King of Diamonds (Desert Sons MC Book 3) (19 page)

Michelle grabbed Tina by the hair and pulled hard. Tina had her hand on the gun, still clutched tightly in Michelle’s hand, and she didn’t dare release it, no matter the pain. Tina’s position was bad, and her punch weak, but it doesn’t take a lot when you hit someone in the throat. Michelle gasped when Tina’s punch connected and she released her hair.

Jack was clawing his way up the embankment to help Tina when Seth grabbed him by the collar and hauled him back. The water wasn’t even knee deep, but it was enough to drown in when someone holds your head under water. Jack grabbed at Seth, finally getting a handful of his shirt. He pulled with desperate strength, tearing the fabric as he tried to get free. He couldn’t topple Seth, but Jack felt Seth’s weight shift just enough. Jack dug his heels into the muck and shoved hard as he could. He didn’t move much, but it was just enough to offset Seth’s balance enough for Jack to pull him down into the water with him.

Free of Michelle’s agonizing pull on her hair, Tina went for the gun again. Michelle shoved her hard and she fell away. When Tina realized she didn’t have the gun, she looked at Michelle, who was staring at her own empty hand. The gun was almost equal distance between them. They went for the gun as the same moment, crashing into each other as they scrambled for the weapon. When Tina felt the cold metal of the weapon leave her grasp, she shoved hard at Michelle, toppling her to her side. Desperate to get the gun back, Tina threw herself on the woman.

As Seth tumbled into the water, his hold on Jack’s neck failed. Jack popped up and gasped in a huge lungful of air before he rolled to his feet and took a rising Seth into a headlock. Jack began to throw punch after punch into Seth’s face as he clawed at him. With a roar, Seth picked Jack up and tumbled over backwards to drive his back into the embankment. Jack struggled to his feet, out of breath from a near-drowning and the rib-loosening fall.

Tina managed to pull the gun from Michelle’s grasp, but she couldn’t hold it herself as Michelle shoved her away.
Fuck the gun!
Tina grabbed Michelle by the shirt and pulled as hard as she could from her knees. Michelle’s roll for the weapon was checked by Tina tug, but only until the buttons of her blouse sprayed like shrapnel. Michelle slipped from the shirt and lunged for the gun again. Tina threw herself at the woman, landing on her with a grunt, and used both hands to pin Michelle’s arm to the ground.

“Get off of me, you
bitch!”
Michelle snarled as she slid her free arm under Tina’s chin and pushed her off.

Tina let Michelle push her off, but held fast to her wrist. Michelle turned with Tina as she tried to muscle her arm free, then changed tactics and forced Tina to her back and began to bear down with her forearm across Tina’s neck.

Jack tried to clear his arm from the tattered remains of his shirt. The fabric was twisted and torn and his hand was stuck in one of the tears. As Seth struggled to his feet Jack jerked his hand free, further tearing his shirt, and it slipped from his shoulder and let it dangle by his left side. With a snarl, he ripped it free. Seeing a topless Michelle choking the life from Tina, Jack tried to crawl up the slope again. The crumbling bank made it difficult, but he gained the top just as Seth snagged his foot and jerked, trying to pull him back down. Jack kicked furiously but couldn’t land a solid blow as Seth held him. Finally Jack slipped Seth’s grasp and rolled to his feet.

Darkness began encroaching on Tina’s vision. In a desperate final attempt to escape, she raked Michelle hard across the eyes with her nails. Michelle screamed and released her chokehold. Gasping and coughing Tina tried to get to her feet, but Michelle grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her to her feet. Michelle’s nose was still bleeding and she had three nasty scratches across her face as she hauled Tina up.

“I’m going to kick your fucking ass!” Michelle screamed as she drew her arm back.

Tina swung a sloppy left hook, but it was the best she could do. The punch was weak, but it was enough to throw Michelle’s own punch off and she hit Tina on the forehead. Staggered, but not seriously hurt, Tina stumbled backwards and fell to her ass. Michelle didn’t let go of her shirt in time and fell with her.

Jack reached the struggling women just as they fell. He tried to haul Michelle off of Tina when Seth hit him from behind again. Both men went to the dirt. They scrambled and kicked as each fought for advantage. Jack threw a weak punch at Seth from his back, and though it caused Seth’s already broken nose to spray fresh blood, the larger man continued to bear down.

Tina rolled as Michelle fell, using her own momentum against her. She came to rest on top of Michelle and threw a hard punch into her face as Michelle ripped and clawed at her. Tina drove in another hard punch, then another, and then a fourth before the fight went out of Michelle. She covered her face with her arms to protect herself from another blow, so Tina rocked back and sat on her heels a moment, exhausted, before she rose unsteadily to her feet, her breezy blouse ripped and hanging open.

Jack knew he was in real trouble. Seth’s face was a bloody mess, but he had Jack by the throat and was slowly choking the life out of him. Seth was simply too big, too strong, and could take more punishment than Jack could deal out once Seth got him on the ground. He threw one more weak punch, a right that glanced off Seth’s cheek… and Seth smiled at him.

Tina staggered to the gun, picked it up, and walked the three steps to where Seth and Jack struggled. She turned the gun so she held it by the barrel and hit Seth with it as hard as she could on the back of his head.

