The smell of a fire and roasting meat permeated the breeze, and my stomach grumbled. Just stepping through the woods had my breaths shallow and rapid. What would I say to everyone I’d abandoned three years ago? Hey, I’m back! I’d left without speaking to anyone. I’d been too broken to make sense of anything. Hell, I’d hid for months, crying for my brother, trying to understand what I’d become.
Those times were the darkest for me—feeling alone, betrayed, terrified. For weeks after returning from the dead, I’d had the same recurring dream. Me engulfed by a mist, diminishing all happiness, tightening my throat. It whispered in my ears. Kill yourself. You’re useless. A failure. I recalled nothing from my death, but I’d come back a different person. Though the jury was still out on what that was. Soon after, the dreams had ended as abruptly as they’d started.
The crunch of foliage sounded near. Hood trackers.
I stopped and raised my palms into the air. “It’s me, Robyn Loveridge. Here to see Dante.”
Footfalls sounded. I whirled around to face two girls, identical twins, in their late teens. Both were geared in black from necks to toes, green sashes tied to their biceps, bows in hand. The rules were to deter intruders before they discovered the hideout. But if they’d suspected me to be a true enemy, I wouldn’t have made it this far.
“Dante isn’t expecting you,” the one with a ponytail said, her eyes narrowed. I recognized them both from the Lower Corner. Their father had raised the girls on his own, teaching them to fight and take what they wanted. To never rely on a man.
“Nevertheless, here I am,” I said.
“What are you doing here?” the second blonde asked. “Do you plan on leading the pigs to us?”
I bit my tongue. These schoolgirls knew shit about me, and I wasn’t here to debate. “Nice talking to you.”
I pushed into a walk when a twin leaped toward me, the sharp tip of the arrow pressed against my neck. “Didn’t say you could go.”
Out of instinct, my arm struck outward. I wrenched the shaft from her grasp and elbowed her in the face. That shouldn’t have made me smile, but hell, it warmed my insides.
She stumbled into the arms of her sister.
“Next time,” I said, throwing the arrow to the ground, “don’t attack unless you’re willing to fight.”
“Bitch,” they said in unison.
Yep, that was me, and I marched forward, pine needles snapping underfoot. I emerged into a small clearing covered by a canopy of leaves. The Hood lived in the pines. Tiny tree-houses sat on the largest branches. Hood members stared down from their windows and verandas. Others descended the rope ladders. In the center of the clearing blazed a fire, flames licking the wild boar roasting on a spit. Three guys left their meal and came my way.
I didn’t remember the two young ones, but Leonard was as round as ever. His long beard dangled across his belly, and his grimace screamed hatred.
“What are you doing here?” Leonard barked.
“Well, nice to see you too, Leo. How’ve you been?”
“Fucking grand. What do you want?” He gripped his waist, spearing me with intimidation. Always a jerk, even when I’d lived with the Hood. Guess nothing had changed.
“Is Dante here?” I turned my to the giant pine to my left, where he lived. Where I’d loved to lean against the wooden railing, watching birds in nearby trees.
“He’s not here, so piss off.”
I laughed loud. “Not leaving until I see Dante.”
“We don’t want you here,” Leonard said, rolling up his sleeves. “You made it clear where your loyalties lie.”
“I don’t give a shit what you want.” I pocketed my hands. The crackle of energy from the marbles danced on my fingertips, easing the growing butterflies in my gut.
“Our kind stick together, but you’re not one of us anymore.” He clenched his hand and stormed toward me like a charging bull.
My pulse spiked, as I was unprepared to battle a guy double my size. I expected to get shit from the Hood, not have my ass served. Fuck!
Chapter 5
I ducked a punch and drove a fist into Leonard’s belly. Leaping out of his swinging range, I gasped for air and stumbled over a dead branch across the ground. “Look, Leo, I don’t want to fight you. Just let me be until Dante arrives.”
