But I had to do something.
I had to—
Arms circled my throat, hands grappling for my gun from behind. I gasped, not ready for the sudden attack. “Claudine!” I choked, the crook of her elbow on my jugular. As frail as she looked, she was strong, and she had leverage.
Blackness blotted my vision, my fingers clinging to the gun. No, not like this! I can't let it end like this! I prayed to anyone that would listen. I cursed the way of the world. I hoped for a damn miracle.
It wasn't enough.
Stumbling to my knees, I let the weapon go. Everyone was on me at once, thicker hands snatching my wrists, lifting me to my feet. One of the other biker's had my arms, pinning them to my spine. He was yanking my shoulders painfully, but I didn't care.
Focusing on my sister, I tried to understand. “Why?” I whispered, my world a pinpoint that saw only her. “How could you?”
Regret swam over her sharp features. She didn't speak, she simply turned to Tully and handed him my gun—Ronin's gun. He chuckled warmly, petting her head before eyeballing me. “That was unwise of you, girl. Did you really expect her to side with you, over me? After everything I've given her?”
I couldn't break my stare. Silently, I willed Claudine to do something. Attack the man, grab a gun, jump forward and save me. Just anything.
Anything.
She ducked her head, unable to meet my eyes.
Tully grabbed her arm, stroking down the inside until he hit her wrist. This let me see the ruined, red lines crossing her fish-belly white skin. Either other people had been shooting her up, or she'd stopped caring who saw the proof of her addiction and done it herself. I was unsettled, seeing such an intimate display between him—the man I was quickly realizing was in charge—and my sister.
Patting the back of her hand, Tully smiled at me. “Now that things are settled, who are you?”
Claudine, why... I ripped at the strong fingers holding me, but it was useless.
Clicking his tongue, Tully stepped closer. Any kindness in his face melted away when he gripped my chin, fingers worming in hard enough to make me cry out. “I asked you a question,” he whispered. “Tell me who you are. It's only polite after you've broken into my home. Hmn?”
Narrowing my eyes, I moved my tongue. He leaned in, expecting me to talk.
My spit splattered over his cheek.
The look of surprise he wore, skin shiny with my saliva, gave me wicked satisfaction. My victory was brief. His palm flew, cracking me in the temple, leaving my ears ringing and burning. Hair tickled my jaw, my attention moving to the ornate rug. It was beautiful, and that felt... wrong. How could a den full of tragedy be so lovely?
“Stupid girl,” Tully said.
“Don't!” Claudine screamed.
Lifting my head, I stared down the barrel of Tully's gun. He cleaned the spit from his face, pressing the metal tip of the weapon into my skull. “She doesn't want to speak, fine. She can take her pride to her grave.” His grin was so huge I could see his molars. “The gators will appreciate your principals.”
He put his finger on the trigger. That was when I knew I would die here. After everything, getting so far, it would all end in a simple spray of my blood. Death never feels real, not until it's crushing your lungs with despair.
I should have fought more... or I should have talked my way out of this. The blackness corroding my heart told me it wasn't worth it.
We could have escaped, I thought, looking at my sister. We could have been free. I could have saved her...
If she had only wanted to be saved.
My hero of a sister, the woman I looked up to, no longer existed. Ronin had been right about her all along. She was a junkie who wanted a fix, and here, with Tully, she could get all the fucking drugs she wanted.
Saints and sinners.
The phrase made me nauseous.
“Please...”
Blinking, I recognized Claudine's raspy voice. Her fingers rested on Tully's shoulder, bleary eyes shining. “Please,” she said again. “Don't do this. She's my little sister.”
The fat man gave her a dubious look. He wagged his gun at me. “Really? Is that what's going on here? A reunion ?”
Claudine caught the disgust in my expression. She looked away, focusing on Tully. “Don't kill her. That's all I'm asking.”
Chuckling, he tucked his gun away. Scooping an arm around Claudine's waist, he sighed in my direction. “Your sister came here to rescue you. I'd call it sweet, if it wasn't such a foolish mistake. Flora, was it?” He cocked his head. “Did you come here alone?”
Ronin. Just thinking about him was torture. Why had I done all of this? Abandoning him, only to find out that my sister was a damn dead end.
What would have happened if I'd stayed there with him? Rolling in the grass, waking together, giving up on this fruitless chase. We'd had a small slice of Heaven on the side of that road, and I'd walked away without looking back.