Page 93 of Hard Knock Hero

Jessi

Jeremy marchedme into the parking lot, holding the gun against my side. “Uncle Dale told me to come help the idiots who’d screwed up their axle. Then imagine my surprise when I saw you and your asshole boyfriend here.”

“That’s because we know all about the illegal stuff you and your family are up to.”

“Really? Then why aren’t the cops after us?” He was keeping the weapon hidden inside the pocket of his jacket, but I could feel the muzzle and its implicit threat. I knew Jeremy was reckless enough to use it, despite all the witnesses. The risk of getting caught hadn’t stopped him from hurting me before.

Where was Aiden?

“The copswillbe after you,” I said. “Any minute.”

“I don’t think so. I think you and Aiden are all on your own. You clearly broke him out of jail somehow, but you should’ve kept on running when you had the chance. You just can’t resist trying to screw things up for me, can you?”

The guy in the glasses rushed out of the convenience shop, catching up to us. “I can’t find Luther. Or my damned keys!”

“That’s because Jessi and her boyfriend decided to cause trouble. It’s going to be the last thing they ever do. Please tell me you still have your gun?”

The guy in glasses nodded. He eyed me. “You. You took my keys, you little bitch.” He edged closer to me. I was trapped between the two men. I was determined to stay brave, but my confidence started to waver under this newcomer’s hateful gaze.

Just who were the men the Rigsbys had recruited into their operation? They were armed. Probably ruthless.

“Her boyfriend’s poking around the truck,” Jeremy said, “but we have Jessi to play our bargaining chip. But there are people around. We need to keep this quiet.” He jabbed me again with his gun muzzle. “If you try to warn him, you’ll be very sorry.”

What do I do?I asked myself. I was racking my brain, but no solution came. Maybe I should warn Aiden anyway. If I screamed, he might be able to get away. Get help.

I sucked in a breath, and Jeremy’s free hand clamped over my mouth. And suddenly the other guy grabbed my throat so tightly I couldn’t breathe.

“Easy, Walls,” Jeremy said, until the other guy released his grip. “Take care of the boyfriend first. Then we can teach Jessi the lesson she has coming.”

Aiden, I thought.Please, please hurry.

Jeremy shoved me around the side of the Hart-Made truck, where we were out of sight from the rest of the parking area. We were at the far edge of the lot, nearly to the woods that grew along a slope leading uphill. A huge bank of snow had been piled up here by a snowplow.

“Hand over your phone. I don’t want you getting any creative ideas.”

I got my phone from my back pocket and handed it to Jeremy. He threw it on the asphalt and stomped on it. The plastic shattered into ever-smaller pieces as he ground it with his heel.Ugh. That was painful to watch.

Jeremy nodded his head at Walls, who proceeded around the back of the box truck, his gun drawn. “The cargo door’s open. But nobody’s in there.”

“Are you sure?” Jeremy pulled me along with him, getting closer to the rear of the truck. “Get in and check.”

Walls climbed up into the cargo area. I held my breath, hoping that Aiden would burst out of a hiding place and take the guy out. But then Walls jumped back down. “Nobody’s fuckinginthere. Like I said.”

“Then find him!”

“I don’t even know what the dude looks like. I’ll take Jessi.Youfind him.”

I trembled. I’d never thought I would prefer my ex to someone, but this Walls guy was very bad news.

Jeremy scowled and cursed under his breath. “He’s a huge asshole with a beard. How hard can it be? He’ll be the one gunning for us, sohurry the hell up.”

Scowling, Walls stormed off. Jeremy pointed his gun at me as he glanced around anxiously. But I exhaled, regaining a small amount of confidence now that I had just one threat to deal with. Jeremy didn’t intend to let me walk away from here alive. So I had to keep him busy for as long as possible. Buy time for Aiden to get to me.

Because hewould. I knew he would.

That Walls guy couldn’t get the jump on Aiden.Right?

“What are you transporting in the truck?” I asked.

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