Jack pushed Seth’s limp body off of himself and gasped for breath, holding his throat. He rolled to his knees and panted for a moment before he rose shakily to his feet. “Thanks,” he rasped out before he coughed.

“Don’t mention it,” Tina panted.

Tina’s shirt was open and one breast was hanging out of her bra. She was covered in mud, dirt, blood, and debris. But never had a woman been more beautiful. Jack wanted to kiss her, but instead asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yes. Well, enough for someone that nearly had her ass kicked.”

Jack chuckled then coughed again. He was a mess. Covered in mud and dirt, dripping with river water, and smeared with Seth’s blood, he was missing his shirt entirely. “I know the feeling. If you hadn’t shown up when you did…”

Jack took the gun from Tina, looked at Michelle and Seth, and then threw it into the middle of the river. He shambled back to Seth, who was just beginning to stir. Jack dropped to his knees and grabbed Seth by the hair and jerked his head up. “If I ever see your face again, I will kill you. Do I make myself clear?”

Seth said nothing, his face a bloody, bruised pulp, but Jack kept his head back until he nodded. Jack threw him to the ground in disgust.

Tina tucked herself back into her bra as Michelle slowly stood, one eye already swelling shut. “And you, you fucking bitch,” Tina snarled as she stepped in close. “If you ever want to go again, look me up. I’ll be happy to bury my foot in your ass again.”

“Fuck you, you cunt,” Michelle slurred.

Michelle didn’t have time to block the punch when Tina took exception to her remark.

***

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“What are we going to do?” Tina asked as they stood by the truck and took stock of their situation.

“Can you ride?” Jack rasped. It had only been five minutes since Seth tried to break his neck, and already his voice was almost gone.

“Yeah, I think so, why?”

“Ride their bike to the next bridge. I’ll follow in the truck. We’re going to dump their bike into the water. Then we are finding the nearest place to turn his fucker around and we are going to the nearest big town where we can rent a motel room so we can clean up... and heal up. You may be okay, but my throat is killing me.”

“What about Seth and Michelle?”

“Fuck ‘em. I hope the gators eat ‘em.”

***

“Room for two, one bed, three nights to start with, but we may stay longer.”

“One eighty-seven fifty,” the desk clerk said.

Tina slid her credit card across the desk. The man ran the card and handed it back. “Enjoy your stay,” he said, then looked her over again. “If you need more towels, just call the front desk.”

They banged into their room and threw the kit on the bed. Tina was stripping out of her torn shirt, tied at her waist, and mud-caked pants before the door had even latched. Moments later, Jack joined her in the shower. They carefully washed each other as they took inventory of theirmarks. Tina was going to be bruised up around the neck and on the forehead, and she had assorted cuts and scratches both from her repeated runs through the woods and her fight with Michelle. But her injuries were minor compared to Jack’s. He had several deep cuts on his back, chest, and along one leg, not to mention the bruises already forming on his neck. His voice had failed until all he could do was whisper, and he had more small scrapes and scratches than Tina could easily count.

They stood in the shower for a long time, allowing the warm water to pour over them, as they held each other and reflected on what they had just survived.

Out of the shower they dressed and Tina called Marshall with her phone since Jack’s hadn’t survived the smashed screen and repeated dunks in the river. As she spoke to Marshall, Jack emptied his wallet, spreading the money out to dry, and wiping his cards clean.

“Tina! Thank God. I’ve been trying to reach you or Jack. What the hell is going on out there?”

“Seth,” she spat. “He sold us out, the fucker. He’s the one that turned us in. He tried to steal the cars in LA, and he tried again today.”

“He
what?!
” Marshall shouted.

“He pulled a gun on Jack and tried to steal the cars. You need to have someone look over the books at your work. I think you are going to find some… issues.”

Marshall went quiet. “I didn’t know.”

“I know. We didn’t know for sure until he made his play. He worked us onto some piece of shit back road and stopped us. Then he pulled the gun and tried to take the truck.”

“How did you get away?”

“We kicked their ass! Jack is beat all to shit and can’t talk right now. Seth nearly broke his neck and he has no voice.”

“What about you?”

“I’m going to be sore… but not as sore as that fucking Michelle.”

“Jesus,” Marshall breathed. “All four of you were in a fight?”

“Yeah. In some muddy ass river.”

“Where are Seth and Michelle now?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. Jack and I pushed their hog off a bridge and into the swamp. They can walk out. If we’re lucky, maybe some alligator will get them.”

“Fuck! There were gators, too?”

Tina giggled. “No. We didn’t see any, but I’m sure there are some around. This is Louisiana after all.”

“Where are you now?”

“We’re in Baton Rouge. We’re going to spend a couple of nights here. Jack is a mess. He’s limping, all cut up, and his neck is swelling. He may have to go to the hospital.”

“Do you want me to fly down?”

“No. I think we’ve got it, Marshall, but thanks.”

“Can Jack hear me?”

“He’s right here,” Tina said.

“Jack… I’m really sorry. I let you down. I had no idea that Seth was the one.”

“It’s okay,” Jack croaked. “He fooled us all.”

“If he shows up around here, the Sons and I will… express our displeasure with him for fucking us over. Why did he do it?”

“Jack said he was playing games at the dealership. That’s why I said you need to look over the books,” Tina said, taking over the story again.