from behind him, reached out to grab Kell around the neck, holding a gun directly to his temple.
“Dead sounds good to me,” he said, and Kell shifted to elbow him in the throat—a risky move, but he was not getting taken. His head throbbing, he reached blindly for the gun with his hands still shackled behind his back as he heard a sharp crack and sawthe man with the other gun pitch forward toward him, gun clattering away across the alleyway.
Teddie stood behind him, still half in shock, the bat held tight with both hands—and goddammit, to his right, Blue Shirt was regrouping again.
“Go,” Kell told her harshly, ignoring the fact that she’d just saved his life. “Get out of here, now!”
Finally, she moved, but only to drop the bat. It fell with a dull clatter and he cursed and forced himself to his feet.
As the man in yellow got up too, Kell swung around with a vicious kick. He heard the satisfying crack of Yellow’s jaw, saw the man Teddie hit was still nice and unconscious, but having all three only temporarily disabled wouldn’t be enough in this situation.
No, he needed them dead and then investigated, in that order.
A s she watched, Kell rooted in Blue Shirt’s pockets awkwardly, pulled out keys and managed to get his cuffs off.
The man with the gun—the one she’d hit—stirred and she shifted to move away, wondered what the hell she’d been thinking coming back here, trying to help.
You saved him
.
Kell was up, moving closer to her, pushed her out of the way roughly as he neared the stirring danger, as if daring the downed man to rise.
She caught the glint of metal in the dark as Kell’shand whizzed through the air. Only when she looked down again at her original captor did she realize the metal was the barrel of a pen. Now it stuck out of his neck.
Kell’s eyes glittered in the dim light as he looked down the alleyway.
“I told you to run,” he said, and in the next instant she did, refused to look back for him no matter how badly she wanted to. Instead, she concentrated on keeping her footing, on trying to anticipate what might lay ahead of her.
It couldn’t be worse than what she’d left behind, could it?
Her footsteps echoed in the near-silent night, too loudly, her heart banged in her ears and she wanted to scream for help, but that would be stupid.
She was done being stupid.
A black truck screeched to a stop across the alley, and she nearly ran into it. She moved to try to go around it but then heard her name.
Reid was coming toward her. “What the hell?”
“Kell … a fight …” She could barely breathe again and she cursed her weakness.
“It’s okay,” Reid told her. But it wasn’t. None of this was okay. She pushed against his chest in an attempt to move past him.
“Whoa.” Reid grabbed her before she could escape.
She flailed again, felt the panic overtake her, and he cursed.
God, she knew these men had saved her ass, but they were also just as capable of ending her life in a second if things got too complicated.
Things had just gotten
too complicated
.
“Teddie, come on, get into the truck,” Reid was saying, and she jerked when she heard the sharp echo of footsteps heading in their direction. She went still, as did Reid, and it seemed like forever before either of them moved, although if she had to guess, only mere seconds had passed.
Reid pulled his gun, trained it on the dark alley, and she struggled again as she heard Kell call out, “Get her in the truck—we’ve got to get out of here.”
Reid shoved his gun into the back of his jeans and grabbed her so her arms were pulled behind her back. He drew her wrists together, cuffed them the way they’d been earlier, and then he unceremoniously picked her up and shoved her into the back of the double cab, as though she weighed nothing at all.
In seconds, Kell was next to her, Reid was in the driver’s seat, the doors closed and locked.
She tried to lunge forward as a sudden attack of
“Dead sounds good to me,” he said, and Kell shifted to elbow him in the throat—a risky move, but he was not getting taken. His head throbbing, he reached blindly for the gun with his hands still shackled behind his back as he heard a sharp crack and sawthe man with the other gun pitch forward toward him, gun clattering away across the alleyway.
Teddie stood behind him, still half in shock, the bat held tight with both hands—and goddammit, to his right, Blue Shirt was regrouping again.
“Go,” Kell told her harshly, ignoring the fact that she’d just saved his life. “Get out of here, now!”
Finally, she moved, but only to drop the bat. It fell with a dull clatter and he cursed and forced himself to his feet.
As the man in yellow got up too, Kell swung around with a vicious kick. He heard the satisfying crack of Yellow’s jaw, saw the man Teddie hit was still nice and unconscious, but having all three only temporarily disabled wouldn’t be enough in this situation.
No, he needed them dead and then investigated, in that order.
A s she watched, Kell rooted in Blue Shirt’s pockets awkwardly, pulled out keys and managed to get his cuffs off.
The man with the gun—the one she’d hit—stirred and she shifted to move away, wondered what the hell she’d been thinking coming back here, trying to help.
You saved him
.
Kell was up, moving closer to her, pushed her out of the way roughly as he neared the stirring danger, as if daring the downed man to rise.
She caught the glint of metal in the dark as Kell’shand whizzed through the air. Only when she looked down again at her original captor did she realize the metal was the barrel of a pen. Now it stuck out of his neck.
Kell’s eyes glittered in the dim light as he looked down the alleyway.
“I told you to run,” he said, and in the next instant she did, refused to look back for him no matter how badly she wanted to. Instead, she concentrated on keeping her footing, on trying to anticipate what might lay ahead of her.
It couldn’t be worse than what she’d left behind, could it?
Her footsteps echoed in the near-silent night, too loudly, her heart banged in her ears and she wanted to scream for help, but that would be stupid.
She was done being stupid.
A black truck screeched to a stop across the alley, and she nearly ran into it. She moved to try to go around it but then heard her name.
Reid was coming toward her. “What the hell?”
“Kell … a fight …” She could barely breathe again and she cursed her weakness.
“It’s okay,” Reid told her. But it wasn’t. None of this was okay. She pushed against his chest in an attempt to move past him.
“Whoa.” Reid grabbed her before she could escape.
She flailed again, felt the panic overtake her, and he cursed.
God, she knew these men had saved her ass, but they were also just as capable of ending her life in a second if things got too complicated.
Things had just gotten
too complicated
.
“Teddie, come on, get into the truck,” Reid was saying, and she jerked when she heard the sharp echo of footsteps heading in their direction. She went still, as did Reid, and it seemed like forever before either of them moved, although if she had to guess, only mere seconds had passed.
Reid pulled his gun, trained it on the dark alley, and she struggled again as she heard Kell call out, “Get her in the truck—we’ve got to get out of here.”
Reid shoved his gun into the back of his jeans and grabbed her so her arms were pulled behind her back. He drew her wrists together, cuffed them the way they’d been earlier, and then he unceremoniously picked her up and shoved her into the back of the double cab, as though she weighed nothing at all.
In seconds, Kell was next to her, Reid was in the driver’s seat, the doors closed and locked.
She tried to lunge forward as a sudden attack of
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