AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When we headed out of the city, I got a little nervous. Where were they taking me? They spoke amongst themselves, trying to figure out what to do with me. They were a small crew of five. Not nearly enough manpower to take on either the Archers or the Hales in full. Their discussion indicated their reluctance to start a potential war with either faction.
“Hey, Charlie,” the man driving raised his voice above the rest. “I think we’ve got a tail.”
Headlights lit up the darkness behind us. Ruthless wasn’t even trying to go unseen or keep his distance. He aggressively rode the bumper of the SUV.
Charlie stared out the tinted back window, his face morphing into a scowl. “Just keep driving. Don’t stop until we get there.”
Get where? I didn’t have long to find out. As we wound deeper into the countryside, the city was soon left behind. We’d left the main roads, turning onto a gravel road that ended near a campground surrounded by forest. The driver maneuvered the vehicle off the road and into the trees, hidden from sight. Ruthless was right behind us.
Such an isolated area was both good and bad. No witnesses or innocent bystanders was a plus but being in the middle of nowhere came with its own set of dangers. Charlie and his crew pulled their guns, ready to find out who’d tailed them all the way here.
“Friend of yours?” Charlie asked, his hand on the door.
I shrugged, offering him nothing. Before they could rush the Escalade, Ruthless got out and raised his hands in surrender. What was he fucking doing?
“I don’t trust this asshole,” Charlie muttered, jerking hard on my arm. “Come on. Get out.”
He threw open his door and dragged me out of the SUV with him. Shoving me in front of him, he held a gun to my temple as a warning to Ruthless. “Take another step and I blow a hole in her head. Who the hell are you?”
Ruthless stood in the headlights of the Escalade. He came to a stop and pulled up his sleeve to show the Hale Syndicate tattoo on his shoulder. I gaped at him, trying to figure out his angle here. I’d expected him to be a little more incognito.
Pete and two other men approached Ruthless, their weapons trained on him. He stood there unmoving as they frisked him, finding nothing. His entire demeanor was relaxed and calm, an illusion if I’d ever seen one.
“What do you want?” Charlie barked, his voice loud in my ears. “Did you come for her?”
“You have two choices,” Ruthless said, ignoring the question. “Let us both go, get the fuck out of our city, and avoid having the Hale Syndicate annihilate your asses or try something asinine and see how that works out for you.”
Charlie and Ruthless stared at one another across the several yards between them. Pete and the others awaited further instruction. I sensed the uncertainty among the Thorns.
“Put them both in the car.” Charlie waved his gun at the SUV, shoving me toward it.
Ruthless came willingly, getting into the vehicle without a fight. Despite his cooperation, the Thorns were rough with him. Once we were both inside, the five Thorns surrounded the vehicle, guns held ready as they trapped us in the SUV. They obviously didn’t know what to do with us.
“What are you doing, Ruthless?” I hissed in a low whisper. “Why did you give yourself to them? That wasn’t the plan.”
He glanced out the window at the men and shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not leaving you alone with them for a second. They’ll have to kill me first.”
My heart did several flips in my chest. Ruthless knew what I’d endured at the hands of Archer’s people. He’d suffered a similar fate himself, and still he put himself right here beside me.
Maybe he didn’t hate me after all.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
MAVEN
Trying to lighten the heavy mood that settled over us, I nudged Ruthless with my elbow and chuckled. “Look at us getting into trouble without the others to stop us. Just like old times.”
A slight smile tugged at his lips. “Maddox is going to shit a brick.”
“Speaking of Mads, is he still at your nightclub?” I asked, wishing I knew exactly where the other guys were right now. “Do you know?”
Before Ruthless could answer, the door next to me jerked open. Charlie thrust my phone at me and snapped, “Get Maddox Hale on the phone right now.”
Moving slowly to avoid setting off anyone’s itchy trigger finger, I accepted the device and punched in my password. I called Maddox, putting it on speaker phone.
The call connected, and Maddox tentatively said, “Maven?”
“Yeah, she’s here,” Charlie confirmed. “I’ve got one of your men too. What are they worth to you?”
