Devon’s gaze flitted from Michael to Heath. “What do you want?”
“Simple.” A sick smile curled up his lips. “I want Gabe.”
Silence followed the demand.
“You give me Gabe, and you and the rest of your friends will be free to go,” Heath said.
“If we don’t?” I asked.
More smiling. “We drive off, and you never see your friends again.”
At that, the arm holding Devon’s gun trembled. “You’re asking us to turn someone over to be murdered.”
“It’s a cruel world,” Heath said.
“We can’t do that,” I said. “You know we can’t. So, let’s work on another solution.”
“There is no other solution,” Heath said, his voice rising as some of his cool slipped away. “It’s Gabe or nothing!” He paused, letting the demand sink in, and when still no one moved, he turned his focus to Devon. “Let me give you some motivation.”
Heath threw Lane to the ground, and she cried out, agony ringing in her voice, but it was replaced a second later by a moan when her ex-husband slammed his heel against her side. Right over her fresh incision.
“Stop!” Rowan cried, just as I screamed, “No. Heath, don’t!”
“You son of a bitch,” Gabe growled, moving forward so he was standing beside me.
Heath looked his way, his foot poised to attack again. “This can stop.”
On the ground, Lane was sobbing, her arms around her middle. Blood had begun to soak through her shirt, the spot growing bigger with each passing second.
“Don’t,” she gasped, her voice raspy with pain. “He’ll kill you.”
“Lane,” Gabe replied, “I can’t—”
“Don’t give in to him,” she begged.
But she couldn’t survive this. She had to know this would kill her. She lifted her head and looked at Gabe, and I could see it in her eyes. Lane had accepted that she would die no matter what. It was what Heath wanted, and it would happen whether Gabe turned himself over or not.
What then, though? What would Heath do once Lane was dead?
My focus moved to him as I tried to figure out what he was thinking. He was staring at Devon now, his gaze intent and focused. His expression cold and calculating. Like a cat about to pounce. I looked past him to where Michael held Rowan, and realization slammed into me. She would be next. Once Heath had beaten Lane to death—which wouldn’t take long—he’d move on to Rowan. Then it would be over. Devon wouldn’t let Heath torture her, and Doug would be on his side for sure, and there was a good chance even Gabe wouldn’t stand by and do nothing about it. Heath would get what he wanted, and he knew it. He’d planned it that way.
Another cry from Lane drew my attention back to her, and the sound was quickly followed by one of Heath’s own people calling out, “What are you doing?”
Several other people were shaking their heads, and a few had even lowered their guns.
Heath didn’t even bother looking back at them.
I’d missed what he’d done, but I was guessing Lane had gotten another kick to her side. She was sobbing harder now, her body shaking, tears streaming down her dirt streaked face, and the spot of blood on her shirt had grown. She wouldn’t be able to take much more.
“She’s your ex-wife!” Gabe shouted. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me?” Heath tilted his head, studying his former friend. “What’s wrong with you? What kind of man chooses a woman over his friend?”
“You’re insane,” Gabe spit back. “It didn’t have to go down like this, and you know it. We could have worked together.”
“The time for working together is over!” Heath yelled.
He brought his foot back, then once again slammed it into Lane’s side. This time, she barely made a sound, and the groan she did let out was quiet and weak. The blow was followed by more protests from Heath’s group, but I was too focused on Lane to pay attention to them. Her head had lolled to the side, her eyes closed, and for a moment I wasn’t sure if she was even alive. I watched her, holding my own breath as I waited, and let out a sigh of relief when her chest rose. Even from where I stood, though, I could tell her breathing was shallow. She didn’t have much time left.
“She’s going to die.” I refocused on Heath. “You’re killing her.”
Heath looked my way, shaking his head like he was disappointed in me. “That’s the point, Kiaya.”
“Why torture her?” I yelled. “Why not just put a bullet in her brain and end it?”
“To give you time to think,” Heath replied, his gaze once again moving to Devon. “To give you time to reflect on what is going to happen to Rowan if you don’t hand Gabe over.”
Behind him, more of his people had lowered their weapons, and most now looked shocked and slightly disgusted by the turn of events.
Devon let out a low growl that reminded me of a rabid dog. “I’m going to kill you.”
“Doubtful,” Heath said then paused, his eyebrows raised. “Nothing?”
He sighed like he was exhausted then kicked Lane one more time. She didn’t make a sound.
More protests followed, including a scream from Rowan. “Stop!”
She was crying, her face streaked in tears, but Michael looked as unmoved as Heath. He didn’t have a gun to her head—not that it mattered because he was so much larger than she was—but his grip was tight, his arms wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her side—
Pinning her arms to her sides!
The day in Rowan’s basement came screaming back, the various self-defense moves Devon had taught us returning with a start. She’d barely been trying that day, and she’d managed to actually hurt Devon. I could only imagine what she could do if she tried. She had to control herself, though, control her emotions and concentrate so she could remember what he’d told her to do. She needed to think.
I stared at Rowan, willing her to look my way, but she was too focused on Lane.
Look at me, Rowan, I silently begged. Look at me.
