“This is no joke Lilly. I need to make sure you understand how dangerous it’s going to get. People are going to be flipping out, hurting others, and such. Not to mention, we don’t know how far the Great Mother is going to take things.” He leaned down, bit her bottom lip, and pulled on it.
“How long do you think we’ll have to be below?” she asked when he released her lip, her hands now twined with his above her head.
“I don’t know, Lilly, but we’ll survive if you listen to everything I tell you.” He jumped off her and pulled her up as the roar of bikes could be heard coming down the street. “Get your coat. They’re here.”
“Do you really believe...he’ll try and make a move in town?” A little tremor went through Lilly as he helped her with her coat.
“I’m counting on it and Lilly, if I capture him, you will ride back with Mason, Kizzy’s brother in the van. I’ll be back later tonight.” Dark Horse moved toward the door.
“Wait, what are you going to do?” Lilly placed her hand onto his arm, stopping him from leaving.
“You don’t need to know. But after tonight I can promise you the four of them will be gone from this world,” He wrapped his arm around her, his hand resting on her butt cheek as he escorted her out to his bike.
Lifting his coat off his bike, Lilly could see the many weapons hidden in it, but she also knew he carried a few close to his skin, too.
“I was thinking maybe you should show me how to throw a knife. I don’t want a gun, but I should know how to use a knife, especially if we are going to be cooking game.” Lilly climbed on the back of the bike and wrapped her arms around Dark Horse.
“When things settle down we’ll find you a nice hunting knife, but, Lilly, I will make sure you will never have to use it for self-defense. I’m sorry, but you will have to be protected, and if that means assigning ten men to you, so be it,” he informed her then started up his bike.
“That is silly. Why tie up so many men? All you have to do is teach me a few tricks, how to use a knife, and I’ll be able to take care of myself.” She placed her helmet over her head, but Dark Horse was silent and pulled the bike out on the road.
“You can ignore me all you want, but if I have to take a class, I will. I’d prefer you to teach me, but I won’t feel helpless again, Dark Horse. I mean it.”
Dark Horse ignored her until they stopped at a light and Running Wolf pulled up next to them with Kizzy behind him.
Lilly would bet a hundred dollars her new friend was wishing she could clobber Running Wolf with a frying pan in the head by the glare she was giving him.
Kizzy turned her gaze to her and nodded.
“We have two following us,” Running Wolf informed them, opening the microphone so they could hear him. “My guess is the other two are already in the town waiting.”
“I was hoping this would happen. Is the sheriff’s office still protected?” Dark Horse turned toward Running Wolf.
“Yes, we can leave the ladies there as soon as they make their move. Mason and Jay Bird both know to take them there the first sign of trouble.”
Everyone remained quiet as they pulled into the small town. Some houses were gone, torched, while others had boarded-up windows. But what had Lilly shaking her head was the fact the highway that went through their town was gone, replaced with a dirt road.
Not one person came out as they drove toward the sheriff’s office.
Lilly pointed to an intersection. “Pull over here. I want to see if Emma is okay.” She took off the motorcycle helmet as he pulled over to the side, followed by Running Wolf.
“Which house is hers?” Dark Horse got off the bike, scanning around them as his men spread out.
“The green one with the white shutters. Do you know if her father made it?” Lilly refused to look at the man. If he didn’t want to answer her questions, then screw him.
Men moved around the house in question, before Dark Horse wrapped his arm around her and tugged on her hair till she had no choice to stare up into his dark eyes.
“I know you’re hurt right now, but this is not the time or place to discuss this and we will discuss this need of yours.” He placed a kiss on her nose then moved her toward the house.
Before they reached the porch steps, Lilly glanced up at the side window and saw Emma peeking through the curtain, tears running down her cheeks.
“I see her, but we need to make sure no one is in there with her. Wait,” Dark Horse whispered against the side of her head.
Running Wolf and Kizzy moved up beside them. Tears ran down Kizzy’s face as well. “Her father is dead inside. That sheriff did this. They were searching for Emma, but she was well hidden. Her father saved her.”
