Edge Of Darkness (Arrow's Edge MC #2) - Freya Barker Page 0,87

out my phone and find Ramirez’s number.

Lissie

Had it only been the cold steel pressed against the base of my skull, I would’ve taken my chances.

It is the promise of unspeakable things to be done to Lisa and her kids if I fight him, that has me comply with his demands. I figure if I can bide my time until we are far enough from the apartments, I might get an opportunity.

He pushes me out of the apartment and to the other side of the gallery, where a secondary set of stairs leads down to the garbage containers in the small parking lot at the rear of the complex. I make note of as much as I can, his unfamiliar voice, his size, his scent, but every time I try to sneak a peek at him, he presses the barrel harder into my skin.

An old, black Cadillac DeVille is parked beside one of the dumpsters and he pops the trunk as we approach. I know what’s coming and I try to brace myself, but with one arm banding around my waist, he simply lifts me off my feet and tosses me in. I cry out when I land on my bad shoulder and immediately roll on my back, even as he’s already closing the trunk. But not before I get my first look at his face.

In the darkness that follows I try to remember where I saw it before. I noted in my quick glimpse of him he’s at least mid-forties, if not older. With small eyes set too close together and his nose clearly busted a few times, but the bottom half of his face was mostly obscured by facial hair. I know I’ve seen him before.

I can feel the vibrations from the engine when he starts it up. The moment the car starts moving, I use my right hand to feel around the trunk for a safety latch or anything I can use as a weapon. When I pull up the edge of the carpet lining, I encounter wiring and start pulling on it. Anything in my hands is better than nothing, and in a perfect world I may have taken out his taillights and he gets pulled over by the police.

I want to kick my feet against the inside of the trunk lid, but I’m afraid he’ll hear. Instead I yank hard at the wire until it pops free.

After what feels like an eternity, I notice we’ve hit a more uneven road surface. Probably a gravel road, judging by the stones I hear pinging against the underbody of the car. When the car slows down, I pull my knees to my chest and brace my feet against the lid. The best defense is offense, and I’m planning to catch him off guard.

I listen for the door closing and then the crunch of dirt under his feet coming closer. I clench the length of wire I looped into a whip of sorts in my fist and wait for the latch on the trunk to pop.

The moment I hear it, I kick up as hard as I can, and note a satisfying thump and a loud “Fuck!”

I must’ve knocked him on his ass. Jumping at the opportunity, I scramble out of the trunk and plan to beeline it to the edge of the trees I see, but I’ve barely taken a step when my feet are pulled out from under me and I go down hard. My training has me ignore the sharp pain in my shoulder, and I instantly roll to my back so I can see him coming at me.

But before I can do anything he’s looming over me, sitting down on my legs, his face distorted in anger. In a last ditch effort, I swing my right hand holding the wire like a whip and catch the bastard in his face. A sharp cut along his cheek opens up and he raises a hand in surprise. When his fingers come away bloody, the anger is back in full force.

“You fucking cunt!”

The last thing I see is his fist coming at my face.

Yuma

The parking lot is packed with patrol cars. Every fucking cop in Durango showed up within minutes of my call.

“Luna is on her way too, brother. She’s already in touch with her team,” Ouray assures me.

I called him as soon as I got off the phone with Ramirez, and he just called me back to let me know he’s coming over with Nosh. I pace back