Loving Me, Trusting You(63)

Maybe if Austin and Kimmi had talked to her before, we might've seen this coming? I thought she could help the group out; I never expected her to hurt it.

Her sultry smile turns sad as she leans in and rolls me onto my back, running her fingers down my chest. Her blonde hair brushes my face as she moves forward to whisper in my ear.

“I always wanted to f*ck you, Gaine. You know that.” I don't have any friggin' clue what I should say to her, so I keep quiet. This is an unexpected twist, that's for damn f*cking sure. She goin' to rape me or something? God, I hope not. “But you always turned me down. I respect you for that. You have a good heart.” Melissa bends down and grabs my hair with one hand, pulling my head back and kissing me while shouts and catcalls ring out around us. None of them are worth the breath to repeat. I squeeze my lips tight against her tongue, work so damn hard at fighting her that it takes me a second to realize what she's doing with her hand. A metal blade slides underneath my back and nicks my wrist, drawing blood even as it cuts my ropes. What the f*ck?

When she pulls back, she touches her other hand to my cheek.

“But you're too late. I've got this one taken care of, sweetheart. Live to fight another day, okay?” Melissa rises to her feet and stretches her arms above her head. From behind her, Will f*cking piss ass Walker appears and slides his arm around her waist, pulling her close and smiling at me as he does it.

“Good evening, Mr. Kelley. So nice of you to drop in and pay us a little visit.” I look up at the man and all I see is red. I don't see a face or eyes or lips, just a shadow of a person, a wisp so inconsequential it can be shattered with a simple beam of light. “I can't imagine you expected things to go this way, but then, you shouldn't be so neglectful of your old ladies. Give 'em an inch and they take a mile.” Melissa smiles at me and puts a hand on her hip, sliding it back slowly, watching my face the entire time. When she dips her fingers into her pants, I'm clueless. All I'm thinking about is how I can use the knife she gave me to get Will Walker. It seems like my best hope for some sort of ending to this crap.

I lunge forward, using my stomach muscles to pull my body to my knees and reach out with the knife the same moment that Melissa pulls a gun, her twisted lips gleeful and her blue eyes shimmering with tears. When she fires off an entire chamber into the crowd, bodies fall and blood stains the walls behind them.





As we approach the spot on the map where Gaine's phone supposedly is, we're forced to take an obscure exit to keep on track, moving through industrial buildings, shipping centers, and large warehouses.

We're all on high alert, but I don't think any of us see it coming.

Shots explode around us, peppering the ground and bursting like fireworks in the air. Some bikes go down, mine included, and unfortunately for me, Gaine's not here to catch me this time. I hit a pothole as my bike spins out of control, and find myself flying through the air. It's actually a lucky outcome, considering the other options. A few of my friends go down in flames, crushed under their bikes and smashed by the ones behind them, steamrollered and broken in places I can't even imagine. Me, I hit the dirt with my shoulder and feel an agonizing pain rocketing through my bones, cutting me to the core and pulling every last breath out of me.

“Keep going if you can,” I hear Austin shouting through the com. “Don't stop. Follow behind Beck.” Ignoring his own orders, my new Pres, my former lover, slams on the brakes and comes to a screeching halt in front of me, sliding off his ride and falling back behind the metal. His visor comes up as he reaches out and helps me into a sitting position. I have to grit my teeth against the pain in my shoulder, but I manage it. I have to. This physical pain is nothing like the emotional pain I'll suffer if I lose someone important to me. “You alright, sugar?” he asks as he examines me for bullet holes.

“Fine,” I growl, pulling away from him and peering around the front tire. There are bodies in the streets, but the the gunshots have stopped. As soon as we get the chance, we'll check them and see who's alive. For right now, we stay back here, partially protected by the gleaming metal and chrome. I pull out the pistol and get ready to shoot. “But what the f*ck do we do now? I don't have time to sit here in a stalemate for six hours.” Austin opens his mouth to respond when more shots ring out from inside one of the nearby warehouses, pinging off the metal walls with screeching cries that make my ears bleed.

Gaine.

“Mireya, don't!” Austin calls out, but it's too late. I stand up and start running in a low crouch, maneuvering behind obstacles and managing, somehow, to stay ahead of the gunfire that follows me. I keep going until I find Beck's bike, abandoned on its side in the dirt near an open door. If he's in there, I know there's at least a fighting chance that everything will be okay.

I move inside after him and nearly end up dead from a stray gunshot that grazes my shoulder and draws a cry from my lips. I roll to my side, behind a pile of scrap metal and end up next to Kimmi and her steady hands as she takes fire, aims, and shoots. A body drops and reveals a surprising sight across the room from me: Gaine and Melissa crouched behind a row of motorcycles.

What the f*ck?





My knife manages to make contact with Will's thigh, and I leave it there, choosing instead to grab Melissa around the waist and drop her to the ground. Couldn't happen any sooner. In a split second, there's an explosion of heat and sound all around us, drowning us in the burst of gunfire as it echoes around the enclosed space.