Meg gasped. Her eyes went huge, filling with tears, but she still managed to look at me.
My eyes never wavered. I gave her a grim nod, knowing these motherfuckers would probably choose both options. But if I could get them to pick the one that prevented her from being totally destroyed, that bought us time, precious time, then I'd accomplish something here today.
“Do it,” I said.
“No, Skin. No, no, no, no, no...” she sobbed and turned beet red.
Poor baby girl. Asking her to fucking kill me to buy time wasn't easy, but I was ready to die if it'd keep their wicked hands off her for a few more seconds.
“It's okay, babe. Really. You have to do this. I won't even feel it.”
Total fucking lie. I didn't give a shit. I'd feel myself tortured for a thousand years before I let any devil stick his dick in her again, tear her to pieces, hurt her.
“Aw, shit.” Big Vic sighed, breaking the last intense look I'd ever share with my old lady. “Here I thought you might keep us in suspense, Skin, but I figured you were a *. All right, I'm a man of my word. Let's get this shit show on the road.”
Big Vic nodded. Meg shook while the thug holding her untied her, pushed her arm out, clawed her hand open, and pressed the machete handle into her palm. He forced her fist closed around it, then jerked her arm toward me, moving her like a weeping puppet.
I didn't even hesitate. My hand went out, more than ready for the blinding pain, the final, best sacrifice I could make for this woman I loved.
I'd given her my heart the second I claimed her. What the fuck did my hand, my blood, matter after that?
The sharp, sandpaper squeal leaving her mouth shook the whole forest as the bastard behind her lifted her arm, holding it up above my hand.
“It's okay, baby. It's okay. Everything's gonna be all right.”
I said it like a mantra. My heart slammed against my ribs on overdrive.
I thought about my parents, wondering if my old man felt anything while he bled out on the side of the road. He'd suffered less than ma, surely, taking her last breaths in that shitty cot at the hospital, eaten up with cancer.
I thought about my brothers, tearing down the highway, too little too late to save my ass. But at least they could save her if they showed up in the next five minutes while the life went outta me.
I thought about the brand on her back, something she'd always have, the best memory I could leave her. I'd given her a second chance, dammit, and now it was up to the universe to do the rest.
God forgive me, Meg, baby. I love you.
“No!”
All hell broke loose at once.
She screamed. The machete hit the earth just an inch from my wrist. The asshole holding the shotgun fired, spooked himself into blasting his shells straight into the ground.
Shrapnel and dirt flew everywhere. Big Vic and his boys cursed.
By some miracle, she'd jerked herself hard enough to miss before they took my hand, and set off the fucking dominoes that gave us a fighting chance. I kicked like a mule, slamming my boots into the motherfucker behind me, holding me down.
I pulled on Meg's hand, jerked her away from Snappy, and we ran by Big Vic while the assholes were all dazed and confused. I reached for my belt, pulled out a stun grenade, and ripped the pin with my teeth as more bullets hit the dirt next to us.
I hurled it behind me and pinched my eyes shut.
The motherfuckers screamed bloody murder when the flash burned their eyes. Unfortunately, the shit must've blinded Meg too. She stumbled. All the signal I needed to lift her into my arms and carry her uphill, digging my boots in fast as I could go, ignoring the hellfire tearing through my head, making the world spin, threatening to drag me back into the blackness.
“Go, go, go, you stupid sonsofbitches! Don't let 'em get away!” The Deadhands' Veep roared behind us.
His voice was fading, but the bastard was still way too close. They'd catch up to us sooner or later, as soon as their vision cleared, assuming one of the fuckheads still firing aimlessly didn't catch a lucky shot.
There wasn't time to worry about that shit now. We had to keep going, odds be fucked, no matter the cost.
I ran, carrying her, zoning out as the fire lapped hotter in my muscles, burning me straight down. I'd crawl through hell itself for this woman, anything to keep her safe.
We'd done all we could, and I staggered up to the old stone wall, listening to their angry boots stampeding toward us.
“Over the wall, baby. Just roll, get up, and go. Run!” I told her, dropping her over the wall in front of me, before staggering over it myself.
My heart got a jolt when I hit the ground and looked up. Tinman and Lion were roaring into the parking lot, right behind all the other brothers, who'd just switched off their bikes.
“Skin? What the fuck?” Dust instantly drew his gun, pointed it behind me, sensing hell coming before I grabbed my piece and pushed Meg flat on the ground.