Rules of Survival

by Jus Accardo

  He nodded, justified, then turned to Shaun. “You go first. I’ll follow with her. Keep your head down.”

  “You should go first,” Shaun insisted. “I’ll follow.”

  As they argued about who should go first, I dropped my gaze back to the letter.

  I ran a con game with a couple partners—Mick and T…

  I skipped ahead, skimming the page for what I needed: the name of the person who killed her.

  …found out I was pregnant. One last job and I was done. But that last job—the one that was supposed to set us up for life—went badly. We were betrayed… An innocent person ended up dead. They thought I did it—my prints were everywhere… I was careless and I think he’s found us, and I don’t know what he’ll do—

  As soon as there was a lull in the fire, Patrick made a break for the corner. He slid across the floor, skidding to a stop and falling to his knees beside the dresser. With one good push, he shoved it forward. The lamp on top tumbled off and crashed to the ground. There was a small squeal, and the dresser rattled, then moved forward with ease. Without looking back at us, he grabbed mom’s bag from the floor and disappeared inside.

  I took one last look at the letter.

  If anything happens to me, baby girl, be strong. See that the information gets to…you’ll be safe…your father—

  “Okay,” Shaun said, poking my arm to get my attention. “We’re up. You think you can make it?”

  I looked up from the letter and stared at him. “Are you serious? You think I’m actually going with you?”

  His expression twisted into one of pure amusement, and he shrugged. Inching closer to the edge of the couch, he smiled and said, “Fine by me. Stay here and become Swiss cheese. I’m sure those guys out there just wanna chat you up.” His eyes traveled over my body, and goddammit, I felt heat rushing to my cheeks. “You’re kind of cute. Maybe they want your number?”

  Of course, he had a point.

  His smile faded, and he nodded to the tunnel. “Come on, Kayla. You’ve got a better chance trying to run from us later than trying to dodge bullets now…”

  Another good point. This guy was annoying.

  Something whizzed past my head. It came close, disturbing the air around my hair and sending several strands fluttering. “So you’re not going to make me?”

  He held both hands up and gave his head a quick shake. “Not my style.”

  I bit back a bitter laugh. This guy obviously had no clue about a bounty hunter’s lifestyle. “Then you’re in the wrong business, pal.” Inching closer, I pulled him back and peered around the edge. It had gotten quiet, and that was never a good sign. The moment my forehead breached the edge, the gunfire began again. I jumped back and accidentally let go of the letter. It drifted across to the floor beneath coffee table, landing just out of reach.

  “No!” I cried, dropping low to the ground. I stretched on my stomach and clawed the floor in an attempt to reach it, but my fingers were just a hair too short. Inching a little farther out, the tip of the nail on my middle finger came centimeters from the edge of the paper.

  “Are you insane?” He grabbed my ankle and yanked backward just as I brushed the letter. The breeze from the motion sent it even farther away. “Whatever it was, it’s not worth it.”

  “It—”

  “No,” he snapped, wrapping his fingers tightly around my forearm. “Let’s go.”

  I stared at his hand. He was squeezing so tightly that my arm was going numb. Or maybe it was me. There was a good chance I was going into shock. All the things I had to go through, every sacrifice I’d made, just to get myself here again… And this was how it ended? “I thought you weren’t going to force me.”

  Hazel eyes met mine, and I fought back a shiver. Anger, darkness, and determination. “I lied.”

  Chapter Two

  We moved through the tunnel quickly, and before too long emerged into the brisk early-morning air. Now that we were out in the open I could work on losing Patrick and Shaun. No one knew these woods like I did. Mom made sure of that.

  The first time she brought me up here, we’d spent three days camping out and exploring the area. She taught me what berries were safe to eat and which to stay away from, and how to find north without a compass. She also made sure I could move through the woods without leaving a trail and find my way to town.

