34
Rob
"Naomi? Naomi?"I demanded. But there was no answer, no matter how tightly I pressed the cell phone tomyear.
"How the fuck did we beat the cops here?" Liam demanded, pulling the Suburban to a stop at the side of the road alongside Naomi's house. We were hidden from view of the house by the pussywillows and bushes that linedheryard.
"Works for me," I said bleakly. "You two stay here. Meet up with the cops and tell them what'sgoingon."
"You're not going in alone," Liam said. "Noway."
"Someone needs to rendezvous with the cops," I said, "And I'd rather work alone. Nooffense."
"Joe can stay," Liam said. "And I don't really care what you'd rather, you're less likely to die with backup, if you insist on going in without the cops. Nooffense."
"No time to argue," I said curtly, getting out ofthecar.
I threw the cell phone to Joe, wanting him to update Naomi if she called back. I couldn't waste another moment getting to her. Pure, rage-fueled adrenaline flowed through myveins.
I took off through the brush, skirting the house, wanting to surprise the men who had dared to mess with my Naomi. Liam followed. We arrived at the front door to the house, which stood open, and then Joe came running up, limping, out-of-breath.
"I saw movement," Joe said. "Someone ran into those woods overthere."
I cursed as I took offrunning.
It didn't take me long to pick up the trail of the two assholes who were just in front of me, and they were right on Naomi's heels. Unable to get ahead of them easily without alerting them that I was there, I stalked them as they tripped through thebrush.
"She's hurt," the first guy said. "Won't getfarfast."
The anger in my veins turned icy at the thought of Naomi tumbling off the roof, limping into thewoods.
"This is a waste of time anyway," the second one said. "This house? That girl? She can't be thegirlfriend."
"You never know. All kinds of tastes outthere."
"Rich guys don't go wrong-side-of-the-tracks. She saw our faces. We shouldkillher."
"There's no rush. Let's see if she means anything to him first." The guy stopped, swearing. “God, I hate thewoods.”
I skirted ahead of them, choosing my footing carefully but quickly so I could move soundlessly through the woods without breaking branches underfoot. Once I was between them and Naomi, I waited. They almost passed by me without seeing me there, hidden among thetrees.
They were looking for prey. They didn’t realize they weretheprey.
I registered their startled faces, the guns in their hands that they couldn't turn on me in time. I grabbed the wrist of the nearest man— Mr. Wrong Side of the Tracks— turning it abruptly to one side. The gun came away in my hand as the man let out a pig-squeal of pain. I pointed the gun at the second guy, my finger slipping onto the trigger guard as the gun fully seated in my palm, and pulled the trigger. Twice. The man crumpled to the dirt, red blooming across hisshirt.
I stepped in close to the first guy, my momentum carrying me along, and pressed the gun to histhroat.
"You have one chance to live,"Isaid.
Liam burst into the clearing, his gun drawn and low, looking far more dangerous than I ever would have expected my little brothertolook.
"I need to get to Naomi,"Isaid.
"I've got him,"Liamsaid.
I took off through the woods. Naomi must have heard the gunshots. What would she think? Would she know that they meant I was here, ready to take care of her, or would she be afraid that I might have beenkilled?
"Naomi!" I shouted. There might be other surprises out here, but I needed to find her, to let her know she was safe. "Naomi! Whereareyou?"