The front door opened, and one of Dark Horse’s men stood behind Emma as she ran out the door, flying into Lilly’s arms, crying, “They killed Papa. He made me promise to stay in the hiding place when they came. I should have helped.”
“Then you would both be dead. Now you live on, giving your father the one thing he wanted more than life, your safety.” Dark Horse ran his hand down the girl’s head. “Do you have any other family we can take you to?”
Emma shook her head. “They killed Momma and Papa. They were all I had.” Emma peered up at Lilly. “Where do I go?”
“You stay with me. We’ll get through this together Emma. My father is waiting for us back at our new home.”
Dark Horse took a deep breath and nodded before glancing at the road.
“Emma, we’re going to put you in the van with Kizzy’s brother. I want you to stay in there till we head back to our new home. The only time you come out of that van is if one of us comes to you, or Mason tells you to.” He glanced down at the girl. “Right now is a very dangerous time, so will you listen?”
Emma squeezed Lilly tight, nodding. “I’ll do whatever you say,” she whispered. “You really want me to stay with you?” Emma held onto Lilly tight.
“Yes, and my father will want you with us, also. You will always have a home with us.” Lilly hugged the girl before turning and moving with her down the sidewalk. The van pulled up, but Lilly stopped, seeing the one person she never wanted to see again, Fuzz.
Before Lilly could say a word, Running Wolf wrapped his arm around Emma, Lilly and Kizzy, guiding them toward the van as she watched Dark Horse and the others spread out.
“But, he...” Lilly started to say something, but Running Wolf squeezed her shoulder and shook his head as the van side door opened.
Emma and Kizzy jumped into the van as Lilly watched. Dark Horse gave her a possessive look that sent shivers down her spine. He was claiming her right there in front of Fuzz, making sure he watched. “Get inside, my little flower,” he emphasized the word my and his nickname for her before turning his attention back to her worse nightmare, Fuzz.
“Lilly.” Running Wolf helped her into the van then closing the door. “You know where to take them,”
The van took off, and he joined Dark Horse.
She hated to admit it, but right now Lilly was more afraid then she had been before. The thought of something happening to Dark Horse… Her stomach seemed to want to reject her food from that morning, but she kept it down. Yet, she couldn’t stop the shaking of her hands as she tucked them under her legs.
“Don’t they know they have guns? They’re just standing there out in the open,” Lilly growled, staring out the window. She swore it appeared like one of those old movies shootouts.
Mason laughed. “You have nothing to worry about. Even if this creep pulled a gun, he’d be dead in seconds,” Mason informed her just as tire popped on the van, sending them all to the side. “Get down, all of you,” Mason ordered as he drove the van toward the sheriff’s office.
Lilly covered Emma’s body, Kizzy lying next to her in the back of the van. “I should have come out and let them have me. My father would be alive, and you would be safe,” Emma cried.
“Afraid not, Emma.�
�� Lilly kissed the top of her head. “Fuzz and his gang had my father and I trapped at our home. I was lucky he agreed to let my father go to the hospital, but I paid the price for it. He wants me back, Emma, so you are not the only one this thing wants. But he won’t get us. I won’t allow him that ever again.” Mason took the van around the corner quickly, almost tipping over.
“Get by the door. When I turn us around, we are going to make a run for the sheriff’s office,” Mason yelled out.
Lilly lifted her head. “Are you sure it’s safe? They knew we would be coming, Mason. Something isn’t right.”
“I feel it, too. Something is off,” Kizzy echoed her worries as Mason whipped the van around in front of the sheriff’s office.
Lilly shoved Emma toward Kizzy then opened the door to the van and jumped out before they could stop her, slamming the door shut. Proving to them it was a trap, making sure not one of them would get hurt because of her.
But Lilly didn’t even get to turn around as three burning slugs entered her body. She fell to her knees, clutching the van door, in worse pain than after the beating she had taken. Hot liquid she knew had to be blood dripped down her back.