He spun to face me, his lip bloody. Spectators surrounded us.
“Told you before, you ain’t welcome here,” he snarled.
“I’m still a Traveler—except I chose a different path. What’s wrong with that?”
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he charged. I hopped sideways and snatched a wrist, twisting it behind his back. But he spun and backhanded me in the head. I stumbled. Leonard shoved his hands against my chest, driving me back. With a strike of his boot to my knees, my legs crumbled under me. I fell.
The audience cheered and clapped.
The bastard had kicked me in the ribs. Stabbing pain lanced through me, but instead of showing weakness, I threw myself into a side roll.
Standing, I clenched my hands. “You always were a dickhead.”
“Yeah, because I worked damn hard for the Hood, while you slept your way to the top.”
“Fuck you.” Fire bubbled through my veins and I lunged, my punches colliding to his head. Before he struck, I sidestepped behind him and kicked his calves. He fell like a huge sack of rice. Several people booed.
I leapt onto Leonard, driving my knee to the center of his spine and twisting an arm again.
He whimpered.
Leaning close, I whispered, “You don’t know shit about me, so screw you.” I drove his face into the lawn with a final shove and climbed off him.
The circle of bystanders said nothing as they watched. “Anyone else got a problem with me visiting Dante?” I asked.
Most turned away, but others stuck around, probably hoping we’d go another round. Leonard was on his knees and cut me the filthiest look.
I gripped my side where the bastard had bruised my ribs and crossed the clearing. I swiped my jacket off the ground. By now, everyone had strolled back to their posts. They hated that I’d left the Hood, I got that. I’d broken the oath we’d made when we’d first entered the gang. No matter what, we stayed loyal, we never left. After losing Richard, returning to the woods had resurrected too much hurt. Dante had come to find me a few times, but it had always ended in a fight, physical and shouting. I’d needed time away, but now I was an outcast. No one to blame but myself.
Someone crash-tackled me from behind, arms embracing me, soft female laughter in my ear. “Can’t believe you’re here, my little robin bird.”
I smirked, as only one person called me that, and I turned to face Charity. Bright green eyes, a scattering of freckles, and the shortest cropped hair. On her, it made her beautiful, emphasizing the high cheekbones. I hugged her, warmth spreading through my chest.
She broke free but held my arms. “When did you arrive? Are you staying? Does Dante know?”
Unable to stop laughing, I drew her toward the cluster of dense trees. She snaked her arm around mine as if I might run away. Damn, being with Charity reminded me how much I missed her company, her insistence on always embracing or holding my hand. I promised myself to make an effort to visit her more often.
“Here to see Dante, but he’s out, so I’m waiting,” I said.
She stared at me with wild eyes. “It’s amazing to have you back.”
“I somehow doubt Dante will agree.”
Charity nudged me. “Yeah, well, that’s where you’re wrong.”
That wasn’t news I needed to hear, especially when I already struggled with seeing him at Little J’s.
After three years, I shouldn’t be drawn to Dante with the same level of passion. I adored Ryker. It was best I changed topics before I blurted out my feelings. Let Charity believe her fantasy about Dante and me before I crushed it with the truth. I couldn’t bear to watch the light in her eyes fade, so what was the harm in letting it
go?
Charity dragged me to a dead log in the forest far from the fire, but in all honesty, I suspected we had eavesdroppers in the trees. There was no such thing as privacy in the Hood. We were in each other’s business all the time.
“So why are you here?” Charity asked.
No reason not to share the news with her. Dante would find out soon enough if he hadn’t already. “I met Dante when he was searching for Dash.” I took a deep inhale. “The police found Dash’s body by the river’s bank last night.”
Charity’s her chin trembled. Her glistening eyes left me empty. “Are you sure it was him?” she choked the words out.
I nodded, batting my eyelashes to drive away my tears. But his mangled body floated in my thoughts, his barren expression, the cut on his neck.
