“I’m good,” she rasps.
No, she’s not. She’s terrified, but she’s alive, and I intend to keep her that way.
Davenport tilts his head and scowls at me. “I think you might want to reconsider your answer.”
I suck my teeth and shake my head. “Still gonna be a no as long as you got that gun on her.”
“Shame you’re stubborn, because a word from me and Abel will put a bullet in your head.”
I inch closer, half expecting the bullet Davenport promised. But nope, it doesn’t come. Instead, Abel follows my movement, his weapon tight on me. “Bull. Shit. You’re not going to have your henchman kill me. Nah, you got other plans. So let’s hear it, Davenport. Why’d you come all this way?” I keep my gun trained on him, and as much as my finger inches to squeeze the trigger, I still can’t hit him without also risking Faith. “Whatcha got planned for us?”
His eyebrows shoot up. “For Faith? Nothing if you behave.” Faith sucks in a hard breath, ending on a strangled whimper when he strokes her hair with the gun’s muzzle. “I never wanted to hurt her.”
“Fine.” I hold up one hand. “Look at me behaving. See? No one has to shoot anyone, Davenport.”
“So much for the Unholy being badasses,” the douchebag behind me remarks.
Now isn’t the time to be goaded by this jerkoff. These two assholes can shit all over the Unholy, and I won’t say a word if Faith’s life remains at risk. “Sticks and stones, my dude.”
Rage contorts Davenport’s expression, but he regains his composure, and when he speaks, his voice is calm. “If I recall, you weren’t as forgiving when my son spoke negatively about your little gang of criminals.”
“If I recall, you weren’t holding a gun to Faith’s head at the time.” No harm in pointing out the obvious.
“As I said, hurting her was never part of the plan.” The gleam in his eyes is almost manic.
I mean, does this lunatic actuallyhavea plan? And here I thought he was winging it because, honestly, he looks crazy.
“Okay, cool. Let her go.”
The older man shakes his head, his expression regretful. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Not yet.”
Frustration twists my gut into a knot. “Come on, dude, you said you don’t want to hurt her.”
“Want to? No.” He sniffs her hair. Fucking sniffs it, and she closes her eyes, clearly—and properly—grossed out. “But I will if I have to.”
Faith’s eyes pop open, and the color drains from her face. The muffled alarm of her sensor’s app blares from the cell phone inside her bag. It startles Davenport, and when he jumps, the gun wavers in his hand. For a second, my heart stops out of fear he’ll accidentally pull the trigger. But his hand relaxes, and he shakes her, demanding to know the source of the sound.
“My CGM alarm,” Faith rasps.
“Ah, that’s right.” He looks at her like she’s damaged goods. “I forgot you’re diabetic.” The alarm keeps ringing, and because Davenport is holding Faith against his body, her violent trembling causes the gun to shake. “Shut it off,” he snarls.
“I can’t.”
He jabs the muzzle against her skull. “This says you can.”
“Fine,” Faith snarls. She rips the sensor off her arm and tosses it on the floor. The alarm stops, and the quiet is deafening. “There,” she spits out. “Happy?”
He eases the gun away from her head. “Yes, thank you.”
“Fuck this,” I growl. Dirt didn’t spend a bazillion hours teaching me how to shoot, only for these motherfuckers to hold us captive like two assholes.
Now that the initial shock has worn off, I can think clearly. Evaluate the situation with a rational mind. If I charge the guy behind me, it leaves Faith vulnerable. With her bound wrists and ankles, she’s helpless. She can’t fight. Can’t run.Shit. My options are limited, and it sucks. Every instinct I have demands action, but all I can do is stand here and do nothing because anything more will put my girl in even more danger.
I finally understand Wraith’s dilemma during his time in Gomorrah. The powerlessness. The frustration. And the dichotomy of wanting to spill blood and the need to exercise restraint for the sake of survival.
“…I’m not a foolish man,” Davenport is saying. He pulls me out of my whirlwind of thoughts. “When Michael told me he confessed to Kerri, I rightly assumed she’d run here, to you.”
“So, what? Is your plan to kill the entire gang? That’s kinda lofty, don’t you think?” I drawl.