She rested her forehead on the cool van, blackness threating to take her away. “Sorry, my Dark Warrior, so sorry,” she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks as she released the van door, allowing the darkness to take the pain away.
Chapter Eleven
There are two great days in a person’s life—the day we are born and the day we discover why.
William Barclay
Dark Horse’s his legs gave out, pain radiating throughout his body like he’d never felt before. Their target, Fuzz, was gone like the wind, and he knew in his heart Lilly was fading from this world.
“Lilly,” he growled, forcing himself to stand, knowing the pain wasn’t his, but his light, his little flower.
With his strength returning, Dark Horse ran to his metal horse with one purpose, to save the one who already carried his dark heart in her hands. “Sorry, my Dark Warrior, so sorry.” Her pain-filled voiced ripped through his head and heart, shredding everything he had in him as he raced toward the sheriff’s office.
What Dark Horse saw as he turned the curve had his heart in his throat. His Lilly lay on the ground, her blond hair spread out, soaking up her blood as Red Hawk hovered over her. Kizzy held Lilly’s head in her lap.
Kizzy’s tearful gaze lifted to his as he turned off his bike, moving to her side, dropping to his knees beside her. “Red Hawk?”
“Find the bastard who did this, because, Dark Horse, she’s lucky the bullets weren’t an inch to the right or she wouldn’t be walking again much less breathing. She has died twice Dark Horse. I have one more bullet to take out of her, but it’s very close to her heart. Take Kizzy’s place. I need you to call to her, Dark Horse, hold her to you. I’ve kept her alive so far with Kizzy’s help, but she needs you,” Red Hawk stared to work on her again without waiting.
Dark Horse didn’t know what he was saying, but he slipped in where Kizzy had been, placing Lilly’s head on his lap. “I’m here, little flower. You didn’t listen, did you?” He ignored those around him, knowing Running Wolf and his men would cover them, seeking those that had done this, holding those they caught for him. “You can’t leave, my little flower. Only you can give me the peace I need to survive. I know you hear me Lilly. Don’t forget, we have Emma to take care. I can’t do it alone. She needs you. Hell, we all do.” He leaned down, placing a kiss on her cheek.
Red Hawk laid his hand over the last hole in her back, his hands covered in Lilly’s blood. Dark Horse swore he saw sparks coming from him, and heat spread out as Red Hawk held his hands over her wound, his eyes closed, concentrating.
Holding onto Lilly, Dark Horse never believe he could feel this way about anyone, but he had been wrong Lilly whimpered, and it broke his heart.
“Hold her down. Don’t let her move,” Red Hawk ground out, not opening his eyes. Sweat rolled down his face as he lifted his hand up. Lilly’s body twitched under him as he held her down, watching as Red Hawk lowered his hand down and dug his fingers into the whole in her back, pulling the bullet out of her body.
Her chest rose, and then there was nothing. “Lilly, don’t you dare leave me!” Dark Horse growled then leaned down to her ear. “I mean it, little flower. I can’t be without you, please.” A single tear rolled down his face and dropped onto Lilly’s cheek. He had never cried since his mother’s death. “See? Only you bring me to tears, baby. Only you and Momma.” He buried his face into her hair, closing his eyes, his heart in his throat as time stood still. More tears rolled down his face onto her.
A soft small hand reached down and squeezed his shoulder.
“Look,” Emma whispered, next to him. “She’s moving her hand.”
Dark Horse lifted his head as she tried to push Red Hawk away. His friend opened his eyes and smiled at him. “She is a fighter but it’s going to take me a few sessions to heal her fully. We need to get her out of here now, while we can. Jay Bird grab the board that is tied to the side of the van, also those two blankets from the back. Once I get her in the van, I need to peel this jacket and shirt off of her that remains, and clean the wounds before I heal her,” his friend ordered, covering the last hole in her back with gauze just like the other two. “And Lilly, I know you can hear me. You do not move when we lift you. You allow us to do this. You should know the routine.”
