Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
“Get behind me, Euphemia!” Lemon took another vicious swing at the guy in front of her. I heard the bone in his forearm snap as he held it up defensively. I made as much noise as I could, hoping to keep these three men’s attention on me so Lemon could escape with her small charge, but Lemon was having none of that. The second she knew her guy was down for the count, she started in with one of the guys attacking me.
“Motherfuckers!” Her battle cry was hard to miss as she fought first one, then another of the three men attacking me. Though I fought, I wasn’t nearly as effective as I normally would have been. My knee was in a bad way. I’d be lucky if I hadn’t blown it out.
When I finally got to my feet, I threw myself in the general direction of the other two men Lemon had engaged. I noticed the small figure huddled behind Lemon, trying to do what Lemon asked her but afraid of getting hit. The girl still had her hands tied in front of her, but it looked like her feet were free.
“Goddamnit, Lemon! Get the kid and get the fuck outta here!”
“Shut up and fight, you asshole!” That demand in her voice really shouldn’t have been a turn-on, but there it was.
“Imma kill you, bitch!” One of the guys fighting Lemon lunged in an all-out attack, backing Lemon up and with her, the girl.
With one last-ditch effort, I gave an enraged roar as I launched myself at the guy, lowering my shoulder and running him over like a linebacker. Immediately, every man in the house was on me, giving Lemon the opening she needed. Even as I fought, I could see her indecision. She very much wanted in this fight, but she also knew she couldn’t protect the girl and engage these assholes at the same time. One thing about Lemon I’d noticed. She wasn’t afraid to wade in where angels feared to tread. But she knew her limits. I also knew that, if she hadn’t had the girl with her, trying her best to protect the child, she’d have said to hell with the consequences, doused herself in gasoline, and jumped into the fire with both feet.
“I’ll send help, Rocket!” she yelled as she hurried the girl toward the door. “We’ll rain hell down on this fuckin’ place!”
“Go, Lemon! Get her outta here!” The last thing I needed was her coming back. I’d get out of this myself. Just like I always did.
“If you get hurt, I’ll fuckin’ castrate you, you bastard!” That sounded like the Lemon we all knew and loved. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was worried about me. Knowing Lemon, she just wanted me to survive so she could kill me for whatever reason she thought I needed killing. Why the fuck that made me want to smile was beyond me. All that really mattered was that Lemon was out of this fucking place away from these fucking bastards. What happened to me was of no consequence.
My only regret was not being able to enjoy Lemon and her snarky disposition more before I claimed her. But I would.
I most definitely would.
Chapter Five
Lemon
I’m not sure what I expected, but an empty street wasn’t it. I wasn’t sure where we were or where to go, but I’d have thought Rocket’s men would have been right behind him. Instead, I gripped Euphemia’s hand. And yeah, that name was getting really fucking old really fucking fast. I wasn’t one to make fun of a person’s name, but what the fuck had her mother been thinking?
As we navigated between houses and buildings, I tried to hurry Effie without scaring her any more than she already was. Before my sister had taken up with Iron Tzars, I’d have taken us straight to the first policeman I could find. Now, my instinct was to stay as far away from the law as we could unless it was life or death. All that aside, my first order of business was to put as much distance between us and those assholes as possible. The next thing we needed to do was find out where the fuck we were and get these fucking zip ties off my hands. Thank God I’d managed to find a sharp rock to cut our feet and Effie’s hands free before the battle. Hadn’t managed to get my own hands free, but at least they were zipped in front of me instead of behind my back.
“I’m scared,” Effie whimpered. She clung to my arm and constantly looked around her as if expecting someone to swoop down and pluck out our eyeballs.
“I know. Me too.” I wasn’t really. I wasn’t! But I thought it would help Effie feel better if she thought she wasn’t the only one scared.