Havok: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance - Riley Rollins Page 0,97

glint of light off a metal object in the window of a Ford Explorer parked across the plaza. The barrel of a rifle. There was no fucking way to know if it was the only shooter. But no matter what, I'd have to take out this fuck if I had any hope of getting Holly to the bike.

I snaked my way around the perimeter of the plaza, taking cover behind trees as I rounded the circle. I was going to complete the circuit and flank the Explorer on the rear, get close enough to where I could light it up with my Glock. And if someone tried going across the plaza toward Holly, they were fucking fodder to me.

But I didn't make it all the way around. I was bleeding heavily and by the time I'd gotten three-fourths of the way to the Ford, I felt lightheaded and fell to my knees, wheezing. I tried to stand up but my legs were lead, my body low on blood.

I sat on my ass, and backed myself up against a tree. I rotated around the trunk, taking myself out of the shooter's line of sight.

Fight, I told myself. Reapers won't show her any mercy.

A voice called out from the other side of the tree. "Archer!"

I twisted my head and yelled around the tree trunk. "She ain't a part of this, you fucks!"

"Archer," the voice boomed, "Surrender and she lives."

"I need a guarantee," I sputtered as loudly as I could. My voice was weakening, hoarse.

"You ain't got a choice. Plaza's covered in your blood."

Fuck. I was fucked up, and I had failed. I knew these cunts all too well. They'd finish me off, then Holly, no matter what they promised.

"Fuck you," I coughed. "You want me, come get me." I pulled my knees up to my chest and held my Glock out in front of me, steadying it against my knees as best I could. If I was gonna go out, I was gonna take as many piece of shit Reapers with me as I could.

"Don't need to. You're gonna bleed out behind that tree."

Anger surged inside of me. I wanted to fucking murder this piece of shit. But I was frozen in place, unable to muster the strength to stand.

Suddenly, there was a dull thud and a gurgling moan. Then Holly came into my field of view, holding a brick dripping with blood.

"Holly," I said, my voice a gurgle.

"I couldn't just sit there," she said.

Goddamn. She had fucking saved my ass. I felt a new surge of strength inside me.

"Help me," I said, and I took her arm, hauling myself to my feet. I was dizzy, but my shoulder had finally stopped pouring blood.

Leaning against Holly, I hobbled over to the man laying on the ground, a pool of blood seeping out from under his black ski mask. I reached down and pulled it off his head. I recognized him—Mario Gutierrez, a veteran of the Demons MC. What the fuck? Sons had no beef with the Demons. Something was fucked up.

Feeling my strength come back to me, I howled into the air. I smashed my fist down onto the dead man's face over and over again, until it was a bloody stump.

20

Holly

I stood over the man, brick in my hand, heart pounding in my chest. When I'd brought it crashing down on his head from behind with all my strength, he'd let out an anguished, garbled cry and collapsed to the ground like a sack of rocks.

There hadn't been time to think. When I'd seen Axl stumble and press himself up against the tree, I knew he was losing his strength, and that I had to do something. So I'd grabbed a loose brick from the wall I hid behind, and rushed straight across the plaza with it in hand, snuck up behind the masked intruder, and caught him by surprise.

Then I'd helped Axl up. He'd pulled off the intruder's ski mask, and I instantly knew that something was wrong. Even more wrong than it already was. Then he pounded the dead man's face into the cement. I was aghast at the display of violence and brutality. I'd never seen anything like it. And even though it was all crazy, I was fucking glad that Axl had come out on top.

"Goddammit," said Axl, supporting his own weight with one arm around my shoulders, "Why would a Demon do this?"

"Axl," I said, replaying my mental image of the brick hitting the man's head,