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“Let me go, you fat fuck.”
The man holding her grunted when she swung out and connected with his huge gut. Mason took a step forward, needing to take her and put her behind them so they could protect her.
“I don’t think so.” He snapped his head toward the “leader,” who had his gun not trained on him but on Sparrow. “I don’t mind shooting her, having my way with her, and then letting her bleed out. It would be a shame to let something that fine go to waste, but I’m not above it. Martin, bring her over here.” The other five men kept their guns trained on Mason and Ash, but that wasn’t what he was concentrating on.
He kept his eyes locked on Sparrow, and the way the fat fuck shoved her at the so-called leader of the group. He wrapped his arm around her, and she closed her eyes when he pressed the barrel of his gun to her temple.
“Now, I could shoot you guys right now and be done with it, but that would be senseless. So, I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. Me and my boys are going to take her back to camp, and you two are going to keep trekking on.” When neither of them said anything, he continued, “Boys, I’m being very generous right now. If you don’t want to take my generosity, I’ll shoot her in the fucking throat, let her bleed out in front of you, and put a few bullets in your kneecaps before leaving you here.” He cocked a bushy eyebrow at them and then grinned. “All right, well, boys, since I’ll take your silence as confirmation that you’re on board, I bid you farewell.” He kept the gun trained to Sparrow’s temple, and although he could see she was terrified, she didn’t cry or make a sound.
“Don’t worry.” Asher said the words so low that only he could hear them, but Mason knew she had read his lips.
She looked between the two of them, and mouthed, Sorry.
God, she had nothing to be sorry about. This was a situation that happened a lot, and although he never experienced it personally, he had heard horror stories from others on the road. But one thing was for sure—he was not about to let her go.
But right now, that was exactly what he had to do, because risking her life when they were up against too many men was a stupid move. They watched in silence as the men piled into the cab and the back of the truck, and all the while, the man kept that gun pointed to her head.
“Have a lovely evening, boys. I know we will.” The truck skidded out of the parking lot, and the scent of burning rubber and exhaust surrounded them. Mason kept his eyes on that truck, watched it take a left onto a dirt road, and knew where they were going.
“I’m going after her, Mace.” He took hold of Ash’s hand and stopped him. “I’m not going to fucking leave her there for those fuckers. You may not want her company, but I sure as hell do.” He pulled his hand away and glared at him.
“We are going to get her back, okay?” Mason assured. Ash kept a hard face but nodded once. “I know this town better than any other. I’ve passed through it a lot of fucking times and know the road they took off on leads to the lake. No doubt they are camped out there.” He turned and looked at the road in question and then turned back to Ash. “But we have to be smart about this. It’s going to be dark soon, and we need to get moving.”
“Good, because I can’t fucking stand to think of her with them.” They had only been with Sparrow for a handful of days, but it was clear Ash was attached. Mason couldn’t blame him though. He might be an asshole and made her feel like she wasn’t welcome, but he could only admit to himself that he liked her around, and his shitty past and the fucked-up things he had done in his life made him this bastard trying to push her away, because he thought that was what was best.
He’d never be sweet and kind like Asher, never be gentle-talking and easygoing, making her feel all fucking girly. He was hard and mean most of the time, but that was how he had survived this long. He had no remorse for the shit he had done and the lives he’d taken. Time was not their friend any longer; that was for damn sure. He had to take what he wanted when it was presented right in front of him, because who the hell knew if there would be a tomorrow? He stared at Ash’s profile. There was clear worry etched in the other man’s face, and even though he had been a trainer for illegal fighters and had done fucked-up shit himself, he was a lot softer in the heart department than Mason was.
“We’ll get her back, Ash.” He and Asher were the same build and height, but where Asher lacked the clear disinterest and apathy in taking a life, Mason more than made up for it. That was the clear difference between them, but then again war would do that do a person, and having to take the lives of two people he loved more than anything also helped in chipping away the human nature of empathy and sympathy. But as strange as it was, Mason did feel something spark inside him when it concerned Sparrow. He just didn’t know what it was or if he was really comfortable with the feeling.
They headed back inside and grabbed their bags. Mason saw Sparrow’s lying over by the clothes rack, stalked toward it, and grabbed it off the floor. When he stood, he faced the supply room and saw the back door partially open. So that was how the fat fucker had gotten in. He scrubbed a hand through his hair and pulled at the longer strands at the base of his skull.
“You know there are probably guys watching us and making sure we leave town.”
Mason nodded. “Yeah, and that’s what we’re going to do.” He saw the curious look on Asher’s face. “Right outside town, we are going to cut through the trees. If memory serves me correctly, there should be a small, if not already grown-over path that leads to the other side of the lake. That’s where that truck was headed, since the road they turned down leads right to it. We can head through there. It will take a bit longer, but it is the safest path.”
“You don’t think there are guys staked out in the woods?”
He shook his head and gestured for them to head out. “No, they aren’t smart enough to think people would cut around.” At least Mason hoped not. “They might not even know you can get to the lake that way. But something tells me they’re arrogant in thinking they can drive someone out with some threats and waving a few guns in the air.” He stopped and looked at Ash. “Clearly they don’t know us very well.” He reached out, gripped the back of Asher’s neck, and pulled him forward. Their mouths pressed together, and Mason swiped his tongue along the other man’s bottom lip. “I don’t know what the hell she has done to us, but I don’t want to let that go either.” There was a flare in Asher’s eyes and a sharp intake of breath. “You know what a hard-ass I am, but it wasn’t until this situation that I realized her silent company wasn’t bad. I like having her tag along, like hearing her soft voice, but I also want you to remember that the thoughts going through your head concerning her can’t happen.”
Asher pulled back and narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“This isn’t about some happy little family, Ash. That girl isn’t about to be with both of us, and the moment we ask, she’s going to run fast and hard, and frankly, I don’t blame her.”
“Who in the hell said anything about fucking her? I am not going to stand around and let some innocent girl get handed to those motherfuckers, pure and simple.”
“And neither am I, Ash. But I see the way you’ve looked at her, and I know you’ve seen the way I look at her.”
Ash was silent for several seconds. “It doesn’t matter how either of us look at her, Mason.” He didn’t miss the hard tone in Ash’s voice.
“Listen, I’m just saying this isn’t going to be some happy little threesome, no matter how much we both want it.” Yeah, he said it out loud, but he wasn’t going to take it back. “You think she is all about being with two guys that fuck each other?” Ash’s gritted his teeth and made a low sound in his throat. “I care about you, okay? It has been you and me for the past several months. But we also need to think about reality. We need to protect her as if she were our little sister.” Asher was silent for several long seconds, but Mason already knew what he was going to say before the words left his mouth.
“I don’t see her as a little sister.”
Yeah, and neither did he, but that wasn’t the point. “Listen, let’s not worry about any of this now. Let’s just go get her.” He stared at Ash for several long minutes. “And we will get her back.”
“I know we fucking will.”
Okay, so Mason’s words had rubbed Ash the wrong way, but he had to say them, because he didn’t want the other man to have hopes that they could be some happy little throuple. This was not a movie or book but real life, and it was a shitty one at that. Sparrow was fragile in her own way despite the fact that she tried to be so damn hard and strong. He had seen it the moment he looked into her eyes.
