As dawn slipped across the sky, Ruin completed another circuit around the cabin, pocketing a few more spent shells from the gunfight. He made a mental note to dump them in Havoc’s hands later. He rapped his knuckles against the doorframe and waited for Charity’s faint answer before he led the horses to the creek, a rifle, courtesy of a dead Raider, slung across his back.
At the creek, he hobbled the horses and let them drink. Shifting the rifle’s sling to his shoulder, he leant against the thick tree trunk, hands tucked in his pockets. Simon survived the night, a feat Ruin owed Charity for. Despite his casual pose, he didn’t stop scanning his surroundings while guilt twitched in his gut.
There was one tidbit of information garnered from the Raider’s enforced confession that Ruin failed to share with Charity. The Raiders had a meet scheduled in Kennewick, one they wouldn’t make since they were a bit busy feeding the worms. Which meant there might be bigger problems. Correction, more problems heading their way.
Maybe he should’ve shared last night, but after that unexpected kiss, Ruin jumped at taking the first turn at watch, justifying his rapid retreat behind her exhaustion and his inability to know what the hell to say, even as his body clamoured for more. When he got back, she was out like a light, and he figured he’d have more than enough time in the morning to ponder his decision.
Well, morning was here and he still wasn’t feeling like sharing. There were reasons, damn good strategic reasons not to spill his guts to a woman he just met. Like Charity’s job as a ‘Hound, or the fact he couldn’t shake the feeling there was something more to the girl’s kidnapping that Charity wasn’t sharing. But logic didn’t ease his guilt. Poking and prodding at the uncomfortable sensation didn’t help either, so he ignored it, focusing on the more immediate concern. It wasn’t just the possibility of incoming Raiders heading in, chances were damn good Vex or Havoc, or both would pop up at any minute. If they weren’t already here.
He let the horses drink while in the branches above, birds chattered, their voices merging with the white-noise buzz of the insects below. There was a brief hiccup in the background choir. Every muscle coiled in anticipation. Before he could adjust his stance, one of the horses lifted its head and snorted. A familiar scent drifted with the shift of shadow and the soft whisper of leaves against cloth. Relief left Ruin smiling as he looked to his right. ‘Took you long enough, sis.’
‘What the hell happened to Simon?’ Forgoing a greeting, his twin stepped out of the dense foliage, her boots and the cuffs of her faded jeans were dirt stained. Coming up next to him, Vex folded her arms over her chest, the leather of her jacket creaking with the movement.
‘He’s alive.’ Only because she was his twin did he catch the release of tension along her shoulders and jaw as it seeped away. He held her gaze, noting her worry in the bright gold, as he continued, ‘But getting him to Pebble Creek is going to be a challenge.’
She turned her head away and bit her lower lip. For once, her hard-ass mask was missing, sharing a rare glimpse into the battered heart he loved. He leant in and bumped her shoulder with his, their version of a hug. It was all she would allow, so he changed the subject. ‘Reaper and Havoc?’
‘Waiting for us at Crane’s place.’ Vex’s weight settled against his side, her head resting on his shoulder, her thick braid brushing his back.
Responding to her rare, silent request, he wrapped his arm around her narrow waist and gave her a squeeze. ‘Simon will be back up and pissing you off in no time.’
Vex didn’t answer but nodded. They stood there in silence, Ruin giving his sister the time she needed, as they waited for the horses to finish. There was a slight hitch to Vex’s breathing. The small, telling sound gave him hope. Maybe seeing how close Simon came to dying would be enough to finally pierce his sister’s well-protected heart and let her find some peace. He had no doubt of how much of that heart Simon held, the problem was Vex was bound and determined to not let it matter, an attitude that sucked not just for Simon, but for Vex. Ruin tried talking to her about it, not that he had the patience for it, but he tried. But it was one topic Vex wasn’t rational about. He sighed.
When she finally lifted her head and stepped back, her voice was husky. ‘Havoc said you got yourself a new friend.’
