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“You’re being too nice. Sometimes you need to call stupidity what it is.”
He hands me the helmet. “Put this on.”
“I can’t. I’m going to hyperventilate if I do.”
He doesn’t argue with me. We head out of the store and start towards the haven, but we don’t make it far before we hear a shout.
I turn to see a man in black leather closing the distance between us.
“Fuck if it ain’t a Vulture,” Gabe grumbles under his breath.
“They work with you, right?”
“They clean up the dead, but they can’t be trusted.”
The man stops a few feet away, and I notice his hair is unkempt and half his teeth are missing.
“Hey, man! The name’s Roy.”
Gabriel gives him a look that suggests he’d like to flay his skin from his bones, sending a shiver up my spine.
“All the rain has made street work tough,” he says. “Wet clothes ain’t gonna burn.”
“You were at the club, weren’t you?” Gabe snaps.
Anxiety needles my stomach.
Why this? Why now? I don’t want trouble. Even if this guy was the worst of the men at the club, peace means more to me than revenge.
I can’t place his face, though with how bright the stage lights were, I could hardly see more than leering silhouettes.
Roy’s lips twist into a wormy smile. “The titty joint? Can’t blame me for looking for a good time. Not when you have such a sweet piece of ass by your side.”
Oh, no…
Gabriel scowls as his hand closes around his sword hilt, but before he can unsheathe it, a thunderous clap rips through the air.
My heart leaps in my chest, and I look around for the source.
Then I see it. The gun in Roy’s hand.
“Come on, sweetheart. A lotta people are lookin’ for you,” he says as Gabriel collapses to the street.
“No!” I shriek, kneeling next to Gabe. As I try to roll him over, Roy kicks me.
“You motherfucker!” I snarl, feral with rage.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be. I wouldn’t want to bruise your pretty face.”
Sounds of the dead echo. I can’t leave Gabe—I have to protect him. If I can get the gun from Roy, maybe I could drag Gabe to safety.
But as I’m about to leap forward, searing pain rips through my skull.
The world fades to black.
15
CLOSE CALL
