Page 10 of Ruin

I blushed, not that he would have seen it in the darkness. “I’ve seen them used. I’ve never used one myself. Or at least not successfully.”

Now he laughed out loud, though there wasn’t much humor in it. “You’ve been in this world for this long and you’ve never shot a gun successfully? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’ve shot guns,” I protested. “I just...”

“You just what?”

I looked at the ground, horrified that he was making me admit it but knowing that it was the only way to show him that I couldn’t be trusted on my own. After all, if I couldn’t shoot a gun, then he’d have to come with me to take care of the shooting. Right?

“I’m a terrible shot,” I admitted. “Can’t hit the broad side of a barn, honestly. I’ve tried. I’ve tried a lot. Devil used to make me go to shooting ranges to practice, on the regular. But I can’t get it down, no matter how much I practice. Something about the mechanics doesn’t work for me. I end up shooting the wall rather than the target in front of me.”

He stared at me like he didn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. Or like he couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, and honestly, I didn’t blame him. I’d been an embarrassment to Devil in a number of ways, but this... This had been my worst sin, as far as he was concerned. He’d told me again and again that I was no good to him if I couldn’t shoot a gun. He’d told me that he didn’t want to admit to anyone that I couldn’t do it and had listed for me at least ten other women who were better shots than I was.

Maybe that was why he’d decided it was okay to start beating me. He was disgusted by me and knew I’d never be able to shoot him for what he did, no matter how much I wanted to.

“I need you, Gem,” I told him quietly. “I can’t defend myself if someone comes after me.”

He pressed the gun into my hand, though, like my opinion on the issue didn’t matter at all. “And you’ll die if you’re stuck back here with me,” he grunted. “They’re going to find us at this rate, and I don’t want them finding us both if they do. Go. Get the bike, and come back for me. You’ll get there and back faster than we’d get there if you were trying to take me with you. It’ll be better, Saraya. For both of us. Believe me.”

I held his fingers over the gun, searching his face and trying to figure out whether he was telling the truth. Did he actually want me to leave him here in the dark, on his own, when we knew Devil would have sent additional men after us? Did he actually think it would be faster for me to run and get the bike, then come back and save him?

Was he right?

Could I afford to question him?

I couldn’t, I realized. He knew more than me about where the bike was stored and how hard it might be to get there. If he thought he couldn’t do it, or if he thought it would take too long with his dragging footsteps...

Then I had to believe him.

Besides, I was wasting time standing around arguing with him. If I wanted to keep him safe, I needed to be jumping into action rather than standing at the side of the road. I had to get there as quickly as I could, get the bike, and get back here for him. Before Devil’s men found him.

“Right,” I breathed. “Tell me exactly where I’m going, and the fastest way to get there. And don’t you dare do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

CHAPTER 8

KNIGHT

I RACED DOWN THE HIGHWAY, bent over the handlebars of my bike and praying for what I didn’t know. I’d sent the men I’d brought with me in other directions, hoping it would split the cops up, and then torn into the night, heading for the closest town and any shelter it might offer me.

Not enough, I knew. If the cops really wanted me, they’d catch me—especially if Devil had paid them to make sure I was dead or in jail. If they had money riding on my arrest, they’d never leave me alone. I was on a bike that might or might not be faster than their cars, but I was also by myself, and I’d counted at least ten police cruisers back there at Devil’s compound. If they wanted to trap me, they’d be able to do it, no matter how well I tried to hide.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to. Mandy had been arrested, I’d lost track of everyone in my crew, and Tinker...

I leaned over farther and hit the accelerator, pushing the bike to greater speeds to keep my mind from going to that place. I couldn’t afford the grief right now, and I damn sure couldn’t afford the distraction.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I saw the police lights fading out behind me. Good. I was going to be able to lose them on the open road. With luck, I’d get into town and be able to hide before they knew where I’d gone. With even more luck, they wouldn’t know I’d gone to that town at all. Maybe they’d just assume I was running for home and go to the clubhouse.

Not that they knew who I was, I reminded myself.

Did they?

I frowned, wondering suddenly if they did. Devil had called them. He’d set the trap. And I was the only one he might have been expecting there. I didn’t know how he’d pulled it off, but I suspected that it put the cops solidly on his side—or in his pocket—and that meant he would have told them exactly who I was. And where to find me.

The clubhouse. Where Saraya and Gem were by themselves.

Oh shit.

I hit the accelerator again, knowing I was going way, way too fast for safety and not caring. True, the cops might have set up a perimeter around the area, and I might be heading right for it, but I had people to protect, and my plans were changing quickly. I wanted to get back to headquarters and make sure Saraya and Gemini were there and safe.