Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“Got it.” She hops to it.
Ripper scratches his head. “There’s a fuckton of bikes in here. And a fuel tank over there.”
“Think we can do something about that?”
“These fuckers burned down Faith’s house. There’s a poetic fucking justice in a little fire.” He gestures like he has a grand vision. “Just give me a couple minutes to set it up.”
Faith shows up next to us, holding up three sets of keys. “Do it.” I’ve thought of her as far too fucking sweet. The quiet furor in those two words gives me fucking chills like normally only Blade can. Then again, she’s got plenty to be angry about.
“Sounds like a plan. Just the gate left then.”
“They’re automatic,” says Faith. “There’s a button in the guardhouse.”
Ripper grins. “When the building goes up, there’s no way they’re not coming running.”
“I’m on it,” says Faith.
“The fuck you are. We’re here to protect you. I’m not letting you—”
“I grew up here,” she hisses. “I know where to hide and I know where the button is. Start the fire and get the bikes ready. Distract the guards and I’ll hit the button. Then I’ll jump on one of your bikes when you come down.”
“Who the fuck made you boss all of a fucking sudden?”
“It makes sense,” says Ripper. “We just need Blade.”
“I’m here.” Blade’s voice is so close and unexpected all three of us jump the fuck out of our skin.
“Jesus fuck. Don’t do that.”
There’s just the hint of a self-satisfied grin on his face. He holds up Faith’s backpack. “Let’s get the fuck out of here before they find the bodies.”
She blanches. “Bodies?”
“Not now. Go get in position, but take Blade with you.” I point for them to go while I get to helping Ripper rig the garage to blow.
“He needs to ride his bike,” she says. “I’ve got this.”
“Motherfucker.” But I wave her on. We don’t have time to waste.
The rigging goes quickly with the three of us. In the darkness, it’s impossible to tell if Faith’s in position, but she’s had enough time.
Ripper grins. “Time to blow this fucker. As soon as I light the fuse, start rolling bikes. I’ll be right behind you.”
This had better fucking work. I keep looking for any sign of Faith, but she’s hidden well. At least the guards haven’t reacted.
There’s a hiss behind me as the fuse starts burning, and then we’re rolling the bikes towards the gate, sticking to the shadows and trying to get as far away from the garage as we can without being noticed.
We fail.
“Hey! Where the fuck are you going with those?” yells one of the guards. I don’t fucking know which one of us he’s looking at but he’s already drawing iron. “Come into the fucking light before I—”
One of Blade’s knives in his chest shuts him up. And then the garage explodes.
Holy shit. Even expecting it, I jump when the roof of the garage goes up in a fireball, sending metal beams and pieces of sheet metal flying in all directions. The explosion cracks down like lightning, and then rumbles through the courtyard like thunder. The remaining guard screams, but it’s cut off by the boom of a gunshot. The guard launches backwards into the shrubs next to the guardhouse and lies still. Ripper blows the smoke off his barrel.
No fucking point in stealth anymore.
Faith bursts out of the bushes, pale as fucking ghost and obviously trying not to look at the bodies. After a moment inside the guardhouse, she comes back out just as a motor starts rumbling and the gates start squealing.
“Get on,” I snap at her, and for once she listens. She wastes no time throwing herself onto the back and squeezing her hot little body up against my back. “Don’t let go!”
There’s the crack of a gunshot and a bullet whistles by as I give it full throttle. My bike surges through the gate like a bull out of a rodeo chute and then we’re on the road.
A second explosion goes off. No fucking idea if that was part of Ripper’s setup or there was just more stuff in there to blow up, but the smoke and shrapnel gives us cover as Blade takes the lead to take us the fuck out.
We did it. We fucking did it.
16
FAITH
I wake up groggy with an arm around me again. The day before is a blur of blood, bullets and fire. And the Pit Vipers. The arm tightens at my involuntary shudder.
After the escape last night, we followed Blade into the middle of nowhere for an hour or so, and he eventually led us to a cabin. Belongs to an old contact or something, but it’s in the woods, it has power and no one’s going to find us here. All I hear outside are birds and for the first time in a day or so, I’m not scared for my life.