Page 81 of Ride Hard
“Where am I?” Imurmured.
We were standing on a bluff overlooking the ocean. I could see the cliffs in the distance, hear the crash of the waves below, and feel the sun on my shoulders. I remembered this day. The last we’d hadtogether.
I also remembered being on a train withSloane.
“It’s okay,” Madison said. “It’s been a longtime.”
She rose to her feet and walked toward me, her eyes full of understanding I didn’t recognize. Her fingers closed around mine, taking the camera fromme.
“A picture won’t fill the hole in your heart,” she whispered, the wind tugging at herwords.
“What did you say?” I asked with afrown.
Her gaze met mine. “She needs you,Gunnar.”
“Who?”
Madison smiled, her hands cupping my face. “It’s okay to let me go. It’s okay to loveagain.”
“But…”
The light dimmed around us, and I shivered, my thigh throbbing with a hot pain. My knee buckled, but I didn’t fall. My gaze was caught on Madison’s, and she held meupright.
“Seven years,” Iwhispered.
She nodded. “It’s time, don’t youthink?”
“I…”
My vision blurred, and I groaned, my head lolling from side to side. Blinking, the hazecleared.
The ground moved beneath me. I was surrounded by empty luggage racks. The sound of wheels clicking over tracks brought clarity back, and I lifted my head. My hand was heavy, and the knife fell to the floor with aclatter.
My fingers stuck to the hilt, my blood tacky to the touch. Ginger had put the knife into my hand to make it look like I’d attempted suicide. The perfect cover-up, but he was a complete dumbass. He hadn’t made sure I was deadfirst.
He probably thought the blood loss would get me. His need for a slow painful death as his revenge would be hisundoing.
Everyone knew you made sure your victim had no pulse before you left them torot.
Everyoneknew…
Groaning, I picked up the knife, my hand shaking. Blood was all over the floor, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. The leg of my jeans was soaked, and a hole was torn in the fabric where the blade had stabbedthrough.
Hauling myself up, my head spun, and my entire body felt clammy. Glancing at the floor, I swallowed hard as I saw how much blood was left behind on thefloor.
No time for that, I thought.I have to get to Sloane. I have to getupstairs…
Outside the luggage compartment, the train car was empty. Our fight would’ve drawn a lot of eyes, and the fact nobody was here made my heart twist. The car was empty. We were the only people in it. No one wascoming.
They’d lured us into atrap.
Dragging myself up the stairs, I stumbled into the hallway and back to our compartment. Wrenching open the door, I grimaced as I saw our stuff strewn all over the seat and floor. Immediately, I knew she’d run, and if she had, they had her. There was no way in hell Ginger was herealone.
After what we’d done to them, they would try to take her alive. Make her pay. Tear her apart just like they’d done toMadison.
Sloane.
Closing myself in the room, I tore off my jeans, ignoring the pain in my thigh and the throbbing in my head. I pushed it all aside as I bound my leg as best I could with a pair of Sloane’s tiny leggings. Tying the fabric in place, I pulled on a pair of clean jeans and washed my hands in the basin, cleaning the knife Ginger had left behind. Both guns were gone, so it was all Ihad.
When I was done, I opened the door and scanned the hallway. I had to find her before we reached the next station, or she would be goneforever.
Glancing to the right, I knew she wouldn’t have gone that way. That was the way she thought I’d gone. Turning left, I dragged myself down the hall and into the nextcar.
When I found Ginger and his buddies, they were going to wish they’d never beenborn.