  Once I escaped, I’d lie low, and then when the coast was clear, go back and get the letter. Hopefully whoever had come looking for me hadn’t found it. Things were a bit more complicated than I’d originally planned. Now, instead of having to find Mom’s killer and clear my name, apparently I had to clear her name, too. Wanted for murder? Like mother, like daughter. It’d be fine, though. From what I’d managed to skim, the letter had the information I needed to set things straight. After all this time, there finally might be an end in sight.

  All I needed to do was get away from the persistent Tweedledee and the hot Tweedledum.

  Escape, reacquire the letter, and get out of Dodge. There. A good, solid plan.

  Unfortunately, Patrick, who seemed to have an uncanny insight into the way Mom’s mind worked, was one step ahead. I turned to look back toward the house. A second. That was all. Nothing much more than the blink of an eye.

  But it was all he needed.

  There was a dull click and snap, and I felt a band of cool metal close around my left wrist. “Did you just—” I started backing away, but he was too fast. Hand seizing my right wrist, he snapped the other cuff securely in place and pressed down hard to tighten it. Shock and anger—not to mention embarrassment—rolled over me. “You handcuffed me? There are people, like, a mile away trying to kill us, and you handcuffed me?”

  “Pretty sure those people are trying to kill you, not us,” he corrected with a note of arrogance. It made me want to kick him in the nuts. Mom would have approved. “And of course I cuffed you. I got bills to pay, kid. The price tag on your head is enough to keep me going for almost a year and you’re a slippery little thing.”

  I balked. Almost a year? Desperate detectives sometimes hired bounty hunters under the table to track down leads. The hunters were only in it for the cash, so all the credit went to the detectives. Win-win all around. But no way in hell did they pay that well. That’s when I realized he still hadn’t answered the question from earlier. “Who did you say hired you?”

  It was Shaun who answered. His eyes were on me again, and I had to resist the urge to shuffle from foot to foot beneath the scrutiny. “His name is Jaffe.”

  It didn’t sound familiar. I was sure Mom never mentioned it. My memory was pretty good when it came to names and faces. Numbers, on the other hand, were a totally different matter… “Jaffe? Who’s that?”

  Patrick shrugged and spun me in the direction of the road. “No idea. I don’t ask questions.”

  He nudged me forward and we started walking. I listened to the frosty leaves crunch beneath our feet as I scanned the area for an out. There was nothing. Mom purchased the cabin specifically for its secluded surroundings. Our closest neighbors were over a mile away in each direction, and town was at least six. There was a small chance I could break away and run, but with two of them on my ass and my hands cuffed, I didn’t like the odds. Not to mention I would never make it to town before I turned into a Popsicle. It was only the beginning of October, but the frost had come early this year. The area had already seen its first snowfall and there was more on the way.

  I rubbed my hands together to keep the blood circulating. “So you’re just going to hand me over, collect your cash, and be done with it?”

  “That’s my plan,” Patrick answered simply. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering one to Shaun. Shaun made a face, then shook his head, lips twisted in disgust.

  “And it never occurred to you to ask questions?”

  “I told you, I don’t ask questions. I do my job and get paid. That’s all.”

  I stopped moving. Even though I’d tried to walk slowly, we we
re back to the road already. A few feet away was a black Ford Explorer partially hidden in the bushes. They’d parked here and walked to the cabin. It was something Mom would have done.

  Patrick gave me a gentle push forward, but I resisted, digging my feet into the slush. This was my last chance. I needed to make it count. If he got me into the back of that car, it was all over. I’d never find the truth, and I’d probably never see daylight again.

  “Look, I know you think handing me over will complete your life’s mission to screw over my mom, but did you ever stop to think that this guy who hired you is the asshole who had her killed?”

  Bounty hunters were rabid wolves with no moral code. Offer them enough cash and they’d turn in their own grandmothers, pockets open, with a big fat smile on their faces. It wasn’t really a stretch to think the person responsible for Mom’s death would seek out one of the best hunters around to do the dirty work.

  One who also just happened to have a personal beef with us.