Pushing away from the tree, Ruin shook his head and shifted the rifle until it was lying across his back. ‘I’m not sure friend is the accurate term in this instance.’ He grabbed his horse’s reins and began to head back to the cabin.
Vex grabbed the reins of Charity’s paint, light glancing off the sharpened metal tips of her gloved hand, and followed. ‘Aww, Ruin, did someone stomp all over your precious ego?’
He slid his sibling a narrow-eyed glare. Catching it, she laughed, erasing her habitual sneer. ‘No, brat, but I’m not sure what her game is here.’ And wasn’t that a bitch? Because images of last night’s kiss replayed in vivid detail, including the memory of her taste, all heated spice, making it difficult to walk. What the hell was he thinking when he kissed Charity? Not a damn thing. He grimaced. That wasn’t exactly true. His thoughts had been full up on exactly what he wanted to do with that armful of curves and heat. There was something about her that kept him hooked. Deciding now wasn’t the time to go there, he told Vex, ‘Her name’s Charity, says she came to Crane’s on the trail of a missing girl.’
Vex made a noise in the back of her throat. ‘Missing girl? From where?’
‘Boulder.’
‘And she followed a kid all the way up here?’ Disbelief was clear in her voice.
Since all four Vultures lived and breathed suspicion, he wasn’t surprised by her question. In fact, it eased a bit of guilt to find his doubts reflected in his sister. ‘Girl was the first of many.’ Knowing that wouldn’t be enough for Vex, he clarified, ‘Charity’s a Bloodhound.’ He took a few more steps before realising his sister had stopped. He did the same and scratched the horse’s nose so he could look over its neck.
Vex stood there, her forehead creased in a frown, ignoring the paint, who took the time to nuzzle her hair. ‘Who’s the girl?’
He shrugged. ‘No-one important.’
‘You sure about that?’ Sarcasm dripped from her voice. ‘Damn ‘Hounds don’t track out of the goodness of their hearts.’
That they didn’t, but …’Sounds like this time it’s personal. Charity has some sort of relationship with the girl’s parents.’
‘Right.’ Vex looked away, staring towards the cabin barely visible through the trees. ‘If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.’ Her muttered phrase held traces of their old man.
There was nothing to say to that, so he didn’t bother. Vex gave a short shake of her head and looked back to him. ‘And Simon?’
‘Simon was being Simon and ran straight into trouble.’ He began walking again, hearing Vex do the same. ‘He trailed the surviving Raiders straight into the waiting arms of their buddies. They brought him here.’
‘Raiders don’t come this far north.’
‘Not normally.’
‘Timing makes me smell a rat.’
Since it coincided with the Vultures being on the road and not at Pebble Creek, he understood her concern but wasn’t as sold on the rat part. Not yet. ‘Maybe, but our absence wasn’t a secret.’
‘Neither was Crane’s anger about the missing shipments,’ Vex added. ‘What changed?’
He gave her another piece of the puzzle. ‘While running a check on the lines, Simon stumbled across a group of Raiders illegally transporting kids.’
There was no missing the sharp hiss of Vex’s fury. ‘Kids? When the hell did Raiders start dealing in kids?’
He shrugged. ‘Don’t have a fucking clue, but it can’t be good. The kids were in bad shape.’ He caught her wince before she could hide it.
Her voice came out tight with fury. ‘Where are they now?’
‘With Mandy.’
She nodded. They continued for a few more steps. ‘The Raiders dead?’
‘Yep.’
‘Good.’
His lips twitched at her grumpy tone. ‘Mad because I didn’t leave you one?’
She gave him a mock glare. ‘Maybe.’
He huffed out a low laugh. They continued on, the muffled sounds of the horses’ hooves blending with the natural chorus of the forest.
Eventually, Vex spoke up. ‘Ruin.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Should we expect more company?’
Seemed his sister’s mind followed his. ‘Maybe.’
They broke through the tree line and began crossing the field. As they drew closer a shift of shadow from the cabin’s doorway nabbed not just his attention, but Vex’s. ‘That your new girlfriend?’ The question held an equal mix of amusement and annoyance.
