Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“You haven’t done anything. This is all me.”
“This isn’t on you. This is all self-defense. But I’m an ex-con, Vannah. They’re going to presume I’m guilty.”
“I’ll tell them you’re not.” I point to Giancarlo on the ground. “All you did was knock that other guy out. I’m the one who did…this.”
“Savannah, you tell me then. Do we need to leave? For your safety?”
My lips tremble. “To be honest, Falcon, I don’t know.”
“Do you think this is someone from your family?”
“No. They may be mad at me for leaving, but they would never see me harmed.”
“A rival gang then,” Falcon says.
“Gang?”
“Family. Whatever you call yourselves. This isn’t much different from how it was on the inside, Vannah. You take care of your own, and you take out anyone who fucks with your own. Seems you and I have a lot in common.”
I say nothing.
I don’t talk about my family or their business. To this day, Gert and Jordan have no idea. I was good at my job as a parole officer. I looked the other way when I had to, and with luck, I didn’t have to do it that often.
Falcon meets my gaze head on, his eyes full of dark fire. “All right. Then you tell me, Vannah. Do we stay? Or do we hightail it out of here?”
I don’t even have to think about it. I vow to protect Falcon. He won’t go back down on my watch.
“We get the fuck out of here, Falcon.”
7
FALCON
That’s all I need to hear.
I don’t have time to go into my house and get cash out of my safe, I don’t even have time to get my car and hightail it out of here.
But luckily, I know this land. I know it better than I know the back of my own hand.
My brother Hawk would help me, but I won’t drag him into this.
But I don’t have any qualms about dragging Leif Ramsey into it.
Fucker didn’t even visit me in prison.
But he’ll help me now. He has to.
I grab both guns, make sure Carlo is still breathing, and then I take Vannah. We head out of the yard, the dogs following.
“What are we going to do with them?” she asks.
“There’s a safe house about three miles from here.”
“A safe house?”
“Yeah. Hawk built it after I was sent away. Just in case.”
“Just in case… What?”
“Does it matter? Can you walk three miles?”
“Yeah, I can do it.”
“Good. We’ll be going through some wet areas, but you’ll be all right. We’ll take the dogs with us, and I’ll make arrangements for them once we get there.”
“Falcon…”
“Yeah?”
Her face is so pale, as if all the blood has drained out of it through the cuts on her hand. “Are we going on the run?”
“I hope not. But if we have to, then yeah.”
“I have to call my friend Jordan.”
“What for?”
“The blond guy. She’s dating him.”
“For fuck’s sake.” I rub my hand over my forehead. There’s a fucking bulldozer inside my brain. What the hell am I thinking?
“What?” Savannah asks.
“We’re going back. We’re going to wait. We’re going to talk to the paramedics and to the police when they get here. We’re going to tell the truth, Savannah.”
“But my family… Your family. You can’t go back. And I…”
“I’ll make sure you’re protected. But this is insane. I was raised to respect authority. You may not think so, but when I told you I was innocent, I wasn’t lying.”
“Then why did you—”
I hold up my hand to stop her. “We’re not getting into this right now. Right now, we’re going back to the house.”
The sirens are louder now.
“They’re here, Vannah.”
I take her hand and lead her back in the house. I’m still wearing nothing but jeans, but at least she’s fully dressed. I head to my room, pull on a clean T-shirt, and shove on a pair of slippers.
And then the commotion starts. A fire rescue truck, an ambulance, and three police cars pull up.
Pounding on the door.
I open it. “Thanks for coming. The injured are in the back.”
Officers and paramedics enter carrying two stretchers. They walk through my house, and then out the back door into the yard where the two men still lie.
“You know who they are?” someone asks.
I shake my head. “Don’t have a clue. They came out here brandishing two weapons.”
“All right, sir. We’ll get your statement later.” He gestures to the others.” Let’s see these guys first.”
“Tend to the blond one first,” I say. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”
Two paramedics rush toward him, get him on a stretcher, and head back out to the ambulance.
“What about this one?” another officer asks.
“I clocked him in the head with his own gun. He’s got a pulse.”
“Probably a concussion.”
Two more paramedics get Abel onto a stretcher.
Once the two men are on the ambulance, three police officers remain.
Officer Bandy, according to his name tag, takes out a small tablet. “All right, sir. Time to get to the bottom of this.”