I had the feeling it was blood, although there wasn’t enough for a full bleed out. Not yet. That could change any minute, though. I looked at Painter again. This time his eyes met mine. He gave his head a fast, hard shake, then jerked his chin at me. The message was clear—he wanted me to get out. I lifted my hand to my ear, pretending it was a phone, letting him know I was calling for help. Dropping back down, I pulled out my cell and sent London another message, copying Reese.
ME: Painter is being held prisoner in Ducks house. I’m outside looking in. Duck is down. Send help NOW
The door from the dining room to the kitchen crashed open, and then a big man I didn’t recognize walked into the room, followed by Deanna. She looked different somehow—tougher. She walked with more swagger and held a gun. Standing over Duck, she casually kicked him in the balls.
My breath caught as I watched the stain, waiting for it to widen—how much abuse could his artery take?
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a hell of a long time,” she said. The big guy stepped over to her, pulling her in for a hug.
“Sorry, Talia girl,” he said. “I know it wasn’t easy.”
“God, his breath was so fucking bad in the mornings, Marsh,” she said, sounding strangely childish, a whiny little girl. “I swear, blowing him was better than kissing him.”
“It’s over now,” he replied, giving her another squeeze. Then he let her go, stepping back over to Painter. He reached out, slapping his face so hard it rocked the chair. “You fucked me up, Levi. Five fucking years I sat in a cell because of you. I already killed your friend, and now it’s your turn. You got no idea how much I enjoyed cutting him up. I’m gonna have so much fun playing with you.”
With that, he pulled out a pocket knife and flipped it open, slowly slicing across Painter’s forehead, right along the hairline. Blood welled to the surface, sliding down his face. Fuck, fuck, fuck! No way I could sit here and watch them kill him. Like hell.
“Thought I might start by scalping you.”
Talia grunted approvingly, and I dropped down below the window, wondering what the hell I should do—Reese would send help, but how long would it take? Most of the guys were out of town . . . Should I call the cops?
No. Painter didn’t like cops. But Painter was about to end up dead. But hell, even if I called the cops, would they get here in time to save him? If only I had some kind of weapon . . . like the gun hidden on his bike. Could I save him and Duck with it? I wasn’t sure, but I did know one thing—I wasn’t going to save them by doing nothing.
I scrambled along the side of the house, slipping in the mud every few feet. Then I was off and running toward the parked vehicles. The mud sucked at my shoes and I fell twice along the way. None of it mattered. Time was passing—way too much time—and for all I knew they were already dead. After what felt like a year, I finally reached the bike, skidding to a stop next to it. At first I couldn’t find the latch because my fingers were all muddy and numb from the cold. Then it fell open and I was grabbing the gun. With shaking hands, I pulled back the slide, thankful I’d taken the self-defense classes after Todger’s attack last year.
You can do this.
Grabbing the extra clip, I started back toward the house, praying it wasn’t too late. By now I was completely covered in mud, and I’d lost one of my shoes. None of it mattered, though. All that mattered was getting back in time.
Saving them.
But how?
Somehow I forced myself to slow down, to creep toward the window without making any noise—it wasn’t easy. Adrenaline sent my heart racing and my lungs pumped hard. Every breath seemed louder than the last, but I forced myself to calm down. Focus.
Pretend you’re at the ER, running a code, I told myself. You’re cool, you’re professional. Nothing can touch you.
The thought soothed me.
Reaching the window, I peeked up slowly. Oh God. Painter’s face was a mass of blood. Head wounds bleed a lot—don’t panic! Marsh stood over him, casually stretching like a man after a hard day’s work. Then he glanced over toward Deanna.