‘Dare you to call her that to her face,’ he muttered, keeping his voice low as Charity stepped into the doorframe. She leant against the frame in such a way as to appear casual, but he didn’t miss the fact no-one was getting through unless she let them. Then there was the muzzle of one of the rifles he retrieved earlier poking above her shoulder.
‘Might be fun.’
He shook his head. One of these days Vex would tip someone right over the edge and get pulled along for the fall before he could stop her. He led the way to where they kept the horses hitched, feeling the weight of Charity’s gaze the entire time. Yeah, he was dragging his feet about introducing the two women, but seriously, what guy wanted to be around for this get-together? The women may be completely opposite in looks, Charity all sunlight and smiles and Vex shadows and hard-eyed stares, but under the masks they wore, they were too damn similar. Dangerous and full of secrets.
With the horses secured, he unslung the rifle and slipped it into a loop on the saddle. Then he moved towards Charity. She watched them approach, a pleasant but empty expression on her face. He felt her gaze glide over him, and he throttled the urge to crowd in close and provoke a reaction. Thankfully her attention shifted to Vex. He barely caught the flex of her jaw as Charity sized up his sister. Next to him, he felt Vex stiffen. He fought back a smile knowing it would leave him a shredded bloody mess if either woman caught it. ‘Charity, Vex. Vex, Charity.’
Neither woman moved—gazes locked. For a moment he wondered if they’d be standing here all damn morning, then Charity tilted her head in cautious acknowledgement. ‘Vex.’
Vex bared her teeth. ‘Charity.’
Charity didn’t shift from her position blocking the doorway but deliberately dismissed Vex by turning her attention to Ruin. ‘Is Havoc joining us as well?’
He didn’t get a chance to answer because Vex snapped, ‘Why? You got issues having us here?’
Charity took her time looking at Vex. ‘Nope, but then I’m not the one with an attitude problem.’
Ruin caught the paint’s reins as Vex tossed them aside and stalked forward until she was in Charity’s face. ‘Attitude problem?’
Charity didn’t move except to shrug. ‘That or you missed your coffee this morning.’
Her unexpected answer pulled Vex up short. It was comical to watch his sister try to decide to remain pissy or laugh. ‘I’ll be damned, little Miss Sunshine has teeth.’
‘And claws,’ Charity supplied unhelpfully.
‘Like this?’ Vex’s hand whipped out.
‘Dammit,’ Ruin hissed, lunging forward, knowing he was too late to stop the impending catfight.
The resounding slap of impact echoed through the morning air. Ruin blinked to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. Charity now stood straight in the middle of the doorway with Vex’s wrist locked in her grip, the glove’s metal tips less than an inch from her face. From the flex of arm muscle, it was obvious both women were exerting pressure, but it was the knife poised at Vex’s kidney freezing him in place. He kept his attention on Charity’s knife.
‘That wasn’t nice.’ Charity’s voice didn’t reflect the strain of her hold.
‘It wasn’t meant to be,’ Vex snarled.
‘You want in to see your man, you sheath your claws, kitty cat.’
When her wrist with the blade twitched, Ruin growled, ‘Charity.’
Without taking her attention from Vex, she warned Ruin, ‘Don’t even think about interfering, Ruin.’
Vex twisted her arm and slipped from Charity’s hold, or Charity let go, either way, Vex stepped back. She turned and gave him a disgusted look. ‘Really? I’m fine.’
He pointedly glanced at the knife now down by Charity’s side.
Vex snorted. ‘She wasn’t going to cut me.’ She turned to Charity. ‘Were you?’
Charity’s smile was slow and disturbing. ‘Maybe.’
Vex threw her head back and laughed. When she was finished, she glanced at Ruin. ‘I like her. You can keep her.’
Now it was Charity’s turn to get pissed. ‘Not his choice.’
Vex grinned. ‘Uh-huh, whatever. You going to let me through?’
