Page 75 of Ruin Me Knot
I keep my muscles slack even as we hit another turn. Staying still is the one card I have left. If they don’t know I can move, maybe I’ll get a chance to run.
Each second takes me farther away from my Alphas. I’m losing everything good that’s happened to me in such a long time. I’ll never hear their purrs, never be held in arms that stave off all the bad things in the world, never know touch that doesn’t hurt. I grit my teeth so hard my jaw aches, pressing every memory of their touch into the soft meat of my heart.
The Alpha in the back clings to a strap, braced for the next sharp turn, his attention only half on me. That’s right, asshole. Keep thinking I’m helpless. My shoulder slams hard enough to see a burst of white, as we careen sideways.
The driver swears as he speeds up. The fake Alpha in the passenger seat grips the overhead strap. "What’s wrong, Deacon?"
"They’re following us," Deacon spits, glancing into the mirror. "The fucking Hawthornes are right behind."
Jagged hope pierces my stomach.My Alphas are coming for me. But just as quick, fear poisons it. These men are killers. Brainwashed monsters who’ll do anything for the drugs that make them unnatural.
"Careful!" the passenger snaps as we lurch. "You wanna tip us over?"
"They’re catching up, Simon. What do you want me to do?" Deacon checks the mirror again. "They won’t back off. Not now they’ve had a taste of Omega pussy.”
Cold dread spreads through me. Simon’s eyes are flat, dead. "We’ll have to kill them. They won’t stop trying to get her back."
The brute in the back speaks up. "Drive to the Girard Bridge. We’ll push them into the river where the road divides. They’ll never survive that drop." He smirks at me. "After that, I’ll try this Omega pussy for myself. See what the big deal is. She’s already ruined goods. All I have to do is bark at you and you’ll scream for my cock, won’t you whore?"
Disgust rips through me, bile at the back of my throat, but I stay slack. I won’t give up my one advantage.
Deacon makes a disgruntled sound. "Wallace won’t like you taking liberties, Julius."
Julius licks his lips. "What do you think those Alphas were doing? She’s spoiled. I can scent their cum all over her. Wallace will have to change his experiments anyway."
Horror crawls up my throat. My Alphas never took anything I wasn’t ready to give and now this asshole is talking about me being worth nothing more than my gender. If these assholes take me back, all I can look forward to is a future ofviolence and pain and hands I’ll never escape. If I lose my Alphas, what’s left of me will go dark for good.
Deacon curses again, the sound cracking in the dead space between us. "They’re gaining."
Simon urges him on. "Then fucking floor it, asshole!"
The van lurches over potholes. I’m thrown against the wall, knees and elbows scraping the filthy metal. Every turn is sharper, every jolt a new bruise.
Suddenly Deacon snaps. "If you want any shot at getting your cock wet, you better deal with her goddamn Alphas, Julius!"
Julius lets out an ugly chuckle, eyes cutting to me. "You’d better be worth the trouble." With a grunt of effort, he yanks the side door open. Wind and noise explode into the van.
Horror knifes through me as he draws his gun, thumb sliding back the hammer. He leans out, feet braced against the floor, knuckles white on the frame.
He presses the trigger. The gunshot is deafening, the recoil shuddering, the sour stink of gunpowder swamps even the rot of fear. They’re shooting at my Alphas. Trying to kill them. I’m certain I’m about to watch my Alphas destroyed.
"Fuck, I missed," Julius says.
"Then fucking make sure you hit them next time," Deacon screams.
Julius squeezes off five rapid shots. Each vibration rattles my teeth, the bitter, greasy tang of gunpowder rolling over my tongue. But then an engine roars behind us. Deacon curses and swerves, and above the wail of the engine, another gunshot cracks.
A small hole appears in the middle of Julius’ forehead. His head whips back, sneer frozen on his lips before his body tips out of the gaping door, leaving a spray of blood across Deacon and Simon. I’m coiled on the floor, staring at the suddenly empty space where he stood, electric hope twisting so violently inside me I can hardly breathe.
"Fuck!" Simon screams.
The van swerves and I’m slammed into the ribs of the van. There’s no longer any need to pretend I’m controlled. I scramble over blood and grit to the opendoor. Wind tears at my hair, stinging my face, but I cling to the frame desperate for one glimpse of my Alphas.
Ronan’s van tears up behind us, engine screaming. When our eyes meet just for that fractured second, his whole face changes from rage and fear, then to fierce hope. His hands tighten on the wheel. Jax leans forward, shouting something lost in the shriek of wind and metal, his eyes locked on me as if he can pull me back through sheer force of will. Gabriel’s face flashes in the rear window, frenzied determination shining.
I reach for them, arm outstretched, fingers grasping at empty air.
"Ronan!" My scream is lost in all that wind, but I see him reading my lips, see the agony in his eyes as he urges the van closer. Deacon sees it too. He jerks the wheel and I’m slung back into the van.