  Patrick didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed my arm and dragged me the rest of the way toward the car. This was it. I needed to bring out the big guns. I let loose with the waterworks. It was a pathetic attempt in my opinion, but Mom would have been proud. Do whatever is necessary. It was one of the rules.

  “Please.” I sniffled, swiping a cuffed hand across my nose for dramatic effect. I regretted it immediately when the icy metal skimmed my chin and sent chills up my arm. “Don’t do this. Just let me go. You’ll never see or hear from me again. I promise.”

  Shaun paled. His mouth hung open and he looked ready to bolt as he took several wide steps back.

  Apparently he’d never seen a girl cry before. I made a mental note and turned it up a notch. “They’re going to kill me.” I bawled. Turning to him, I dropped to my knees and clasped both hands together. “The man who hired you sent those men. I know it. They wanna tie up loose ends. Make sure I don’t talk.”

  By that point I was half frozen, desperate, and certain if they delivered me to this Jaffe guy, I’d be dead before Patrick left the property. Whatever the reason for wanting me, I was sure Jaffe didn’t have my best interests at heart. “Please,” I tried again. The tears weren’t fake anymore. “I can prove it. Let me go back—”

  “Maybe she’s right,” Shaun said, twitching. A few tears and he couldn’t look me in the eye anymore. Bastard. “Those guys back there weren’t hunters, Pat. They were there to collect a corpse, not a capture.”

  Patrick flicked his cigarette butt aside and blew into his hands for warmth. “Don’t fall for her crap, Shaun. She’ll get under your skin if you’re not careful. Make you believe everything she says—no matter how crazy it sounds. It’s in her genes.”

  This was so much more than a personal vendetta. How had I not seen it? The relentless chase. The bitterness in his voice. How he’d known about the “out.” The way he’d hidden his truck… “You knew my Mom!”

  He grabbed me under the arms and hefted upward. “No one knew your mom, kid. She was a fake, a liar, and a goddamned thief.”

  Anger, red hot and all-consuming, overshadowed my fear and I spat in his face. I would have hit him had my hands not been bound. And frozen. “You don’t know anything about her.”

  He swiped a meaty hand across his cheek, expression borderline furious. “I know a lot more than you do. She—”

  A white sedan crested the top of the hill. I didn’t wait. I sprinted for the road, hopping up and down from foot to foot since I couldn’t wave my arms. I didn’t count on the driver, obliviously talking on his cell, not seeing me.

  Twelve feet. Ten feet. Six feet.

  The car came closer and closer without slowing down. By the time I decided to get out of the way, it was already too late. I made a move to step out of the road, but slipped on a patch of ice and went down hard. Instead of trying to scramble out of the car’s path, I did the one thing Mom would have been furious about—I closed my eyes and braced for impact.

  And impact came—but not in the form of the car. The horn blared as the world shifted up and sideways. Something hit me from the right and dragged my body along the icy ground. Movement stopped with a painful jar, my teeth gnashing down against my tongue. A foul, coppery taste filled my mouth as I struggled to move air in and out of my lungs again.

  “Are you insane?”

  Shaun.

  I squirmed a little to the left. The ice beneath me was melting and had soaked through my jeans. Now not only were my hands frozen, but my ass as well. “I—”

  The car rolled to a stop, the driver sticking his head out the window. “Everything okay?”

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Patrick flash a small object—probably a fake badge—and talk softly for a moment before the car drove off, leaving me to my fate. People were idiots. They’d believe anything. Never mind that I’d exploited that fact countless times, but still.

  Shaun climbed to his feet and bent down to help me up. Brushing the hair from my face, he leaned close and asked, “Are you okay?”

  The guy had really amazing eyes. Up close I could see swirls of green mingling with strands of brown and gold. Full of concern. It was sweet—and stupid. I brought my head forward and slammed it into his. I knew it was more from surprise than the force behind it, but he stumbled back and let go of my shoulders.

  Go-go-go, Mom’s voice screamed inside my head. It propelled me forward, adrenaline coursing like rocket fuel through my veins. I spun and darted in the opposite direction as Shaun let out a string of very inventive and colorful curses.

