Devil's Pass (The Harlequin Crew #.5) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,12

very much.

My cell phone was in my hand thanks to my lack of pockets and I seriously wanted to text JJ and ask to crash at his tonight. But my skateboard was in my room and his house was on the other side of town so the trip over would be a bitch and it was already past midnight. I should have thought to ask Rick to drop me there but fuck it, Rosie's snores would have to do.

I headed on towards the group home, spotting movement by the trees to the side of it and pausing for a moment as I wondered whether or not Clive might still be waiting around for me to come back. I was starting to think I might have to give him a clearer message like a black eye or a dick kick to make him fuck off in a more permanent way. The dude needed to stop trying so damn hard and find his own friends. The Harlequin boys were mine and I had no interest in sharing.

I opened my mouth to call out to him, but before a sound could leave my lips, a sweaty hand landed over my mouth and I was hauled off of my feet as I was dragged back against a large body.

I screamed against the hand, kicking and thrashing as fear spilled through my veins like lava and my cell phone fell from my hand to clatter down on the sidewalk as I tried to claw at whoever the fuck was holding me captive.

"I knew you were almost ripe, sweet thing," Axel purred in my ear, his hot breath washing against my neck as he dragged me backwards, around his house and into his yard.

I screamed louder but the sound was muffled by his fleshy hand and he chuckled darkly. Like my attempt amused him or was getting him off and that was even more terrifying. This guy was a fully fledged member of the Harlequin Crew. They were killers, every last one of them and I knew he had a reputation for being one of the most formidable members of their gang. And I was just some girl with combat boots and someone else's shirt on.

"Come on now, I let your boy give you your first ride. I was sweet about not taking your innocence away," Axel said as I continued to thrash and fight, but he was so much stronger than me and with my arms clamped to my sides and my feet held off of the ground there was no way for me to strike at him with any real force.

I bit down on his hand just as he dragged me through the back door to his house and my scream burst loose as he yanked his hand away with a curse.

"Stop that," he snapped, whirling me around and throwing me down face first over his kitchen side. "God gave you a pussy for a reason. Now you've learned what it's for, it's time to spread the love."

I kicked out behind me blindly, catching his knee with my heavy boot and managing to haul myself up and away from him as he reared back.

"I haven't," I gasped, scrambling away from him. "I'm a virgin. My clothes just got dirty - I'm just a kid. I-"

"Well, you've had plenty of time to figure it out. I've been more than patient," Axel said, licking his lips as he advanced on me again, gripping the bulge in his pants and making me want to puke.

I turned and ran for it, aiming for the front of the house as I screamed again, hoping someone at the home might hear me and come to help. But this house stood alone at the end of the street, we weren't that close to it and people knew not to help anyone out in Sunset Cove. If someone started screaming here you pretended you couldn't hear them just like no one ever admitted to hearing gunshots. But I had to try.

Axel chased after me, gripping my ponytail and yanking me back so hard that I fell crashing to the ground, my shirt riding up over my hips and making him groan as he looked at my fucking Power Ranger panties.

I cursed the fact that I'd forgotten my knife in my shorts back at the summer house as I scrambled back on my elbows, hunting for anything that I could use for a weapon as he advanced on me again.

My hand closed around