back at me. “Be careful. Please.”

I nodded. “I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”





When I returned to the apartment two hours later, it was eerily quiet.

“Jorie?” I called, but there was no answer.

“Bump?”

Apprehension made my blood run cold. I dropped two gallons of water, a bag of food, and the duffel, which I so far had refused to let out of my sight, on the floor, then ran to the bedroom and checked the bathroom.

Empty.

“Where the fuck did you go?” I asked the empty room before pulling out my prepaid phone. I tried Jorie over and over, but she never picked up.

“Baby, call me. Please. Where the hell did you go?” I said to her voice mail after the seventh call.

I dropped onto the sofa for a second and jammed my hands into my hair.

“Where would they go? Where the fuck would they go?” My stomach twisted because I had no fucking answers.

All the thoughts I’d had yesterday about life never being the same again? I was terrified that I was right, but in a totally different way than I’d anticipated.

We should have been long gone by now.

Moses might not know about the truck yet because of the storm—

My thoughts were cut short by someone screaming outside.

“Holy shit! This motherfucker is bleeding out!” one of the guys in Lonestar’s crew yelled loud enough for everyone on the entire fucking block to hear.

I bolted off the couch and ran to the door. I didn’t know why, but something in my gut told me to move my ass.

They have to be okay. They have to be okay. They shouldn’t have left. Why did they leave? Fuck. We should have been out of here already. This never should have happened.

I charged down the stairs, dodging the shit strewn everywhere from the storm, and stumbled when I hit the mud-covered pavement at street level. I whipped my head from side to side, looking for Bump and Jorie.

But there was no Jorie. Just Bump, covered in blood and sprawled out in the nasty pond that used to be a dirt-packed lawn.

I skidded to a stop in front of Lonestar and his crew, hitting my knees beside the only little brother I’d ever known.

“Bump! What the fuck happened?”

When he turned his head to look up at me, the life was draining out of his eyes. “Jorie . . .”

“Where is she?”

He only got one word out before he lost consciousness.

“Dead.”





Two





Scarlett





Present day

My heart stutters and my lungs freeze as I stare at the towering man sitting behind Gabriel’s desk, with a gun to Bump’s head.

Gabriel’s hand tightens around mine until I can’t feel my fingers.

Oh God, no. He can’t hurt Bump. No one can hurt Bump.

“I said, get on your motherfucking knees, Gabe. Make me repeat myself again, and you’ll have a hell of a cleaning bill.” He nudges the barrel harder against Bump’s head, causing him to screw his eyes shut and flinch.

Beside me, Gabriel squeezes even tighter before he releases me . . . and then he does what the man says and gets on his knees.

“No,” I whisper, but it comes out louder than I intend, and the man’s attention cuts to me.

His eyes alone are enough to unsettle me—the pale greenish gold seems to glow as if backlit with pure evil. Set against the tawny bronze tone of his skin, his gaze seems even more disturbing.

“You got something to say, girl? Wanna beg for your man’s life? Because he knows exactly why I’m here.”

I swallow what feels like a lump of charcoal in my throat as I bite down on my lip to keep from making another sound. I do not want that man looking at me. I don’t want that man to know I exist.

“Let her go, Moses. She’s got nothing to do with this.” Gabriel’s words sound like they’d been dragged down a gravel road before he bit them out.

Moses. Moses. Who is Moses? And what is this?

“She’s nice. You can’t hurt her.”

Bump’s plea brings the burn of tears behind my eyes. Sweet fucking Bump—except for that one time he kidnapped me.

If I weren’t paralyzed with fear, I’d be tempted to laugh at how much things have changed since the first time I was brought into this office. But, right now, I’m more worried about getting out alive.