Charity took her time stepping back. Vex brushed by her and disappeared inside, leaving him to fend for himself. Ungrateful little witch. See if he’d play interference when Simon started in on her next time.
Charity stepped out of the cabin. ‘Walk with me?’
It didn’t take a genius to know she wasn’t asking, especially since there was no missing the bite in her voice. Stifling a sigh, he looped the reins over the post and fell into step beside her. It took him a few to realise she was doing a perimeter check. It wasn’t until they reached one of the other cabins that she finally stopped and faced him. ‘Besides your sister, any other friends of yours dropping by?’
He wasn’t surprised that Charity picked up the family connection. When he and Vex shared the same space, there was no missing it. ‘Why the concern?’
That earned him a glare equal parts frustration and puzzlement. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Why the act at the door? Not letting Vex inside.’ Since he could erase the itch of lingering suspicions, he pushed. ‘What are you playing at?’
Her gaze narrowed. ‘I’m not playing at shit. I didn’t bust my ass to keep your friend breathing, to be blindsided by an unexpected visitor intent on finishing the job the Raiders started.’
The depth of sincerity rang loud and clear in her voice. He chose to acknowledge the sliver of remorse working its way past his normal wariness and answered her earlier question. ‘Probably not.’
‘Probably not,’ she muttered with evident sarcasm. She shook her head, then turned and paced a few feet away, rubbing the back of her neck. With her back to him, she stopped. ‘We need to get Simon back to Pebble Creek.’
‘Thought you said he wouldn’t make it down.’
She turned, revealing a grimace as she gently rubbed her injured shoulder. ‘That was before I realised that we might end up with more company than we can handle.’
‘You think more Raiders are on their way?’
She gave him a look he bet she would aim at a child. ‘Don’t you?’
It was a perfect opening to mention the Raiders meet in Kennewick, but he ignored it, curious as to how she worked. ‘If they were, that’s your plan? Run away?’ He added a bit of derision to the last bit in a deliberate poke.
Her jaw firmed, and her eyes flashed. ‘You want to face another group of Raiders with what? Sticks and rocks? Are you that eager to die?’
Her whiplash of contempt slipped under his skin. His temper, thinned by too little sleep, too much banked fury, and a side helping of lust, snapped, incinerating the fact he was deliberately pushing her by playing the asshole in an effort to figure her out. He closed the distance between them. She didn’t budge an inch, simply watched him. Towering over her, hands fisted at his side so he wouldn’t shake the ever-living daylights out of her, he leant in, his voice soft and deadly. ‘The only ones adding their bones to the ground will be Raiders, darlin’.’
Hands on her hips, her head tilted back, sunlit strands falling away from her face, she lifted her pointed chin and rose on tiptoe until mere inches separated them. ‘No, darlin’—’ Her mimicry of his endearment was full of scorn, ‘—it’ll be Simon’s bones littering the ground, once the Raiders have their fun with the bull-headed ass who mistakenly thought he was the shit, because he had—’ her hand came up and then her finger was drilling into his chest with each word, ‘—no … fucking … weapons.’
Lit by her fury, there were sparks of gold in her bright blue gaze. Watching the fireworks was damn fascinating, so much so that his anger paused, giving logic a window. Holding her furious gaze, he muttered the first thing that came to his mind, ‘We have weapons.’
Disbelief chased across her face, and her jaw flexed as she gritted her teeth. ‘Are you kidding me, Ruin?’ She dropped back down and took a step back, her head canted to the side. ‘What weapons do you think we have?’ He opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off, her voice sharp, her arm waving back towards the cabin. ‘Did you get a good look at the bag those idiots left? Because I did. What guns they have are corroded and more likely to explode in your face than fire. The knives aren’t balanced for shit. I’m down to fifteen shots between my gun and the rifle, and you have what?’ Her gaze drifted to his pants, her hand going to her hip and her lip curling derisively. ‘A pocket full of shells?’ Her gaze came back up, slow and insolent. ‘Gee, sugar, I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy about our chances of taking out another raiding party.’
