Page 10 of Shine: Sins of the Father (Evil Dead MC: Second Generation #8)

Shine —

Slipping out, I go around the side of the cabin and ease to the corner.

Donnie Ray is crouched behind some bushes, but I don’t see his brother, and that has me worried.

I don’t think Donnie Ray sees me, so I duck behind the bushes surrounding the cabin wall.

I open fire on Donnie, surprising the shit out of him, and he falls back, firing wildly behind him as he runs.

I get the sense that Donnie’s not such a brave guy when he’s up against a man.

Scared women are more his speed. Chasing after him, I’ve got him on the run now, but he’s got thirty yards on me, and he’s zig-zagging between trees.

I can’t get a good shot, and I don’t want to waste the only clip I’ve got on me right now.

He makes a turn and heads toward the highway. I scramble up the incline after him.

Fuck. The burgundy sedan is parked on the shoulder, and he’s making a mad dash for it. I know I won’t make it to him in time, so I stop behind a tree and lift my weapon. I get off half a dozen shots.

Bam, bam, bam. Bam, bam, bam.

He grabs his arm, and blood gushes between his fingers, but he makes it behind the wheel, and peels out, firing out the passenger window at me. I drop to the ground and avoid them.

Then I hear a shot ring out near the cabin.

Fuck. Carl. I run as fast as I can, weaving between trees, my heart in my throat. I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to my little sweetness.

Coming out of the woods, I fly around the corner of the cabin, my gun leveled and sucking air into my lungs like bellows.

Skidding to a stop, I see her standing in the open doorway, her gun aimed at a body on the ground.

Carl lies facedown, his head in an expanding pool of blood just outside the threshold.

Her gaze lifts, and our eyes lock.

“You okay, sweetness?” My chest heaves, and my blood pounds through my veins.

“I shot him.” The words are quiet, almost like she’s talking to herself.

“I see that.”

“He tried to get in.” She shakes, and in two steps I get to her just before her legs buckle. She collapses against me, and I take the gun from her hand, locking my arms around her.

“I’ve got you, baby.”

“I did what you said,” she murmurs against my chest.

“You did, sweetness. You did exactly what I told you. I’m proud of you.”

“But he’s dead. I killed a man, Shine.”

“You defended yourself. That asshole’s death is not on you. He was a piece of human garbage, just like his brother.” At my words, she pushes away and meets my eyes, her body tensing.

“His brother. Where is he?”

“He’s gone. Took off like a fucking coward.”

“Will he come back?”

I hate the fear in her eyes, but she’s trying to hold it together.

“I don’t know. Maybe. He might return for his brother.”

Her gaze drops to Carl. “What are we going to do about him?”

“I’m going to bury him in the woods and clean this mess. Then we’re going to get the hell out of here.”

She nods. “Maybe there’s a shovel in the shed behind the cabin.”

My gaze swings to it. “Probably. Why don’t you go inside and wait? I’ll take care of this.”

“No,” she says firmly. “It’ll be faster if I help you.”

“You sure?” I hold her eyes, and she nods. “Okay, then. See if you can find some cleaner and bleach. We need to scrub the blood splatter off the doorframe and the cement.”

She turns, and her eyes widen as she seems to notice it for the first time. “Oh, my God.”

“I don’t see any on you, so you must have been standing far enough away.”

“I was braced against that wall.” She gestures through the open door, and my brow lifts.

“You shot him from across the room? That’s a damn good shot, babe.”

“I got lucky.”

“I think that was more than luck. Your father taught you well.”

She seems uncomfortable with my praise and turns away. “I’ll get the cleaning products.”

I follow her and grab a garbage bag, then return to Carl and tie it around his head. The last thing I want is to leave a trail of blood. Hefting his body over my shoulder, I carry him deep into the woods and find a fallen tree. There’s a slight dip in the land under the log.

Dropping him to the ground, I wedge him underneath, then return to the cabin for a shovel. As I walk, I catch the scent of smoke in the air. My immediate thoughts run to the wildfire. God, was it really just yesterday morning?

With everything going on, I haven’t kept up with the reports. The lake area seems even quieter than yesterday, and it could be that this area is under evacuation.

Twisting to scan the horizon, I see smoke rising in a tall plume on the other side of the mountain to the south.

Shit .

I dig as fast as I can. By the time I’ve got him buried, the threshold of the cabin is scrubbed clean with no sign of what happened.

When I dash inside, Desiree is at the sink, pulling off yellow rubber gloves.

“You did a good job,” I say. “Give me those.”

I wrap the gloves in a garbage bag to take with us, not wanting to leave any trace. I collect the spent shell casing from the floor and any I can find around the outside of the cabin, then return to her.

She’s noticed my frantic movements. “What is it?”

“We need to hurry, that’s all.”

“I found this.” She points to a gun on the dining table. “It must had fallen under the shrub when he dropped.”

I add it to the garbage bag and glance around. “Did we miss anything?”

She wipes the sink with a towel and surveys the room. “I don’t think so.”

“Good. Let’s get out of here.” I purposely don’t mention the fire, not wanting to add to her worry. Somehow, I’ll get us out of here.

“He’s taken care of? No one will find him?” she asks, her eyes latching onto mine, tension around her mouth.

“Yeah, doll. You can’t even tell he’s there.” It’s a big secret we now share, and it isn’t lost on either one of us. I hold my hand out to her. “Come on.”

Locking up the cabin, I scan the place one final time, then shove the garbage bag in my saddlebag.

I take a minute to check my phone to see if there’s a route out of here if I take the opposite direction from the one Donnie Ray took.

I wouldn’t have a problem finishing him if we came across him, but there’s no way in hell I want to put this girl in danger again.

Before I buried him, I shoved Carl’s wallet and phone in my pocket, and his phone vibrates. Pulling it out, I glance at the screen.

Donnie .

“Be right back,” I tell her and walk a few feet toward the lake, then hurl the thing out into the deep water. When I return to the bike, she’s got her helmet on, waiting patiently. “Let’s go. That was Donnie calling. Probably coming for his brother.”

“Do you smell smoke?”

“Yeah,” I say, because it’s very apparent, and I can’t deny it.

Her eyes widen.

Hooking the nape of her neck, I lean toward her. “I’ll get you out of here, sweetness. I promise.”

Her eyes glaze, but she nods, giving me her trust.

I fire the bike up, and she scrambles on behind me, clinging tight. I drop it in gear and we roar up the gravel drive and hit the pavement, heading in the opposite direction.

She taps my shoulder and leans to shout over the rumble of the Harley beneath us. “It’s back that way.”

I shake my head and point a finger straight ahead.

Then pat her thigh to reassure her that I’ve got this.

I end with a squeeze, and then lock her hands tight across my stomach.

Twisting the throttle, the bike surges forward, and I ride us the hell out of there before the fire closes in and cuts the road off.