Hell Breaks Loose (Devil's Rock #2)(65)

“Who?” she hedged, bending her head awkwardly at his painful grip in her hair.

“Who?” Rowdy echoed, sending a quick smirk to Zane. “The bitch wants to play stupid.” He looked back at Grace, cocking his head to the side, his bloodshot eyes wild. “You know what happens to stupid bitches? They get used for punching bags.”

He cocked his fist and gut-punched her. She bowed over and dropped to the ground, pain radiating from her stomach and up her torso. Bile surged in her throat. She coughed. Afraid she was about to be sick.

“Rowdy—” Zane started to say.

“What, man? Sullivan wanted her dead and she’s here.” Grace looked up from the dark curtain of her hair. Zane met her gaze and shrugged helplessly, scratching at one skinny arm.

“I’m sure there’s a reason—”

“Yeah, the reason is that your brother is a lying motherf*cker. I told you we couldn’t trust him. He ain’t one of us anymore.”

Rowdy looked back down at her, pulling a knife smoothly from his pocket. He flipped it open and nodded at the other guy, never taking his eyes off her. “Go get the truck.”

Grace started to drag herself backward on the asphalt, indifferent to her palms scraping over the rough surface. Rowdy followed, moving in slowly. He didn’t have to move fast. She couldn’t even stand yet.

“Rowdy,” Zane said, a shaky quality to his voice as he looked from Grace to the knife. “You gonna kill her here? That’ll be messy.”

Shaking badly, Grace heaved for breath, struggling to find her voice so she could scream. She wasn’t sure if it was the lingering pain of being punched or if it was fear. Probably both.

Then she heard another voice. Gravel-deep and rich. A soothing balm to her terrified heart. “Drop the knife.”

She twisted around to spot Reid, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

“Reid!” Zane cried out.

“Hey, *,” Rowdy greeted. “We’re just about to finish the job you were supposed to do.”

“You really think Sullivan wants you to carve her up outside his office building?” Reid moved past her, closer to Rowdy.

“Yeah, Row,” Zane chimed in. “Sullivan won’t like it.”

“Shut the hell up, Zane. Can’t you see that he’s just trying to protect her?” Rowdy nodded at Grace. “You like her, huh? Enough to turn on your old crew. Must be money between those legs.”

Zane fumbled for his phone. “I’m calling Sullivan.”

“You really went soft,” Rowdy continued, looking at Reid again, his voice heavy with disgust. “Thought prison was supposed to make you tough.” He shook his head and sent another quick glance to her. “She worth it? Turning your back on your crew? Maybe I’ll have a go at her before I cut her throat. Should have done that back at the house instead of letting you have your way and go off with her.”

Grace jerked at the sick words.

Reid took a measured step to the side, putting himself between her and Rowdy. “You gotta go through me.”

Rowdy grinned then, revealing his yellowed, rotted teeth. “Nice. Finally. Some honesty from you.”

“Reid,” Zane choked, his expression one of bewilderment. “What are you doing?”

“Want some more honesty?” Reid asked. “I always hated you, Rowdy, just an inbred * with nothing up here.” He tapped his skull.

Rowdy’s smile slipped and he charged with an enraged shout.

The two collided, locked in struggle. Reid caught hold of Rowdy’s arm wielding the knife.

Grace scampered back a few more feet and managed to stand as she watched, horrified, praying to God that Reid managed to avoid the swinging blade.

Zane watched, too, still wearing that dumbfounded expression on his face. Reid kicked Rowdy’s leg out from under him and they went down hard with Reid sprawled over him.

The back door banged open.

Three well-dressed men emerged. Grace looked the one in the center up and down, eyeing his narrow face and cold eyes. It had to be Sullivan. He peered at Zane through stylish blue-framed glasses and demanded, “What’s going on?”

As Zane stammered incoherently, gesturing to the fighting men, Sullivan’s eyes locked on Grace. “What the hell is she doing here?” He blinked, looking her over. “And alive? She’s supposed to be dead.” He scanned the parking lot behind the building, clearly panicked. “Get her out of here,” he barked, clearly a man accustomed to being obeyed. “Quick!”

His men made a move toward her, and then Grace heard the wail of sirens.

Her shoulders slumped with relief. Finally. Her gaze flew to Reid, who was still straddling Rowdy.

She looked back at Sullivan and said the words she had rehearsed in her mind. “It’s over.”

“The hell it is.” Sullivan looked at his men. “Reeves isn’t going to get away with what he did to me . . . to my nephew. He owed me and then he f*cked me over when it was time to pay me back. He made a commitment to me the moment he took my money.” His gaze swerved back to her. “Kill her. Quick. And get out of here! Dump the body somewhere where it will eventually be found. None of the usual places, understood?”

Startled, she took a step back, bumping into Zane. His hands came up to close around her arms.