“Did you do your vision thing? See who did it?” Charity wiped her eyes, then folded her arms across her stomach.
“I didn’t see the culprit in my vision.”
Right then, seeing her deflated resurrected dreaded memories of Richard’s death. Him lying on the road in the night, screams and sirens everywhere, but my little brother wasn’t moving or responding. When I’d tried to get him up, a bullet had hit me right above the heart.
Charity had been dating my brother when he’d died. She’d stayed in the hospital with me the whole time during my recovery. Sitting in the side chair, hugging herself, lost in a world of her own, drowning in sorrow.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She leaned against me, her face cradled against my neck, her body melting against my side. She sniffled and broke into a soft cry. I wiped my tears.
“So sorry I didn’t come back earlier. But I never stopped caring and loving you as a sister.”
Charity nodded. “You don’t need to explain to me.”
When Charity drew away and cleaned her eyes with the sleeve of her V-neck top, we fell into silence. What more could be said? The members of the Hood were a family and losing a member cut deep. Was this how others had felt when I’d left after my brother died? I should have told them I was okay and didn’t blame them, should have made an effort. No wonder they detested me.
“Sorry I wasn’t here for you,” I said.
“Shit, Robyn. I understand because I couldn’t have come back either if I were you.” She leaned over, elbows on her thighs, staring at the ground covered in pine needles. “Sometimes when I wake up, for those first few seconds before reality hits, I feel like your brother is with us. Is that stupid?”
I rubbed Charity’s back. “Heck no. I get that some mornings too. I just wish the sensation would last longer than a few fleeting moments.”
Charity twisted around and faced me. “Hell yeah.” She smiled and got up. “Come on. Let’s go have food before the guys eat everything.”
We started on the track toward camp.
“Is Dante on a job?” I asked.
“He’s sussing out the Lower Corner. The mayor wants to tear down the place and resettle everyone so he can build a new shopping center.”
“Wait.” I pulled Charity to a stop right next to a massive pine, where a big heart had been etched in the trunk. I caught a whiff of pine infused with honey bells, and at once, I stepped back in time. Dante had promised to keep me safe for life, and he’d carved that into the tree for me to never forget his love, his oath, his protection. He’d turned around to face me and slid a hand around my neck, pulling me so close, I bathed in his warmth. He’d whispered, “You’ll always have my heart, no matter what.”
Such memories left me raw. I refocused on Charity and what she’d said moments earlier. “Resettle the Lower Corner? There’s over a thousand people living there—Travelers, the Hood’s families. Where will they go?” Why didn’t I know about this?
“The mayor offered payment. But before they get a penny, they have to move to a community hall, as construction starts next week.”
“That’s bullshit.” The Travelers had set up home there thirty years ago. Now, suddenly, the mayor wanted a fancy building? I tensed at the notion.
“A couple of older folks accepted after four people from the community went missing. No one’s found them yet. The elderly are scared, feeling they’re being targeted. But they still haven’t gotten a dime or a new house from the mayor.”
Missing? Could that be the two identified Travelers also found on the river’s bank? I chewed on a hangnail. Yep, I’d chase Ryker for those reports; might go over to his place on the way home even.
“Dante suspects they’ll move out to temporary accommodation,” Charity continued. “Then the mayor will renege on his deal and they’ll become homeless.”
“Because there aren’t enough of those in the city already. Fuck! Half of the residents in the Lower Corner are elderly.”
Charity guided me into a walk. “Dante and the team have been delaying construction by destroying machinery. He has something big planned to halt development. Hopefully, the building companies will see the job as an omen and back off. Might make the mayor rethink his decision.”
Made perfect sense. Dante’s plans were always about looking at the larger picture, taking down the big guys.
We emerged into the open area, where several Hood members were carving the roasted boar. By the time I received food, my stomach was beyond growling. I sat near the fire next to Charity and dug into the meat with a slice of bread and a barbequed corn on the cob. About forty people joined the feast, most keeping to themselves, but that was fine with me. Charity licked her fingers. “Want more?”
