Dare To Run (The Sons of Steel Row #1)(57)

Heidi shook her head. I waited for her to tell me I was right. To tell me she regretted letting me have her last night. But instead, she tried to knock me right off my feet with her softly spoken “No. It’s not. I still see it.”

And, damn her, I was a breath away from believing her. I wanted to.

But I refused to let her in. I’d done so once, and it had given me a glimpse of what it would feel like if I did it again, and she later stabbed me in the back.

It had reminded me why I shouldn’t let anyone close. Anyone. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.” I smirked down at her, letting my defenses slip back into place. The ones I never should have let fall in the first place. “Guess you couldn’t resist the chance to get your rocks off, even if it was with a scumbag like me, right?”

She yanked free and stumbled back, her face bright red. Her bright blue eyes spit fire at me, and I swore I felt each lick of flames piercing my skin. “Fuck off, Lucky.”

I gritted my teeth at the annoying nickname. “Gladly.” I threw the door open. “Oh, by the way, I’m off to meet my brother. You better hope I don’t have to gun him down, or you’ll have slept with the king of the sinners. I’ll send you a text to let you know whether you need to shower a second time or not, to wash off my filthy touch.”

“Argh.” She made a frustrated sound. “God, you’re so . . . so . . . annoying.”

She threw a pillow at me. A f*cking pillow. I caught it easily. “That’s what I should bring to the meeting. A pillow. It would solve everything. Maybe he just needs a good, long nap. He always used to get cranky as a kid when he missed one.”

She stalked across the room toward me with murder in her eyes, but I closed the door before she could reach me. Dropping the pillow on the stairs, I took them two at a time, needing to get away from her. She’d struck a nerve, and I didn’t know how to handle it just yet.

As I opened the door and stepped outside, I took a deep breath, welcoming the icy air in my lungs. It felt good. Much better than the weird sensation slicing through my chest. A weaker man might call it pain.

But I didn’t feel pain anymore.

I’d stopped years ago, after Ma died.

I dragged a hand down my face and scanned the sidewalk. I almost walked away, but the glint of sun reflecting off metal caught my attention at the last second. It came from the second-story window of the Laundromat next to Heidi’s bar. And I knew what that reflection meant all too well.

The door opened behind me.

I realized, with a sinking horror, that Heidi had followed me outside. Damn her. “Son of a bitch.”

She came stumbling out, something in her hand, still looking as gloriously angry as before. “You—oof.”

Without hesitation, I threw myself at her, shielding her from what I knew was coming. The second my body covered hers, a shot rang out, and I had no idea if I’d moved quickly enough or if she’d been hit. Either, way, those f*ckers would pay. Whether she’d been hit or not . . .

I’d kill everyone who had a hand in this.

Twice.





CHAPTER 18





HEIDI




I hit the wall with a thud, and the sharp edges of the brick ripped through my thin shirt, scraping my skin. Lucas literally threw his body over mine, and I had no idea why he was tossing me around like some maniac. I’d just been trying to give him his—

A loud gunshot rang through the formerly silent street, and I cried out. Lucas cradled me in his arms, curling his body around me protectively. The bullet zinged off something near our heads, the brick, maybe, and I braced for impact. Nothing hit. Lucas spun, pulling out his gun as he did, and took three rapid shots. I cried out again, slamming my hands over my ears. They went silent before ringing painfully from the bang. Before the last gunshot dissipated, Lucas was shoving me inside and slamming the door shut behind us. He ran his hands over me frantically, his breathing harsh, and panic written all over his face.

He said something, but I couldn’t hear him. I couldn’t hear anything.

I shook my head, like I could shake away the blockage. “What?” My voice sounded distant, as if I stood at the opposite end of a long tunnel and shouted down it. All I could hear was a faint buzzing sound. “I can’t hear you.”

He cupped my face and enunciated perfectly. “Are. You. Hit?”

“N-no.” I glanced over him. “Are you?”

His hands slipped away from me. “No. Go up and lock the door.”

I blinked, because I was trying to read his lips and it wasn’t easy. “What?”

He pushed me gently. “Up. Lock. Door.”

I ran up the stairs, making it up in record time. When I opened the apartment door, I turned around, waiting for him to rush through it. But he was gone. Bolting back down the stairs, I tried to open the door, but something held it shut. And it wasn’t budging. Had he . . . had he locked me in? “Oh, hell no.”

Throwing my shoulder into it, I shoved all my weight against it, and it didn’t shift even a fraction of an inch. Another gunshot cracked through the air, followed by two more in rapid succession. I collapsed against the door, my breathing heavy and tears blurring my vision. He was out there, getting shot at, and he had no one to help him. Because he’d locked me in. If he died . . .