Page 50 of Ruin

BEFORE I COULD DO ANYTHING about the intended killing, though, the group got Saraya to where one of the cop cars was parked. I had a quick moment of utter hoping, wondering if someone had finally come to their senses and the cops had realized that they couldn’t leave a defenseless girl with someone like Devil. He’d paid them, obviously, but surely they wouldn’t put Saraya’s life in danger like that.

I was wrong.

Instead of showing her into the back seat, perhaps intending to drive her to the hospital or even the police station so she could receive some care, the cop in question opened up the trunk of his car. The bodyguard grinned at the man—a nasty, toothy grin that told me everything I needed to know about the man—and dumped Saraya into the trunk.

I heard her cry out in pain and anger, but he slammed the lid shut before she could say anything.

Every muscle in my body tensed with fury and the driving need to protect her, and the only thing that kept me where I stood was Brock’s hand on my shoulder.

“Not yet,” he whispered. “Not yet. She’s safe for right now.”

For right now. That was the problem. Right now she was out of their hands. But what were they intending to do with her?

The cop had turned and was discussing something with Devil and his bodyguard, acting like he’d just loaded the fucking groceries for them or something. Money changed hands, I could see that much, and then they were all laughing and slapping each other’s backs.

Like they’d just done a deal they were proud of.

That money hadn’t gone from Devil to the cop. It had gone from the cop to Devil. And I was betting it was in exchange for Saraya.

“Shit,” I breathed. You didn’t pay for the presence of a woman unless she was an escort, and Saraya wasn’t. She also hadn’t had a hand in the deal.

This was bad. Very bad.

Even worse, the cop then got into his car, slammed his own door, and peeled away from his parking spot, tires spinning up smoke in his hurry to get away. I watched in shock for a moment, horrified at the thought that he was taking Saraya, but was distracted by Devil and his man running for their own car.

Still laughing.

Devil slid into the passenger’s side—no surprise there—and I was about to yell out to ask why the hell he wasn’t driving himself when they took off, too.

In the opposite direction.

Oh fuck, oh fuck, I’d thought they would at least go in the same direction, but now...

Who did I follow?

Who was more dangerous here?

Devil. Devil was the more dangerous, and he was the one that had started all of this. He was the one I needed to deal with.

I ran for my bike, my mind trying to make sense of everything that had just happened and figure out where Devil would be going and how I could catch him. How fast was that car, anyhow? I was betting it was all flash and no guts. I could catch it. I could—

But Saraya. Dammit, Saraya.

“I’m going after Devil!” I screamed over my shoulder. “You follow that cop and get Saraya back!”

I had assumed that Brock would be right behind me, there to take orders and ready to go. I’d assumed he’d already know exactly what we were going to do. The man had always seemed like he had a direct link right into my head. And he’d seen the same thing I saw.

But there were no footsteps behind me, I realized now, and no response to what I’d said. No huffed “Sure, boss,” and no shouted suggestions.

I whirled around, wondering why the hell he wasn’t following me, and gasped. Brock wasn’t following me. He’d never intended to follow me.

Because he was standing in the middle of the street, taking aim at Devil’s retreating car with his AK.

“You killed my brother and thought you could get away with it?” he screamed. “I’ll show you what we do to people who kill family!”

He pulled the trigger and the gun roared, firing bullet after bullet right into Devil’s car, which screeched to a halt in response.

I grabbed my own gun and tensed to run out to protect Brock—or help him, I wasn’t sure—when someone slid to a stop right next to me, breathing hard and muttering.