“Shouldn’t we take her to the hospital?” Emma asked Dark Horse, while Red Hawk, Running Wolf all carefully slid the board under his woman, covering her body with one of the blankets.
“No, Emma, it’s Red Hawk destiny to heal our Lilly. She would have died if we left it up to the doctors.” Running Wolf’s attention moved to him as they carried Lilly to the van.
“You believe it’s his destiny to heal our women?” Dark Horse scanned the area.
“Yes, I do. The sheriff has been caught with another. But I’m afraid this Fuzz sacrificed the sheriff to get away,” he growled.
“As soon as Lilly is settled and I know she is safe, I’m going hunting. I’m done waiting for him to come to us. Lilly needs to know she’s safe, not hunted,” he glanced inside the van as Red Hawk worked at cutting off her clothes. “I’ll be right behind you. Emma, get in the van with Lilly.”
Mason walked up to him. “I’m sorry, Dark Horse. This never should have happened. I failed to protect your woman.” His head hung low as he stared down at the ground.
“Did you know this was going to happen? Did you know they were there?” He frowned and turned toward the sheriff’s office. “Where are the two police officers who came in from Dangerfield?”
Dark Horse slid his knife from his pants as Mason, Jay Bird, and Running Wolf turned their attention to the jail. “Two Eyes get the van out of here now.” Using sign language, Running Wolf order half of their men to the back off the office. Dark Horse slammed the door.
Anger, the need to kill those that had harmed Lilly pulsed through him like that of an extra heart, beating loud and strong. Jay Bird moved to the left, Mason to the right, as they headed right through the front doors.
He glanced at Running Wolf and mouthed, who? Wanting to know who of theirs was supposed to be there helping out. Running Wolf signaled two of Raining Song’s men, meaning that two of his men were either missing, or dead.
For their sakes, they’d better be dead, because they could have warned them and saved Lilly from such a horrible fate. But then again, it was part of their destiny, one that sucked big time. Either way, they better be dead he thought.
The smell of death filled the air around them as they slid inside without a sound, and what greeted them was not a pretty site.
Blood soaked the walls and the floors. The heads of the two police officers were sitting on the desk placed right in front, sending them a message. Their eyes were gone, and each head had a name carved on it, Dark Horse and Running Wolf
.
The two men came through the back stopped at the hallway, shaking their heads, indicating there was no one else in the building. “Just for the sake of it see if there are any recordings of what happened in here,” Dark Horse ordered the two. “Jay Bird, contact Raining Song and find out if he has heard from his men, but make sure you don’t accuse him of anything, since we know he’s supposed to be with us.”
Mason shook his head. “Now I know why Kizzy and Lilly didn’t want to come in here. They both knew something was wrong as soon as we turned the corner,” Mason snarled. “You think they had help?”
“Don’t you? Weren’t the feds supposed to show up today?” Dark Horse asked, Running Wolf who was already pulling his phone out and dialing his friend.
Dark Horse inched around the main room, searching for clues as to where Raining Song’s men had gone, but there was nothing. Almost as if… “I can’t believe I didn’t see this before.” Dark Horse glanced over at Running Wolf. “All of this has been staged. It’s clean as a whistle except for that the blood splatter.”
“Tack has called his older brother Flynn, since the local FBI agents are missing also. Jay Bird, what did you find out?” Running Wolf joined him at the door.
“We should have followed the van,” Dark Horse growled, heading straight toward his bike, seeing his tires slashed as were the others there.
All four of them, spread out, taking cover, searching for the ones who had done this, but they were silent nothing, as the sound of bikes reached them.
Running Wolf motioned for half their men to scout the area as he jumped on behind Sun Bull, and Dark Horse behind Night Wind, hating that for now they would leave their bikes. “Get me back to the house. Something isn’t right,” Dark Horse growled, hoping that his Lilly was safe, but his gut was telling him different.
***
Pain once more attacked her body, but she was alive, for now. Emma and Kizzy sat off to the side as someone placed their hand on her back. Intense heat soaked into her skin.
The Heart's Dark Hunger Page 10
