Swallow (Kindred Book 2) (34 page)

“Why did you do that?” Tuck asked. She peeked out to see that Ben was holding the smoking firearm.

He’d shot Grant. From the awkward way Grant was lying with the gun skittered away from his fingers, she could only assume he was dead. The threat was gone so she was relieved, until she saw whose boots were beside the weapon. Caine ducked down to pick it up and his conceited pleasure made her nauseous. They couldn’t appeal to him for mercy.

“Ben?” she asked, although when she tried to move away from Brodie, he yanked her back to him. “You didn’t believe Grant when he…? When he said Raven shot Sutcliffe?”

The only reason Ben would have to shoot Grant was if he was protecting her or the Kindred. Except when his brow lowered, the glare he wore wasn’t one of camaraderie. “Albert Sutcliffe had his share of enemies, Grant McCormack did too. You have no idea how deep this goes.” She couldn’t believe it. He was more furious than Grant had been. “My superior has their own plans.”

Rigor stood up now and in spite of the blood staining his clothes, he came to their side. “I checked you out, you motherfucker, you’re a nobody.”

“You’ve only known Albert Sutcliffe a few months,” she said, having believed they’d met when Sutcliffe was rehabbing from his Atlas injury. “You didn’t even know Tim.”

“Intriguing, isn’t it?” Ben sneered. She’d never seen him look so wicked. Moving until his back was against the wall, he turned on Rigor. “Bet you didn’t look too hard, did you? You found out about my practice, my work with Sutcliffe, that’s all legit. You don’t know the half of it.”

The past wasn’t as crucial to her as this moment was. “What are you going to do, Ben?” she asked, putting her hand into Brodie’s back pocket then curling her nails into the denim beneath her palm. Getting rid of Grant hadn’t solved their problem.

“I’m giving you thirty seconds to get the hell out of here,” he said and she was so surprised, she gaped. “I’ve got work to do and I’m on a clock. You need to get the fuck out before I start shooting… You can have the place back when I’m done.”

“You’re abandoning the compound?” Brodie asked.

“Want to ask questions? Or do you want to split before I change my mind and finish you all?”

Caine was still smiling, but pushed open the door and gestured for them to exit. They didn’t need another invitation. With a sideways nod, Brodie indicated to Tuck they were leaving. He held her tight as they slipped out the exit with Tuck and Rigor in their wake. Brodie got them around the house, but didn’t go on the road.

He snatched her hand and pulled her a few feet into the trees, then stopped short and at first she didn’t know why. Tuck and Rigor rushed past them and pulled open the doors of a black jeep almost indecipherable in the thick night and dense environment.

Brodie shoved her into the back, then jumped in beside her. Rigor started driving before the door was closed. They bumped as they drove toward the road and Brodie grabbed her neck, but it wasn’t a sign of affection. He shoved her face down into his lap and then turned to glance backward before bending to take something from the floor: Maverick, his rifle.

“You see anyone?” Tuck asked.

“Stay down,” Brodie said to her and turned to kneel on the back seat, positioning the rifle on the backrest to aim it out the back. He didn’t fire any shots but kept his eye on the scope, which would give him a better view of what was going on behind them.

She began to push up, but Brodie shoved her head back down without ever taking his eye away from the sight. “Rave?” Rigor asked, colored with worry.

“We’re clear. Keep it moving,” Brodie said, maintaining his position.

Curling into herself, she lay on her side on the backseat and closed her eyes. Grant was dead. But they were free. Brodie had lost another family member, a man she’d helped drive insane. She feared that Brodie could return to his grief. Right now, he was focused and heroic, but she had no idea what the future would hold for them and the Kindred.

Thank you for sharing this adventure!

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