  Behind me, Patrick yelled, and heavy footsteps pounded the slick blacktop. Faster. Closer. He was getting closer. I pushed my legs to pump harder, but I’d never been a runner. I was more of the “outsmart trouble” than “flee it” type. Brains, Mom said. Brains will get you out of more jams than brawn. Always have a plan.

  But I didn’t. Not really. Other than run away, my plan at that moment was sadly limited.

  Patrick hit me hard, knocking us both to the road. We rolled together for a few feet before I managed to wriggle from his grasp and start crawling away. It was stupid. There was no hope of putting enough distance between us. Not with cuffs on. But I had no intention of making this easy for him. Large hands clawed the ground for my leg as I tried to shimmy out of reach. I failed, too slow, and he dragged me closer through the slush and salt.

  “You’re making this…harder…than it needs…to be,” he puffed as I thrashed.

  It was good to know I’d done one thing right today, because going back to the cabin? Not my brightest moment. I should have waited. Done more scouting. Checked out the area more thoroughly.

  Once I was within grabbing distance, Patrick latched on tight and stumbled upward, dragging me along. He’d learned from Shaun’s mistake. Wrapping both arms under mine, he secured my head by locking his hands behind it and started toward the car.

  I kicked and flailed every step of the way, effectively slowing him down—but not stopping him. Patrick was a big guy. One small-framed girl wasn’t too much to handle. No matter how determined.

  When we reached the car I gave one final, valiant effort to escape by bracing both feet against the door and shoving out with as much force as I could muster. I succeeded in sending him off-balance, his arms slipping from under mine as he tried to stay upright, but Shaun was right there to take his place.

  Fine. Time to get drastic. I sucked in a deep breath and let out a toe-curling scream in his ear. It ripped from my throat, scratching its way free like a handful of glass, and echoed through the trees, the sound carrying for what I hoped was miles. Sure, the guys at the cabin might hear it, but right now, Shaun and Patrick were the priority. Another rule: prioritize according to peril.

  Shaun let go and covered his ears, stumbling away.

  Patrick yelled and Shaun cursed. It all happened so fast. One of them rammed me from behind and I shot forward, forehead kissing the corner of the open passenger’s side door.

  Everythin
g went dark.

  Chapter Three

  “You okay?” someone asked. It took me a moment to realize it was Patrick’s voice. There was an odd sort of hum in the background and a measured kind of thumping. Occasionally there was a gust of hot air. I could feel it on my cheek, and I wanted to open my eyes to see what it was, but couldn’t. They were just too damn heavy.

  “Yeah. Nothing a couple aspirin won’t help.” That, from Shaun.

  “You need to be more careful. I warned you beforehand. You didn’t listen,” Patrick mumbled. “You never listen.”

  “I didn’t expect her to headbutt me!”

  Hah. Damn right I did. I was proud of that moment. The surprise in those gorgeous hazel eyes was well worth the pounding in my head.

  “That’s my point. That little girl back there learned from the best. She’s capable of anything. Don’t forget it.”

  Except for the humming, there were a few minutes of silence—or maybe it just felt that way. Everything was hazy and numb. I was awake, but not really.

  Something rattled. It sounded like a plastic bag. A minute later, there was crunching. Suddenly I was aware of how hungry I was. “So was she right? Did you know her mother?”

  Their voices were getting lower. Moving farther away. I tried to cling to the waking world, desperate to hear his answer, but oblivion claimed me.

  …

  When I heard their voices next time, it was different. Louder and more clear. The humming and thumping noises were gone, replaced by an odd kind of silence that made me nervous.

  “I’m meeting with one of his men at noon. This needs to be straightened out before we go any further,” Patrick growled.

  There was a high-pitched squeak, and then footsteps. Muted. They were walking around on a soft surface. Probably a carpet. “You think Jaffe double-booked the job?”

  “At first I thought so, but that wouldn’t explain the shooting. I was told this guy wanted the kid alive.”