The green-masked psycho turns back to me, kicking my Sig out of reach.
“Get Cal outta here,” I say to Devon.
He nods and races over to Cal who’s making his way toward me, his own knife out, eyes locked onto the giggling fucker now choking me.
But Devon intercepts and drags my little fawn away.
Refocusing on my current problem, I grab this asshole’s thumb, bending it back. He releases my neck only to grab hold ofthe sleeve of my jacket as he unleashes a series of punches to my face.
I block a few as I unzip the jacket and slip out of it, causing him to tumble backward.
But he recovers quickly, launching himself back at me. His thumb jams into the bullet hole and I shout, then throw a punch into the side of his head, one he follows up by spearing me in the throat.
The psycho fuck knocks my legs out from under me, giggling again while I choke, then steps on my wrist as he brandishes a hunting knife.
Fuck.
“Rex!” Goddammit. Please save my ass. Not ready to be taken out by this bastard.
The green-masked psycho freezes, head tilting. I try to yank my arm free but he steps on it harder, staring.
This close, I can see his emerald-colored eyes. They look normal. If only his damn brain was. I yank again and he just adds more body weight.
I follow his line of sight and it lands on the snake and skull tattoo. He looks at it, then to me, and backs off. He bends and picks up my Sig.
He starts to walk away just as Rex rounds the corner, sidearm drawn. To his right, one of the hostiles has a gun drawn on him.
“Rex!”
A gunshot echoes and the hostile drops. Rex freezes and I turn my head to find the green-masked psycho.
He shot his own man.
What the actual fuck!
The red-masked guy comes out of nowhere. “Joker?”
“Time to leave.”
Something passes between the two, but three others still have their weapons drawn on us.
This Joker character must be missing some screws because he just walks away without a care in the world. Turns his back on all of us. The red-masked guy mutters a string of curses, then follows.
I straighten. “Can't let you leave.”
Both men turn and look at me, and fuck, I’ll be having nightmares for weeks. The red-masked guy steps forward. “You kill us, more will come. And it won’t be pretty.”
Rex points his gun at the guy. “We’ll put you down before you even get close.”
Joker leans into his companion and whispers something because the red-masked guy goes a bit apeshit before turning back to us. “We won’t be back. Town’s now off limits. You don’t have to worry about seeing us here again. Though . . . you come into Jackal territory and all bets are off.”
The guy barely finishes talking when Devon slits one of the remaining hostile’s throats. To be fair, the guy was pointing his rifle at Rex. “Four of you against the four of us.”
“Devon, back away!” Rex shouts.
Joker tilts his head as if studying Devon, who mockingly waves at the green-masked psycho, that mischievous twinkle in his eyes glittering.
Jesus, take the motherfucking wheel.
