Page 18 of Lawless
Then he pulled the blade across the old man's neck, creating a thin red line that soon began weeping.
"No!"
I ran toward him, not knowing what else to do. My instinct was to heal, to save lives. Death was all around me but I refused to let life slip away without a fight.
Something hard hit me from the side, knocking the wind out of me and sending me tumbling to the floor. My eyes met Tom's, also lying on the floor as he choked on his own blood. Still dizzy and out of breath, I began pulling myself toward him. Four paws clicked across the tile to stand in my way, a menacing growl rumbling right above my head.
Hades, ears pinned back and teeth bared, lowered his head and barked once in my face.
"Fuck you, son of a bitch," I hissed back. The fucking dog must have been the one to run into me, too.
I kept pulling myself forward, fighting to get my legs underneath me. It was probably too late to save Tom, but what kind of medic would I be if I didn't try?
It was no use, though. Teeth grabbed my pant leg and began pulling me backward.
"Let go of me, fucking dog!" I flailed my legs wildly, hoping to kick him in the face, when a human hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me up.
"Let's move." Reaper's hold transferred from my arm to around my waist, pinning me to his side as he dragged me toward the front door. "Jandro, we good?"
"All bikes are good, boss."
The realization hitting me was like a swinging door crashing right into my face.
"What the fuck?" I tried to squirm against Reaper's side but he was too strong and solidly built. "I'm not coming with you! No, you're not taking me! Let me go!"
"Shadow, tie her up, then hand her back to me." He passed me off to the large silent man who already had a length of rope ready.
"Shadow, please," I begged, my whole body trembling as he bound my wrists and forearms. "Don't do this. Please look at me. I—“ my throat tightened into a dry knot but I forced the words out anyway. "I like it when you look at me."
He paused, his dark pupil dilated in the dim light coming from inside the building. Bikes turned on and revved up, chasing away the quiet night with their roaring. I knew my time was limited, so I spilled every last plea that I had.
"I'll do whatever you want but I have to stay here. I'm a medic and I have patients at this center that need me. You can come see me any time but please, don't make me go. I can't go. Please make Reaper understand—"
"Shadow?"
With a grunt, the large man shoved me toward the cold-blooded murderer he called President. I stumbled without the use of my arms and Reaper caught me, holding me for a moment against his chest like we were lovers embracing.
The way he looked at me was anything but loving, though, and knowing what those hands did made me want to scrub his touch off of me for hours.
He dragged me toward his bike, his surrounding men already seated on theirs and waiting for their leader. When I dug my feet into the ground, he picked me up and placed me in his bitch seat.
"I'm going to fall off if I can't hold onto anything!" I cried out as he seated himself in front of me.
"Really now?" he looked at me over his shoulder with feigned interest. "You wouldn't prefer that over riding with us?"
I bit back a sob, looking down sullenly at my bound arms in front of me. I would rather do anything than go with them, but dying or getting run over didn't sound appealing either.
"Scoot forward."
When I looked up, Reaper had pulled another length of rope from inside his cut. I did as he instructed, scooting an inch closer to him.
"Closer."
I kept moving forward in the seat as he barked out commands until my thighs were touching his. He then wrapped the rope around both of our torsos, tying it secure at his chest.
"You're welcome to try throwing us both off," he said coolly just as the thought came to me. "But I wouldn't recommend it."
My hope sank like a stone as he reached for the handlebars and took his feet off the ground. The bike lurched forward, picking up speed. Fuck, this was really happening. I'd never reach the Canadian border. I'd never see Gretchen again or give her the chance at her own life.