Knowing he was the one fuelling this pointless argument, he gritted his teeth, as her barbs found their mark. Despite her shit-ton of snark, her point was valid. There was no treasure trove of weapons lying around, and he was down to a handful of bullets for the rifle. Which meant it was a good thing he didn’t plan to hang around here. Not that any of that stopped him from opening his mouth and pushing her right over the edge as he gritted out, ‘Don’t need much to wreak havoc.’
The noise she made was close to a snarl. She spun around, paced a few feet away, fisting her hands in her hair as she muttered to herself. Unable to make out what she was saying, he waited her out, part of him amused by her behaviour. Her temper was fun. It wasn’t long before she turned on a heel, nailed him with a glare, then stomped back. ‘What is more important here? Getting Simon back to Pebble Creek or indulging in your bloodlust?’
He arched a brow. ‘What do you think?’
Her shoulders went stiff and so did her spine, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. Her reaction left him wondering if he overplayed his hand. ‘I think,’ she started slow and soft, ‘that I’m done here.’
He kept his face blank, even as he mentally winced. ‘Done?’
Instead of answering, she turned and headed back to the cabin.
‘Charity?’ he called after her.
She didn’t slow, didn’t turn, didn’t answer.
Ah shit. It was a bad sign when a woman ignored you. Running a hand through his hair, he closed his eyes, sent up a prayer for patience, then made short work of catching up to her. He wrapped a hand around her arm, minding her shoulder, and pulled her to a stop, forcing her to face him. ‘What do you mean, done?’
Her normally expressive face was gone. In its place was what he was coming to recognise as her default mask—an empty pleasantness. ‘Between you and your sister, I’m sure the two of you can take care of Simon and whatever game you’ve decided to play here.’ She pulled against his grip. Unwilling to hurt her, he let go and watched her put deliberate distance between them. ‘I, on the other hand, need to get back to Pebble Creek.’
‘To find the girl you’re looking for?’
‘Among other things.’
‘Other things?’
For a moment, the predator she tried to hide peeked out. ‘Not your concern, Ruin.’
‘Now, darlin’, that’s where I have to disagree.’ He closed in. ‘If Reznik is behind the Raiders, it most definitely is my concern. Mine and the Vultures.’
Her lip curled and then she threw his words from the night before back in his face. ‘Worried I won’t leave you anything to play with?’
Deciding enough was enough, he stopped with the game and went for the jugular. ‘More worried about what part your sweet ass is playing in all of this.’
Her head jerked back as if slapped. ‘My part?’
‘Yeah, your part.’ Not bothering to hide his suspicions, his gaze drifted over her, his voice icing over. ‘I don’t doubt you’re tracking your missing kid, but that’s not the whole story on why you’re here, is it, Charity?’
Standing in front of him, she crossed her arms, and he tried to ignore what that did to her chest. ‘You think I had a hand in what happened to Simon?’
He didn’t, but he held his tongue, curious as to what was coming next.
‘You are un-fucking-believable,’ she muttered. ‘Just so we’re clear, Vulture, I had not one damn thing to do with Simon or Crane.’ Then she proved just how dangerous she was because she didn’t stop there. ‘But you are right about one thing.’
When she didn’t say another word, he knew he was being led, but he still asked, ‘And that is?’
‘Tracking Tabitha wasn’t my only reason for seeking out Crane.’
Adrenaline roared through him, and every hunting instinct he possessed went on point. Finally, they were getting somewhere. ‘Then what was?’
‘Something you aren’t in a position to give me.’
Stung on some inexplicable level, he snapped, ‘You sure about that?’
‘Quite.’ Then she smiled, catching him off guard. It was sharper than anything he’d seen and considering who his twin was, that was saying something. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m fairly certain that will change.’
Knowing he was being played sucked, but he’d let her have this. For now. ‘And why’s that?’
She made a soft hum, before elaborating. ‘Because I’m not done with you or the Vultures just yet.’