Page 132 of Traces Of You

Why did he feel as if he couldn’t lift his head?

“Come on, Ford. Don’t play possum.”

Was that Blaze? What the hell was his brother doing next to him while he slept?

Then it hit him full force like a truck slamming through a paper fence.

Reenie!

He’d knocked on the door with Clay. Much against his brother’s wishes, but he was calling the shots on this.

The minute Randy Frontage opened the door, Reenie screamed and came running out of the back room.

He saw the blood smeared down her arm, the bruise on her head, and a man yanking her close. Clay took down Randy, Ford drew his gun and sprinted toward Reenie, who was fighting the man off with everything she had, knowing his brother had his back.

He fired to disarm at the same time Clay fired to execute.

The second man came stumbling into the room as he was trying to get to Reenie. Ford took a bullet to the thigh, then dropped and covered her with his body. Before he hit the floor or could fire a second round, Clay delivered a bullet in the guy’s forehead.

He remembered his brother saying it was a good thing the guy was a bad shot, and he now realized the shot wasn’t intended for him. Reenie had been the target.

“Ford, open your eyes.”

This time it was Reenie’s soft voice calling to him.

Not as strong sounding as Blaze’s but more forceful for him to comply.

They flickered open and all he saw was a halo around the head of the woman he loved.

“Are we dead?”

There was laughter this time. Not just one male but two.

“Do you think I’d let you die?”

“Or me?”

He turned his head and saw two of his brothers. Blaze said the first statement, Clay the second.

“I feel like horse shit smashed on the road,” Ford said.

“This is your first time being knocked out. It’s common.” Blaze grabbed a can of something and opened it, then popped a straw in it. “Drink this slowly.”

“I can do it myself,” he said, reaching for it, appalled at how much his hand was shaking.

Reenie got it and held it instead.

“Do you remember anything?” Clay asked.

“Yeah. I got shot when the guy tried to shoot Reenie.”

“Me?” she asked.

“The guy had shitty aim,” Clay said. “And Ford went in front of you.”

She started crying. He didn’t want that. “Hey, come here. We are all safe. It’s over with. Right?”

He was looking at Clay. “It is. Randy is in custody. He pulled a gun, but you were too busy running for Reenie to see it, but I had him out. The other two are in the morgue.”