Page 9 of Ruin

So why the hell were we stopping?

“We need to get those bodies out of here,” he said. “If the police show up and see dead bodies in our clubhouse, it’ll mean trouble for the Banshees.”

“We already have trouble,” I pointed out.

“Exactly. And we don’t need more. We also don’t need Devil sending anyone else to find that we’ve killed these guys. Better if they think we ran and they followed us or something. Help me.”

He turned and headed back in, and I followed him. I thought it was insane to stick around when we were being hunted, but I also didn’t want to be the cause of more trouble for Knight’s crew. They’d saved me and brought this drama on themselves for my sake, and if I could do anything to make it less, I was going to.

I also didn’t have the instincts Gemini did. Sure, I’d been involved in motorcycle clubs for years now, but I’d never led one, and I’d certainly never been second-in-command. Gem lived this life and knew better than me if something was going to happen.

I wasn’t going to argue with him on this point, no matter how crazy I thought it was.

We got to the first man, and I ducked down, grabbing his feet, while Gemini took his shoulders. The big man was weak from blood loss and fighting, but he still did most of the work, grunting and dragging the body toward the door while I did my best with his feet. We dropped him in the parking lot outside... then turned and went back for his friend and did it again. We returned a third time to grab the one remaining Steed—who was smaller, thank goodness—and dragged him out of the clubhouse, my legs shaking with fatigue.

Once they were lying in the parking lot, side by side like they were just watching the stars or something, Gem put one finger to his lips and pointed another finger to the ground, indicating that I should keep quiet and stay put. I nodded and watched nervously as he crept toward the wall of the clubhouse, his gun up and at the ready, his eyes on the land around us. The moment his shoulder met the wall, he began sliding along it, his footsteps stealthy and quick. He disappeared around the corner before I realized what he was doing.

Checking for bikes. Trying to see whether there had been anyone else with these three men and the one we thought might have been in the garage and then left. He thought someone might still be here, and if they were, they’d be able to follow us when we left.

I glanced down at the bodies, my stomach roiling at the thought of what we’d just done. I’d stabbed these men, and I’d done it with the intention of killing them. I’d done it in defense of my friend’s life, but still.

I’d never willingly hurt anyone before. The idea that I’d done so now made me feel both brave and sick. At the same time.

“No one else,” a voice said over my shoulder, and I jumped and bit my tongue before whirling around, ready to scratch someone’s eyes out.

It was just Gemini, though, and I almost laughed in relief.

“You didn’t think to give me some sort of warning that you were there before you started talking?” I hissed. “I was about to attack you!”

He gave me a very amused glance, taking in my short stature, and then gestured to the bikes with his chin. “We have to get out of here, but I don’t think we can trust the bikes or my truck. Those guys might have put bombs on them before they came in.”

I followed his gaze, shocked at the thought. Had those guys been here long enough to arm all the vehicles with bombs, set to go off if we tried to use them? Would they have thought that far ahead?

I supposed so. We had no idea how long they’d even been there, with me in the kitchen cooking my heart out and Gem in his room doing who knew what. For all we knew, they were already on the grounds when Knight and Mandy were getting on Knight’s bike and getting ready to go. This attack, I realized, might have always been part of Devil’s plan.

And if so, they’d outsmarted not only Knight, but everyone in his crew.

“So what do we do?” I asked. “We can’t stay here.”

“No, we can’t,” he growled, reaching for my hand again. “So I guess we’re running. I have another bike stored in a garage a couple miles away. Let’s go.”

WE’D ONLY BEEN RUNNING for five minutes before we both realized that Gem wasn’t going to be able to keep up with me. Hell, he was barely able to walk at all, much less run, and if we didn’t get to that bike quickly, he might faint from blood loss.

He stopped and leaned over, his hands on his knees and his breathing rough. Finally, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out, handing it to me. I ran my fingers over it, confused, and felt the jagged metal of a key.

A key to a bike.

“What the hell is this?” I gasped, furious for reasons I couldn’t name. Why was he giving me the key to the only getaway vehicle we had? What the hell was I supposed to do with this, go get it and come back for him?

“You’ll get there more quickly without me,” he gasped, still having trouble with breathing.

Right, well that wasn’t happening. “And I’m not leaving you alone,” I replied. “I’d rather walk with you than run away from you.”

He shook his head, and this time when his hand came out, it was holding the gun.

I stared at him, horrified. I’d be worried that he was going to threaten me to make me go except that he was holding it out handle-first. He was expecting me to take it. “And what am I supposed to do with that?”

He snorted. “You’ve been Devil’s woman for at least three years, Saraya. Surely you know what a gun does.”