Page 46 of Violent Skies

Ashley tries to get back up but I wrap my hand into her hair and knock her skull against the floor. She blinks a few times, dazed as I put my knee on Lauren’s chest to keep her from moving.

“You two are going to tell me who the fuck sent out this bounty,” I hiss at them, spitting out a mouthful of blood to the side of Ashley’s head. She looks feral and fucking pissed, but so am I, and I want answers.

“We don’t know!” Lauren cracks almost instantly and Ashley growls at her to shut up. “We don’t!” she repeats.

“Keep fucking talking,” I warn her, digging my knee harder. I don’t want to hurt them, that’s not who I am, but they’re squirming and all they want is the money. They don’t give a shit about me in return.

“It’s an account number, that’s all we have. They sent half the money when Ashley contacted them with her plan.” Lauren coughs out the secrets.

“Drug me, tie me up, kill me?” I turn on Ashley.

“Beat you up, not kill you!” she corrects.

“Yeah, wow. Thank you,” I snap, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

“At least we fucked you first!” She tries to wiggle again and I tighten my grip.

“You’re going to give me that account number and the phone you used to connect with this person.” I lean in close to her face and she parts her lips to tell me to fuck off but I cut her off. “Now,” I warn. “Or I’ll tie you together, call the cops, and tell them you drugged me.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. That’ll go over well,” Ashley snorts.

“Test me,” I push. “It’s that or I kill you.”

Lauren whimpers.

“You wouldn’t,” Ashley challenges.

“You have no fucking idea what I would do. Get me the phone. Now.” I let go of her and for a split second I think she might run or fight, but she rolls over on the floor and crawls toward her purse, pulling out the phone and throwing it at me.

“How do we know you won’t come back?” Lauren asks, scampering away from me when I let her up.

“I don’t have time to kill two idiot sluts.” I palm the phone, pull on my pants and shove it in the pocket as I slip back into my shirt, scowling at the massive wound on my bicep. It’s deeper than I thought it was.

“Do you have a towel?” I ask Ashley, who laughs at me. “God you’re a bitch.”

“They’re in the bathroom, asshole,” she hisses and crawls toward Lauren, cupping her face in her hands. “Are you alright?” she asks. I feel bad. They just wanted out of this place and I don’t blame them. Not even a little bit.

I grab a towel, pressing it to my face first and then wrap it around my arm, tossing them both a warning look before throwing the front door open and leaving. I don’t exhale my pain until it clicks closed, clutching my side all the way back to my car.

My phone vibrates in my other pocket and I almost chuck it across the alley.

Unknown: Trick is, who’s family and who’s the enemy?

Keep your family close.

“So the threats weren’t empty,” I huff, falling into my car and starting the engine.

The last place I want to be is at work. It’s quiet tonight, and usually I would be appreciative of that so I can catch up on paperwork, but it’s only giving me a chance to think about all the reasons why kissing Riggs had been a terrible idea.

Kiss me.

It’s only now, without distraction, that I realize it’s a little too late to regret my decisions. I hadn’t slept that well in years and even the thought of him staring at me the way he had in the car raises my temperature.

“Hey Cress, can you file this?” Mel asks and I look up from the computer with a nod, only to catch sight of someone stumbling through the glass doors toward me.

I get up from my desk and move around quickly toward them. “Mel, get a wheelchair!”

I know that raven hair, those tattoos, that wicked smile. “Now!” I call out, catcing Birdie in my arms just before she hits the ground. Her face is beaten badly, she’s bleeding, and I can’t tell if it’s all hers but she can’t open her left eye.