Ours (Blood Ties Book 3)

I punched the accelerator, clipping the garage door as it rose.

“Where are we heading?” T snarled from the backseat.

But I didn’t have time to answer as I braked hard at the closed electric gate and stared at the body of one of Rossi’s men at the edge of the driveway, his automatic weapon in his hand. Another one of his buddies lay not far away. Christ, this was bad…

“I’ll get it.” Caleb shoved open his door and climbed out.

I scanned for assholes in balaclavas, ready to step out and start firing at the first sign of movement. C hurried to the fence, gripped the iron, and heaved himself over.

“I don’t know,” I answered T’s question.

“Not the shipping yard, that’s too far out of the city.”

“I don’t know…” I snarled, panic filling my head.

The gates rolled open before C hurried back out. I shoved the four-wheel drive into gear and rolled through, stopping only long enough to pick him up before I tore away from the house.

Beep.

I jerked my gaze to my phone as Caleb snapped his seatbelt shut and reached for it sitting between us. I divided my focus, pushing the four-wheel drive hard as I tore along the back streets.

“Silks District,” he muttered, jerking his gaze to mine. “That’s where he wants us to head.”

“Silks?”

“The abandoned warehouses that were sold by the city.”

“And bought by Ben, no doubt,” T muttered in the backseat. “At least it’s not the shipping yard.”

And not that far away. I pressed the button on the GPS in the middle of the console system, narrowed in on the back streets where we were, and dragged the map right until it came to what was still marked as factories in the upper west section of the city. It’d take us…about twenty minutes. “Tell him we’ll be there in ten.”

Caleb’s fingers flew across the keyboard as I yanked the wheel and punched the gas, heading to the highway. I focused on the street in front of us and the rear-view mirror, waiting and watching for the next onslaught.

“How the fuck did they find us?” Tobias snarled, turning in his seat, watching the blur of overhead lights.

“Hell if I know,” I muttered, turning the car onto the on-ramp and gunning the engine. “But they did, so we need to be prepared.”

T lifted his gun and checked the round with a clack. “Oh, believe me, I’m fucking ready.”

I concentrated on getting us there in one piece, my mind racing. But no matter how panicked I was…I was still drawn back to her. “Princess?” I cut my gaze to her in the back seat. She was quiet, too damn quiet.

She glanced my way, the splash of streetlights making her washed-out blue eyes even paler. “Yeah?”

“You okay back there?”

She swallowed hard and nodded. T reached over the dog, gripped the back of Ryth’s neck and forced her gaze to his. “No falling apart on us, little mouse.”

She shook her head, even though those wide eyes were filled with fear. I pushed the car harder and slipped onto the off-ramp, taking the next exit.

Beep.

I winced. Fuck, I was starting to hate that sound. “What now?” I growled, my focus dragged back to the moment tonight had gone wrong.

Those men in black were The Order, they had to be. The bomb. The fucking assassination. This was them cleaning house and taking back what was theirs. My gaze went to the rear-view mirror as C answered. “Yeah?”

But Ryth wasn’t theirs…

She was ours.

“He’s there?” Caleb glanced my way as I took the next left and headed to the Silks District. They were a bunch of abandoned warehouses that were once a thriving factory that specialized in top-end materials…hence the name. Now it was a carcass…a lonely, desolate, abandoned carcass.

I looked up at the empty apartment building that towered over this block, searching for movement, and turned in.

“Over there.” Caleb pointed to three cars parked outside the gates of the closest section.

I nosed the four-wheel drive toward them, mounted the curb, and killed the engine. “I don’t like being this exposed,” I muttered as I scanned around.

“Neither do I.” Tobias shoved open his door and climbed out first, taking his time to check out the surroundings. “Okay, Ryth. You can get out.”

The screech of metal pierced the night, coming from the old roller door just ahead of us. I jerked my focus toward the sound, seeing two silhouettes against the weak inside lights. Ben stood there, right beside—

“Dad?” Ryth whispered.

She took a step, then another, before she lunged.

“Ryth!” Tobias snarled, leaping for her.

But he wasn’t fast enough, and our princess was scurrying as fast as her legs allowed. Rebel gave a bark and charged after her as both of them tore through the open gate and raced toward the men.

“Shit,” Tobias snarled.

Panic kicked in my chest. “Ryth, wait for us!” I called out, shoving the door closed as I surged after her.

We needed to stay together…

Tobias was already hurrying after her, leaving everything else behind, including me. I hurried after him, my attention moving to the shrouded figure of Jack Castlemaine. He strode forward and opened his arms, and Christ, if I didn’t hate the thought of another man touching her—even if it was her father.

