Page 24 of Red Rabbit
“What sort of thing?”
Cooper shrugged.
“The less you know the better. Let’s just say she’ll be very profitable for me.”
He gave a sharp whistle and his men faded off into the woods. The one holding Kaelin yanked her towards the trees roughly.
“Graham!” She pleaded and struggled against the man’s grip. But the man dragged her off and I could only stand there helplessly.
I was outgunned and outnumbered. I knew Cooper too well to think I could take him and five of his men with just a handgun. There was nothing I could do. The look of betrayal and fear on her face made my stomach turn.
“Please!” She cried and what moments before was one of the sexiest things to come out of her mouth was now a terrified plea. She dug in her heels and the man slapped her. I stepped forward, my hand going behind me to the gun, until my chest hit Cooper’s hand as he held it out to stop me.
“If you let her go, I’ll consider us even,” I said as I watched her disappear through the trees before I turned to stare coldly at Cooper. He fixed me with a look that made me remember why his call sign was the Joker—his humanity always was questionable and he was a man who enjoyed toying with people just to see them fall. It worked out well in combat, but now Irealized it just made him a twisted, evil man. A man born for the brutality of war and honed into a ruthless killer.
“Ah, my man,” he said as he shook his head. “I’m lettingyougo and that’s calling us even. I’ll never forget what you did for me. Fuck, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you—but if I was smart, I’d kill you right now.”
He looked me up and down, as calm and collected as he always was.
“You look good man,” he said. “I wish we could catch up but duty calls.” He turned to walk away but then turned back. “Oh—if you head that way—” he pointed off in the opposite direction of where he was headed. “—you’ll come to a service station in a few weeks.”
He started walking backwards into the trees.
“Cooper—”
“Don’t come after her Wolfe,” he warned. He must have seen the look on my face because he pulled his gun around casually. “I mean it. Next time I see you, we’ll be even.” I didn’t miss the threat.
“Cooper—”
“Seriously Wolfe, forget about her. If I see you again, I’ll have to kill you and I’d rather not do that. You were always like a brother to me.”
He took a few more steps before he saluted me casually and jogged off into the woods.
I stood there for a moment, wondering what the fuck just happened. Why was Cooper in the middle of nowhere? And why would he want Kaelin? Part of me said to cut my losses—she wasn’t anyone to me besides a quick fuck in the woods. But even as I thought it, I didn’t like how it felt. That first day when she looked up at me with hope in those killer green eyes, I knew she was expecting me to get us out of here. I wondered when over the last week I became so protective of her.
It wasn’t just the sex though. There also was the small detail of how she saved my life and while I was definitely no hero—I took my word very seriously and saving someone’s life was a big deal to me so it felt wrong to leave her there when I owed her.
Almost without noticing it, I was already following Cooper.
It wouldn’t hurt to just assess the situation and go from there right? Plus, something didn’t sit right with me after my conversation with Cooper.
She’ll be very profitable to me.
I didn’t like that. I didn’t like that at all.
He was up to something and I was going to discover what it was.
THE WARREN
The trees thrash—a rage against the breaking
The wind howls— its screams are for the broken
The rain cries—it’s tears are for the lost.
This storm of suffering—this torrent of horrors
this forest of fears.
