Page 67 of Ride Long
Rocket.
The word enemy flashed through my mind. He hadn’t seen me yet, but he just needed to turn a little to his left, and it was game over. There was nowhere to go except straight ahead, so I raised Hopper’s gun and took a step forward. Shoot or be shot at. At this range, the spoils went to the quickdraw.
I gasped as a hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me into a dark room. Instantly, my flight mode activated, and I lashed out, smashing the butt of my gun into my assailant’sface.
“Fuck!” a male voice cursed. “Settle down,amoremio.”
Deluca.
I twisted, gaining enough room to bring my head forward, then I reared backward to smack him in the teeth with my skull. He grunted in pain and let me go. Turning, I saw the blood on his lips in the murky light andsmirked.
“You’re one of them.” I snarled, aiming right between his slimy biker eyes. “Say your prayers,asshole.”
“I’m Gasket’s,” he replied, holding his hands up. “And if you didn’t notice, I just saved your tight little ass from being gunned down byRocket.”
“How do I know you’re notlying?”
“Who do you think narked on Marini to Gasket?” he asked with a sneer. “Fucking SantaClaus?”
“He knew we were coming.” I narrowed myeyes.
“It wasn’t me,amore mio. It might’ve had something to do with Rick being strangely absent, don’t you think?” He snorted. “Either way, you’ve got no options. We have to find Gasket andregroup.”
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled itout.
“They got him,” he said. “They’re regrouping in thegarage.”
“They got Marini?” I should’ve been happy, but I was thoroughly annoyed I wasn’t there to see him squirm. “Alive?”
“Fucked if Iknow.”
Deluca opened the door and peered out into the hallway as a new round of gunfire erupted somewhere in the compound. It was further away thistime.
“I thought they gothim?”
“Rocket is leading a group loyal to him,” Deluca said. “That’ll be them. Quick.” He beckoned me to follow. “We’ve got to get back to thegarage.”
Fine by me. I wasn’t staying in this shithole a moment longer than I had to. I had overdue business with my father, and it was time to collect…withinterest.