Not really her father, though, was he? I strode through the gate, Caleb right beside me. We were almost at a damn run along the concrete drive to the open warehouse door.

“Dad,” Ryth moaned, wrapped in Jack’s arms. “I thought we’d lost you.”

Her head was pressed against his chest, leaving him to lift his gaze to mine. No words were spoken, but that sad glint screamed a helluva lot.

“We need to get inside,” Ben muttered, catching my stare. “No one followed you?”

I shook my head. “I made sure of it.”

“Good.” He stepped away, motioning inside.

I glanced over my shoulder at the cars parked just outside the fence, then followed. The shrill sound of the hinges followed as we moved inside, Ryth still clutched in her father’s embrace. But once the doors closed, she turned to him. “How did you get out?”

He gave a chuff and shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try us,” I answered for her.

All heads snapped my way. But I didn’t care if my words sounded harsh, not when it was her life in the balance.

“King…” Jack started.

Beep.

Ben jerked his phone up and scowled at the screen.

“What is it?” Jack stepped away from Ryth, his attention fixed on Ben.

But the Stidda Mafia boss didn’t answer right away, instead he punched the icon and lifted the phone to his ear. “How bad is it?” He stiffened with whatever was said.

Ryth glanced my way, knowing instantly. Fuck if it didn’t make my heart swell when she stepped our way. “Nick,” she whispered.

I reached out to her at the same time Tobias lifted his gun and stepped forward. “Behind us, little mouse,” he muttered.

“There was no way they tracked us,” Ben snarled into the phone. “No way they knew this place was even on the radar. Fuck. The others, how far away are they?”

I didn’t know what was said, but I knew it wasn’t good when he slumped his shoulders. “T,” I hissed.

“The guns are in the car.” He strode forward, leaving us behind. “I’ll be back in a second.”

And it hit me.

The resounding punch of déjà vu all over again.

I was back there in the fucking dark, watching my brother race to his goddamn death. “Tobias!” I roared.

He stopped and turned, his gaze automatically shifting to Ryth, as though his entire fucking purpose was to look to her first.

“If we go,” I ordered. “We all go together.”

Ryth stepped forward as Ben ended the call. “I agree.”

“They’re coming.” Ben shook his head. “And we’re on our own.”

We’re on our own.

Those words should have chilled me, and if I hadn’t been standing there with both my brothers and Ryth, they would have.

“We’ll be back.” Ryth hurried after T, leaving Caleb and me to follow.

“Ryth,” her father called. “Honey, stay here, let them go.”

She stopped at her father’s insistence, then turned her head and answered. “Never, Dad. Where one of us goes, we all go.”

“Ain’t that fucking right, princess,” I growled as I gripped her arm and drove her forward.

Where one of us went, we all went. There was no falling behind, no going off on our own. No bed we slept in alone. Not anymore. Tobias yanked on the chain hanging from the roller door and it lifted just enough for us to slip through.

“How long do we have?” she asked, half running, half walking to match my long strides.

My senses were tuned, finding the throb of a car’s engine driving way too fast. “Not long,” I answered as Tobias yanked open the driver’s side rear door of the car as we hurried toward him.

“Heads up,” he barked, tossing an automatic rifle toward me, then another to Caleb, who searched the streets.

“And me,” Ryth urged, glancing from Tobias to me. “I want to fight.” T scowled and started to glance my way, before Ryth stopped him. “You can either give me something to fight with or I’ll ask my dad.”

I flinched. Shit.

T didn’t like that, not at all. He reached into the bag and pulled out a Sig. But he didn’t toss it through the air like he had for us. No, he headed toward her, holding the weapon grip forward. “You’re not going to need to use this, I’m just letting you know now. But if you do…don’t shoot me.”

Her brow creased as the roar of that car’s engine grew louder and was joined by another.

“How about I clock you upside the head with it instead?” she snapped.

“How about, when we’re out of here, I fuck you in the back seat of Ben Rossi’s car?” he countered. “You can clock me all you want then.”

Headlights shone in the distance.

“T,” I warned as I stepped backwards.

He followed my stare. “Back in the warehouse, little mouse…now.”

He lunged for the bag, tossed some of the guns to Caleb, and swung the rear door closed with a thud.

We were already running when the racing engines grew louder and the faint crack…crack…crack of shots rang out. Glass shattered from the rear of the four-wheel drive.

“Hurry the fuck up!” Ben roared from beside the door of the warehouse.

I gripped the automatic rifle, then slowed just enough for T to catch up and for Ryth to get in front before I lifted my weapon, took aim…and fired.