As if she’d heard my thoughts or I’d somehow been able to will her to do what I wanted, her gaze snapped to me, her blue eyes focusing on mine. They were shimmering with tears when she blinked, releasing a few more. Like in the truck, I moved my gaze down, widening my eyes as I focused on Michael’s arms. I looked up to find she’d stopped crying, but she didn’t seem to know what I was trying to tell her, so I did it again, dragging my gaze down to the arms wrapped around her.
You can do this, Rowan, I thought. You can do this.
16
Rowan
My emotions were a whirlwind, making it difficult to focus on what Kiaya was trying to tell me. I could practically feel Lane’s agony when I looked at her, and the fear pulsing through me whenever Heath spoke was crushing. There was guilt, too, because I’d put my friends in this position. My emotions wrapped around me just like Michael’s arms were, threatening to crush me and making me feel small and weak and useless. Making it difficult to breathe. I shifted, hoping to gain some relief, but my arms were pinned to my sides, and moving the upper half of my body was impossible. Only my legs were free.
I tried to get my brain to focus as Kiaya once again dragged her gaze to Michael’s arms, but too much was going on. What was she trying to tell me? What did she want me to do?
“I will give you five more minutes,” Heath said.
My gaze snapped to him, knowing he meant five more minutes until it was my turn to suffer. Nerves fluttered through me like insects, and I shifted my feet. As if in response, Michael moved his feet as well. It was almost like he thought I’d been trying to stomp on his toes…
Just like that, I realized what Kiaya was trying to tell me. I looked back at her, my eyes wide, and when our gazes met, relief flashed in her eyes. She nodded once to let me know she thought I should go for it, and I mimicked her.
I thought back to the day in my basement. To having Devon’s arms around me, to how I’d shifted and g
rabbed and elbowed him. I’d hurt him without really trying, and definitely without wanting to. It wasn’t the same with Michael. I didn’t just want to see him in pain. I wanted to be the one who inflicted it.
I could do this.
Hoping to calm my nerves, I sucked in a deep breath through my nose, holding it for a second before letting it out in a whoosh. It hadn’t really worked, but it didn’t matter. I was running out of time.
You’ve got this, I told myself.
Then I made my move.
As fast as I could, I shifted my hips to the right as I reached back with my left hand and grabbed Michael’s crotch, trying not to focus on what I was holding, but rather what I wanted to do. My grip was firm when I dug my fingers in deeper. Michael let out a groan, and his grasp loosened, but I wasn’t done with him yet. Squeezing tighter, I twisted until his arms fell away completely then spun around. He was already doubled over, his hands cupping his damaged privates, when I brought my knee up, slamming it into his stomach.
Michael grunted and went down, landing on his side, his face red and twisted in pain, his hands cupping his crotch. It was the perfect opportunity to grab the gun from the waistband of his pants.
It had happened so fast that most people hadn’t even noticed, but the few standing nearby who had witnessed my moment of triumph didn’t even react. The dissent among Heath’s people seemed to be working to my advantage, because not a single one of them moved to stop me from aiming the gun at their leader’s head. They might have even welcomed it.
“Turn around, Heath,” I called.
His back stiffened, but he obeyed, slowly turning to face me, an expression of shock on his face as he took in the scene. Michael on the ground, holding his family jewels, and the guns of most of the people around me lowered. Even the few who were still be on Heath’s side seemed uncertain.
He looked his people over, frowning. “What are you doing? Get your weapons up! Stop her!”
“We didn’t sign up to beat a woman who was already dying,” a man to my right responded. “You’ve taken this too far.”
“Gabe is still alive,” Heath said, the words hissing from between his teeth. “It’s not over until he’s dead.”
“This is murder,” a woman said. “Getting supplies from the people who stole them from you is one thing, but this is wrong.”
“Stole them?” Gabe called. “Is that what you told them, Heath? That I stole those animals from you?”
“I helped bring them in,” Heath replied, not looking back. His gaze was focused on me. So was his gun. “They were mine!”
“He also told everyone you and Lane had an affair,” I said. “They all think you kicked Heath out of your group. That you sent him away with no supplies.”
“That’s a lie. All of it.” Gabe looked toward Brian. “Tell them.”
“We said he could stay,” Brian said, “but he chose to leave when we wouldn’t kick Lane out.”
“And Heath was the one who had an affair,” Rick added. “Not Lane.”
“They’re lying,” Heath hissed.
A few other people had lowered the weapons, and they were all looking at each other uncertainly.
“This is messed up,” a guy behind me muttered.
“You’ve been lying to everyone?” a woman asked. “We trusted you!”
“Does it even matter?” Matt called out. “I mean, don’t we have more important things to worry about?”
“It matters because we have to know who we can trust,” Nate said. “I mean, we came here with guns for you, and you’ve been lying to us about everything.”
“I kept you safe!” Heath yelled. “I cleared out the hospital. I built the wall. That was me.”
“Dude,” Nate said, “you’re lying again. All those things were Bill’s idea. He let you give the orders, but I was there. He was the one calling the shots.”
