“Why did you tell them to take you instead?”
I swallow and try to calm down a little, just enough so I can speak without stuttering and crying. “Posey is my friend… my only friend. She’s a good person, she’s kind and caring and she would always do anything to protect her friends but… she’s also pure. She’s innocent. Whatever those men were planning on doing to her… I couldn’t let them hurt her like that.”
The car is silent and I think that I’ve fucked up somehow.
Finally, he speaks again. “So you were going to die for her? Just let them gang rape you to death in her place?”
I gag on the bile in my throat, my heart racing and my entire body shaking. I manage to choke out, “Better me than her. I’m already fucking broken.”
He doesn’t answer that at all and the silence takes over the car again. I’m sure I’ve said something wrong, sure that I’ve fucked up and now I’m fucking dead.
At least he hasn’t seemed interested in raping me like the last guys.
At least I’ll die with Tomi being the last man to touch me.
There’s something comforting in that.
It’s Tomi and definitely not Paul.
The car pulls over and I take a deep breath. Either this is the end of the road or… it’s the end of my life. Better to accept that death with some sort of dignity.
The blindfold is removed and I squeeze my eyes shut a little tighter. Death it is then.
My teeth start to chatter, the shaking taking over my entire body. “Can you please just make it quick? Does my sacrifice for Poe buy me that at least?”
His voice is still lifeless, cold and blunt. “Posey is my youngest sister. I’ve killed a lot of people to keep her safe and I’ll kill you without even thinking about it if you endanger her life by telling people about me.”
I keep my eyes shut. “I wouldn’t ever do anything like that. I’m not ever going to betray her.”
He’s silent, no sounds except the flicking of a lighter and then I smell the scent of his cigarette. “I wouldn’t have taken the blindfold off if I thought you’d talk about me. Fuck, I would have just slit your throat with it still on if I wanted you dead. Open your eyes, Jazmin.”
Fuck.
He knows my real name? I open my eyes and look over to find the Devil staring back at me.
The gas station attendant stares at the Devil like he's actually going to shit himself. The tattoos make it fairly obvious for anyone ever adjacent to the criminal world to know who he is. I remember the story of what he did to that MC in Indiana. My dad would talk about it all the time, talk about exactly what it is that could kill that many men and... shred them like that.
The going theory is a wood chipper.
I try not to think about it. My hands already have a tremble in them that won't freaking quit and I don't need a full blown case of the hysterics.
What if I piss him off and he decides to just kill me to get it to stop?
Christ.
Stop thinking about it, Angel, hell!
He walks back over to the car and it really is uncanny, the resemblance between him and Poe. His eyes are the exact same shade and shape. The dark eyelashes and his brow... God, it's freaking terrifying.
I will never look at that sunshine girl the same again.
He opens the car door and slides in, handing me a burrito and a bottle of water. "They'll be here soon."
I nod and then stupidly ask, "Sorry, who?"
He looks out over the empty fields. "My sister. She's on her way to come take you home. I can't drive into Coldstone... I'm too recognizable."
I nod and carefully bite into my food, extremely conscious of not making a mess in his pristine car. It's like a freaking show car, immaculate. I doubt he eats in it.
He speaks without looking at me. "Poe eats in here all the time. She got cheese on the seats last summer.”
Oh.
Okay.
I still keep a careful watch on my crumbs and when I finish I open the car door to brush the crumbs off, right as another car pulls in.
It's a freaking Ferrari.
Okay, I know nothing about cars but I know a Ferrari when I see one and I'm sure Poe would pee herself in excitement over this car if she saw it with her own two eyes.
Then the passenger side door opens and I realize she's definitely seen it before.
Her sister gets out of the car.
Those exact same eyes, holy fucking shit.
Along with a hot blond guy and a hot dark-haired guy. Oh, and Blaise motherfucking Morrison.
"Holy fucking shit," I croak and the Devil tilts his head.
"I don't see the appeal but his music isn't my style."
Right.
Of course I'm sitting here discussing music preference with the Devil himself. Of course, because that’s not completely fucking insane.
He gets out and stares over at the guys standing by the other car, silent and completely terrifying.
Poe's sister walks over to me to crouch down and check the battered state my body is in. "Jesus, they got in some good swings."
I shrug. "It's not the worst I've gotten."
Her lips purse and she nods. "You'll live. Arbour can take a look, make sure there's nothing that needs more attention."
She straightens up and speaks to the Devil over the roof of the car, "Thanks for grabbing her. We would’ve been too late."
"I'm always happy to gut some Demons. You know that."
She shrugs. "Still, I know you were on a job and it was my turn to keep an eye out. I'm tempted to move Poe a little closer to the Bay."
He moves around the car towards her and the guys she's with all shift like they're uncomfortable.
"Coldstone is where she wants to be. I've tried to move her but she's not interested, I warned you the biker would get in the way.”
Oh shit.
Oh holy shit, that’s Rue they’re talking about for sure and I feel like I’m going to fucking puke at the dead tone in the Devil’s voice. He could just… walk into Coldstone and kill the biker for fun. For daring to catch his sister’s eye.
He could come kill Tomi too.
Speck.
Keely, Trink, Hawk, fuck, any of the Callaghans, he could just drive his ass into Coldstone and take out the entire fucking MC to get his sister back if he wanted.
“Hey… hey, Angel, breathe. Breathe, ignore Nate being grumpy. He’s just twitchy about Poe being so far away from us while the Demons get fucking worse. No one is dying, kid. We’ve got a close eye on Coldstone.”
My mind slowly comes back online to find my hands clutching at Poe’s sister’s arms like a crazed fucking lunatic. “Oh God. I’m sorry.”
She shrugs. “It’s fine. My name is Lips, by the way. Grumpy over there is Nate, the guys are Ash, Harley, and Blaise.”
The Devil’s name is Nate.
He doesn’t look like a Nate, he looks like a fucking Lucifer.
Morningstar suits him perfectly.
The blond guy stalks over and gently moves Lips out of the way. His eyes are assessing as he looks me over. “Can you move to the Ferrari or do you need help? Morningstar is late for a job and we should let him get out of here.”
I nod and get up slowly, my legs shaking a little but not so bad I can’t walk. The guy stays close enough to catch me but doesn’t try to touch me so that gets him some brownie points.