My hands shook. “Come on out,” Viper called, ignoring Theo’s bargaining. “I”ll give you what you need. I’ll take care of you.”
“Get back inside, Ivy!” Theo barked.
But the drug called me like a siren’s song. I craved it. And it made me furious. “Fuck you!” I said, “And you, Bill. Did you know what they had planned?” I stepped out from behind the door. “Did you sell us out? For what?” His shoulders slumped.
“Stay where you are, goddammit!” Theo dropped his gun and put his hands up. Walking towards the cars, he said, “I’m coming with you, Viper. Leave her and I won’t fight. It’s just business. It’s that fucking simple.”
Watching his back retreating, watching him ready to sacrifice himself for me, futile as it was, made up the conflict in my mind. No matter how much I wanted the drug that Viper offered, I wanted Theo more.
But Viper wouldn’t know that.
I approached with my hands up. “She comes to me like the whore she is,” Viper said, a sick sneer on his face. “Who am I to stop her?”
Bill made a grab for my arm as I passed, but I wrenched away.
Then he saw what I had tucked into the back of my jeans and let me go.
“Give it to me now,” I said to Viper. I extended my arm.
“In the car.”
“No. I need it.” I dropped my eyes in supplication. “Please.”
“Can’t resist when you ask so nice.”
He tucked his gun away and reached inside his pocket. When his eyes were down, I pulled mine out and pressed it against his head.
Time slowed. Viper stretched his arms out, showing empty hands. “Let’s not do anything crazy now, sugar.”
Crazy didn’t begin to describe it. I grabbed his hair with my other hand, just as gunshots went off around us. The Eagle’s turned on Viper’s men and fired. Brand shouted, “No! Stop!” but no one listened. What the fuck… Viper took advantage of my distraction. He surged forward and knocked me onto my back. My gun went clattering away across the asphalt.
Theo jumped on his back in an instant. Fists flew; bones cracked. I wanted to scream.
The Eagles were ducking behind their bikes and firing at the cars. The Devils scattered. I couldn’t see who ran where - someone was down. Someone took shelter in my room and fired from behind the door. Someone was amongst the cars in the parking lot. I cast my eyes about for my gun. My heart stuttered when I spotted it just a few yards away. Move! I ran for it. Theo shouted in pain, but I forced myself to focus on getting my hands around that gun. I was almost on it when a pair of arms surrounded my waist and swung me around off my feet. I flew. The wind blew out of me when I slammed against the ground. No no no, oh God…I shielded my face, expecting Viper’s fist or bullet or worse.
Then Theo was there, hovering over me, shielding me from Viper and the vicious laugh that poured from his mouth as he raised his gun. If only I’d gotten to mine in time, if only I was stronger, faster. He’s going to kill Theo. He’s going to drag me out of here and back to his hell. Theo met my eyes. Fury bubbled in them, but sadness, too. Everything happened too fast.
We both flinched when the shot rang out, but then Theo turned, grimacing, but unharmed. Viper’s face was a twisted mask of shock as he dropped bonelessly to the ground, his forehead pierced by a bullet that left behind a gaping red hole. I looked behind us. Bill.
“You were supposed to stay in the room,” he grunted.
“You planned this.” The gunfight had silenced. Theo started to get up, to move in on him, but I held him back with a hand against his chest.
Someone else called out to him, “Bill! You son of a bitch!” One of the cars was pulling away. The other’s gunmen were on the ground. Brand staggered over, bleeding from somewhere beneath his black cut.
“He needed to die, Brand. Negotiating with him would have gotten us nowhere. We’ll find your daughter.”
Sirens sounded in the distance. “Time to go,” Theo said, pulling me to my feet.
Gunner was down with a bullet in his thigh. “He needs the hospital,” I said as Bill stood over him, thinking. Anchor joined us, looking grim but uninjured. Brand’s own men were on their feet as well.
“That’s thanks to me,” Gunner said, indicating the group as they revved their bikes and prepared to leave. “They can’t aim worth shit.” He wagged a finger at Anchor. “Neither can you.”
“Fuck you,” the older man said with a grin. “So what do you want to do? Hospital?”
“No. It came clean out the other side.” He winced as he tried to stand. “Find me someone who’ll stitch it up quietly.”