I shook my head. “No thanks.” I threw my scraps away and washed everything else in the two buckets of water.
Someone released four short whistles. Dante had returned. All kinds of noises and birdcalls were used to inform those at camp who approached. My gut tightened and a fluttering curled in my chest. The same emotions I used to sense whenever Dante came home after a mission.
Charity nudged me. “I’m thinking of organizing a small memorial for Dash tonight. Please say you’ll stay?”
While I might not be welcomed by most, Dash was a friend and I could stay to give my farewell. “Of course.” My attention flew to Dante marching into the main campsite. His jeans hugged him in all the right ways, sitting low on narrow hips. He pulled off his leather jacket, revealing a tight black T-shirt. His thick arms and wide chest reminded me of the times I’d kissed them. Brown hair fluttered over his shoulders, and his gaze found me within seconds, an eyebrow arching.
The butterflies deep in my stomach resurfaced as they had the last time we’d bumped into each other. My palms tingled with the urgency to hug him; damn, my emotions betrayed me. Dante always carried this air about him. The moment he entered camp, the energy shifted to adrenaline infused and a go-get-them attitude. He was a natural leader, no doubt about it.
Charity left, yet my gaze stayed on Dante. Several of his closest confidantes chatted in his ear, including Leonard. Dante kept staring my way, then waved the others away. He crossed the clearing, then grabbed my hand and led me into the forest. Neither of us said a word until we reached the creek. Birds chirped and a deer bolted at our presence. We’d always come here to chat. The gurgling water and nearby squawking meant no one could overhear our whispered conversations.
He forced me to face him and growled, “Why are you here?”
I yanked my arm back. “Not happy to see me? I would have thought after our recent encounter, you’d be pleased.”
“You made it abundantly clear where we stood. And you still blame me. Fine, but I don’t need you here rubbing it in my face.”
I tensed and kicked a pebble at my feet, sending it flying just shy of whacking Dante in the shin. “That’s not why I came.”
“Then what’s up?” His clipped voice hurt more than it should have. Damn, I’d pushed him away, so why was I desperate to have him look at me with longing in his eyes instead of anger?
Swallowing the boulder in my throat, I debated my response. Either way, my new
s was going to hurt him.
“Dash is dead.” My voice trembled as I pictured the knife gash across Dash’s neck, his bruises. “And I may have told the authorities the Hood was responsible.” I held my breath.
Chapter 6
“Back the fuck up… What?” Dante stood inches from me, tension rippling off him. He led the Hood for a reason. He intimated everyone and always got his way, but I refused to recoil. I’d made a horrendous mistake, and I had to come clean.
I slouched and stuffed my hands into my pockets. “I do freelancing work for the cops with my psychometry, and last night I was called to a case. Dash’s body had washed up on the river’s bank.”
Dante’s face paled, and his gaze fell. “You sure it was him?”
“Yep.”
At first, Dante didn’t respond, yet his glistening eyes revealed his sorrow. Even his posture tensed, his shoulders cinching forward as if he was curling in on himself. “What did you see in your vision?”
I gave him a detailed account. “I suspect someone kidnapped him near Little J’s. The kid’s body I was searching for was probably taken from there, too. His vision pointed to the same location. So, why were you there the other night? You must know something?”
With arms tight by his side, Dante’s attention was miles away.
“He’d been missing for two days,” Dante began. “I scoured the city, thinking he’d visited the Scarlets’ gang. Dash had been clean of Ice for six months, but users relapse. Except he wasn’t there, but a girl said she’d seen him outside Little J’s talking to some guy. She thought nothing of it at the time. Two days ago.”
“He was doing drugs?” While I had a dozen questions about how he’d ended up that way, that didn’t matter right now. “Did the girl from the Scarlets remember who Dash spoke to? What did he look like?”
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