Devil's Pass (The Harlequin Crew #.5) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,49

wall, catching hold of it and hauling myself up. I rolled over the top and dropped down the other side, my feet hitting soft ground as I landed behind some bushes. I pushed through them then sprinted up through the trees to the road. I needed to get to the highway and hitchhike, but it would take me half an hour to walk there on foot. I didn't know if that was long enough before Luther noticed I was missing, but I didn't have much damn choice. So I started jogging, the rain still hammering down, though not nearly as fiercely as it had up on Devil's Pass.

My heart clenched as I left my home behind, my boys. But I'd find a way to fix all of this shit. I refused to give up.

I'm coming, beautiful. Just hold on.

I was soaked through by the time I made it to the highway and started walking in the direction of Fairfax, holding my thumb out to the traffic as it sped past me, headlights flaring at me as cars zoomed by. Water splashed over my legs again and again and I cursed as I kept my thumb resolutely up and my hand became numb and the cold started to get its claws in me.

Come on, stop, assholes. One of you has to have a fucking heart.

Finally, a set of headlights flashed and the vehicle pulled over behind me. I jogged back towards it, squinting against the bright lights as hope filled my chest. I was really gonna pull this off. Find my girl, save her, hold her again and tell all the stuff I'd been too chicken shit to say before now.

The driver's door pushed open and a man stepped out, making my blood freeze. Luther came at me with a snarl on his lips, throwing a punch at my face that sent me sprawling onto the ground. I tasted blood and failure as I leapt back to my feet, desperate to run. But his hands gripped me and he wheeled me around, throwing me against the side of his truck.

"This is the biggest mistake of your life, boy!" he yelled over the raging storm, leaning down so he was right in my face. I still struggled, but he was stronger and he used the hard plane of his chest to crush me in place.

"Let me go!" I bellowed back at him.

"All you had to do was fall in line," he spat, rainwater flying from his lips to spray over me. "I made it easy for you. But here you are fucking defying me."

"Get off of me," I growled, shoving at him, but his grip was like a vice.

"Now you've gotta pay the price," he hissed.

"Don't do anything to Rogue," I begged, suddenly losing all fight as I remembered the words he'd spoken. The threat on her life if any of us went after her. "Don't touch her!"

His eyes narrowed and he suddenly yanked open the passenger door, forcing me inside the car and slamming the door. I dropped my pack from my shoulder, fumbling in my bag for the gun I'd stashed there earlier. I'd kill him, take his truck, get my girl.

Luther dropped into his seat just as I pulled it out and he lunged at me before I could get my finger on the trigger, knocking it into the footwell. He grabbed the back of my head and slammed my face down on the dashboard, blood pouring from my nose and my thoughts scattering as I groaned.

My pulse roared in my ears and pain was slicing through me that had nothing to do with my injuries. I'd failed Rogue. I'd lost her. She was gone and there was no way of reaching her.

I released a noise of anguish as hate and rage twisted up inside me, turning on the man who had taken me in. Who'd tried to raise me for his own purposes. But never stopping to ask what I wanted. Always ignoring my desire to rule in favour of the plans he had for his real kid. I was as capable as Fox to lead. I was just as strong, just as fucking good. But Luther had never even let me be in the running for top dog. All because of the blood that ran in my veins. It was bullshit.

"Fuck you," I cursed him as he swiped up the gun and he tutted at me, pressing the button to lock the doors before smoothing back his