I was so close… just a few steps away from the car when his hand reached out and grabbed me. I tried to jerk free, pulling as hard as I could, but it was no use. I expected him to kill me right there, end this thing once and for all. But seconds later, my feet were dragging against the pavement. He reeked of sweat and cigarettes as he pulled me closer to him. My shoes clanked loudly against the metal steps as he yanked me towards the top of the fire escape. I didn’t make it easy for him. I kicked. I screamed. I tried to claw myself from his arms, but it was no use… I couldn’t get away. When he finally managed to get me back inside my apartment, I panicked. I knew my time was running out.
My back was pressed firmly against his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I couldn’t breathe. He was so much stronger than I was, and there was little I could do to keep him from squeezing the life out of me. I kept trying to fight him, doing anything I could to work myself free. I could feel my blood pulsing in my temples. My eyes were blurred with tears as he tightened his grip around my chest. I tried to call out for help, but nothing came. I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs to even make a sound… not a cry… not even a whimper. I knew I had to do something. I had to try to get away from him before it was too late, so using everything I had, I reared my elbow back, slamming it into his lower abdomen. The heat of his breath blew against my neck and with a loud grunt, he loosened his hold. I was finally able to get away from him. Tears streamed down my face as I gasped and coughed, trying to fill my lungs with air.
“She’s a feisty, little thing, isn’t she?” a man snickered from behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to know who the man was. I would never forget the sound of that voice. Still panting for breath, I turned to face him. His arms were crossed over his chest, and I instantly recognized the python tattoo that wrapped around his arm. It was him. The man that killed Skidrow.
“You bitch,” the man next to me growled as he straightened his stance. “You little, fucking bitch. You’re going to pay for that shit.” He glared at me with such anger, such hate that it made my blood run cold. He wanted me dead. Plain and simple.
He stalked towards me with his hand raised into a fist, and I saw it coming, but I was too dazed to react. The blow to the side of my face was so powerful, that I momentarily lost my vision. I was reaching out for something to grab onto, when he came at me again. I knew it was coming… I could hear the sounds of his feet shuffling towards me, but there was nothing I could do about it. I felt suspended in time, everything became a blur. He hit me with such force that my head jerked back, and I lost my footing. With my arms flailing in the air, I fell back and my head collided against the kitchen counter. Lights flashed across my eyes as I dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Nausea instantly washed over me, and I thought I was going to be sick. I could hear them both laughing, as I tried to roll to my side, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even think. My mind was in such a fog that I thought I’d heard Maverick’s voice calling out to me, but I couldn’t see him. I couldn’t feel him. Everything was just black and the darkness consumed me.
Chapter 25
Maverick
?
“Shoot the bitch, and let’s get the hell out of here,” a man shouted from Henley’s apartment.
“I think we should have a little fun with her first,” the other one laughed, and my blood ran cold. Their laughter fueled my rage, and I don’t even remember kicking down her door. Henley was behind it, and I had to get to her. My mind was on auto pilot. I didn’t even think before I kicked the door down, splintering it on its hinges.
Adrenaline soared through my body as I charged into the room with my brothers following close behind me. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Henley sprawled out on the floor with blood pooling around her head. My eyes shot to the man who was standing over Henley, and without hesitation, I aimed my gun at him. Our unexpected invasion caught him off guard, and he had little time to react. His eyes darted towards my gun, and panic washed over him as he watched me squeeze the trigger. The imminent dread he felt caused his body to tense as the bullet hit him directly between the eyes. Satisfaction washed over me as his lifeless body dropped to the ground.
I rushed over to Henley’s side, dropping down to my knees, and I placed my fingers on her neck, praying that I could find a pulse. It was faint, but I could feel her heart beat lightly thumping against the tips of my fingers. Relief surged through me when I realized that she was still alive. My heart ached as I studied the bruises covering her face, and I wanted to beat that fucker with my bare hands and shoot him all over again.
I tried to pull my shit together as I turned to Cotton and said, “She’s alive, but she’s lost a lot of blood. We’ve got to get her to a hospital.”
“I’ll call the ambulance,” Cotton snapped as he grabbed his phone from his pocket. Then he turned to Smokey and said, “You boys get this mess cleaned up before they get here.”