Heath let out an animalistic snarl and spun around, his gaze moving over his former people, his gun moving between them like he wasn’t sure what to do or who he wanted to shoot first. A few people ducked like they were afraid he was going to kill them, and others let out cries of protests.
“Raise your weapons!” Heath yelled. “You have to pull your weight if you want to be part of the community.”
“I think we should leave,” Nate said.
Around him, the others nodded. Even the few people who still had their weapons up. Then they started moving for the trucks. That was when Gabe and Lisa rushed to Lane’s side. She was motionless, her eyes closed, when Lisa pressed two fingers against her throat.
“Is she alive?” Gabe asked.
Before I could see Lisa’s response, my gaze was pulled back to Heath. He was the only one not heading for the trucks, but he had moved and was now standing five feet in front of me. Staring. His gun aimed at the ground, his expression a dare he hadn’t yet uttered.
“You don’t have the guts to pull the trigger.”
I forced my arm to remain steady even though having him so close was unnerving, and behind me, a couple engines roared to life, and already some of the trucks were pulling away.
“You’re going to miss your ride.”
Heath took another step toward me, the barrel of my gun now less than two inches from his chest. “Shoot.”
“I’m not a killer.”
“We’re leaving, Heath!” someone called.
Heath’s gaze flitted that way but returned to me a second later. He stepped closer so the gun was now touching him, aimed right at his heart. “This isn’t over.”
“I think it is,” I said.
He smiled, then moved past me, heading for the truck.
Trembling from head to toe, I turned, my gun still up as he climbed into the vehicle. Someone must have hauled Michael up off the ground, because he was gone and all but one of the trucks had already left. It was waiting on Heath, and once he’d pulled the door shut, it too drove away.
I lowered my gun finally, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Rowan.”
I spun around at the sound of Devon’s voice, letting out a sob as I threw myself against him.
He wrapped his arms around me, his embrace tight and comforting, his lips pressed against the top of my head. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t. I’m sorry,” I said, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry I put everyone through this. I’ll never do it again. I swear.”
He pulled back, his hands gripping my forearms. “You better not.”
We stared at one another for a moment before he pulled me toward him again, this time crushing his lips against mine. I lifted myself up on my toes, holding on to him as our mouths moved together. The kiss was desperate and hot, and it sizzled through me. His tongue brushed my lips, and I opened to him, allowing his tongue to explore my mouth.
I was gasping when he pulled away, hating that it was over but knowing this wasn’t the time.
Devon kept one hand on my arm as he looked around, taking in the area. That was when my gaze landed on Lane. She was dead. Even before Lisa gave a slight shake of her head, I knew it.
“Oh, God,” I said, more tears filling my eyes. “I can’t believe he killed her.”
“I’ve known Heath for a long time,” Ari said, “but I’ve never seen him like that. He was like a stranger.”
“He was acting crazy,” Rick agreed.
Gabe, who was kneeling beside Lane’s battered body, said nothing.
A moan echoed through the air, and I turned. A group of the dead was moving our way, coming across the parking lot from the direction of the football stadium like they’d just left a game.
“We have to get going,” Devon said.
Doug’s gaze was on Lane. “What do we do with her?”
“Take her with us.” As gently as if he were lifting a priceless artifact, Gabe scooped the dead woman into his arms and stood. “We’ll bury her at the school.”
“Yeah,” Brian agreed, nodding.
&n
bsp; “Yeah,” Rick said with a sigh.
Devon was clinging to my hand when he looked around, frowning. “Did they take the guns?”
“Shit,” Miller said, running his hand through his hair. “They must have grabbed them in all the confusion.”
“Son of a bitch,” Gabe muttered. “I was too busy thinking about Lane. I should have been paying better attention.”
“Nothing we can do about it now,” Devon said.
He clung to my hand as we followed the others to the trucks. Once there, Rick and Gabe worked together to load Lane’s body into the back, all of us watching in silence. Gabe climbed up beside her.
“It’s like déjà vu,” Lisa muttered, her voice low like she was talking to herself. “This same thing happened a couple days ago when we met those asshole kids.”
“Only then Lane was alive,” Kiaya replied, her head bobbing in agreement.
Matt’s gaze met mine briefly, and while it wasn’t uncomfortable, it was still shocking to suddenly be on good terms with him. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Thanks.”
His head dipped once, and he let out a deep breath as if releasing a lot of pent-up tension.
“Come on,” Devon said, tugging on my hand as he started walking, pulling me to the truck while Matt headed for the other one.
I climbed into the truck first, scooting to the middle of the second row, and Devon followed. Kiaya got in as well, and I found myself sandwiched between the two of them. The position was welcome and comforting, especially when Devon put his arm around me.
Lisa took the passenger seat, shutting the door in silence, and Doug climbed in behind the wheel. He started the truck without a word.
Once we’d pulled out of the parking lot, Devon said, “You did a good job back there.”
“You mean after I put everyone’s life at risk for no reason?” My guilt returned full force when I realized Lane had paid for my actions with her life. Never again. I would never be impulsive like that again.
Devon frowned, his blue eyes sweeping over me. “What happened with your dad?”
Far Series | Book 3 | Far From Lost Page 27