So far the only incident we'd had was when two guys tried to rob Razor while he was taking a p.i.s.s. Big f.u.c.king mistake. If it were any other night, they may have come off lighter, but it wasn't their lucky evening. Ryder found Razor practically slicing the guys to shreds with the hidden razors in his boots, kicking their bodies as he cursed them to h.e.l.l.

Ryder had pried Razor away, virtually picking him up with his brute strength and removing him from the scene.

"Christ, all we need is for the f.u.c.king cops to be on our tails," Ryder muttered as he pushed Razor toward his motorcycle. "You didn't have to go to f.u.c.king town on them like you did."

"Yeah, I did. Motherf.u.c.kers tried to steal from me," Razor spat, his face still contorted in anger. His arms were flailing wildly as he tried to get loose from Ryder's grip. "Let me go, man."

Jesus, his hotheadedness was bound to get us into trouble.

"No. Get the f.u.c.k back on your motorcycle," Ryder growled at him.

I held my hand in the air. "Calm the f.u.c.k down, both of you. Ryder is right. The last thing we need is attention drawn to us. You're a f.u.c.king idiot, Razor. Just when I think you've grown up, you prove me f.u.c.king wrong."

"You would've acted the same-p.r.i.c.ks stealing off you when you take a p.i.s.s. I should've finished them off before Ryder came in there."

"You'd risk all our lives because they tried to steal from you?" I growled, anger rising in my belly. "Rein it in, brother, or you'll have to deal with me, and I don't play nice like Ryder."

Everyone was tired. Hours of wind and dirt roads had taken their toll. My whole body ached and all I wanted was a soft bed and a warm body beside me.

Razor settled down but Ryder stayed within arm's reach of the hothead.

"Where is Alessandra? She spends more time in the f.u.c.king bathroom than we have to spare," Ryder said, searching the area for signs of her.

"She went to get us all food. I'm hungry and thirsty. Thought you boys could do with something in your bellies to help keep your energy up."

Ryder shook his head. "I'm f.u.c.king starving . . . but if you saw the mess Razor made of the guys back there, I'd get the girl and get going. If someone reports it, we're deep in the f.u.c.king s.h.i.t. Like we need that on top of everything else."

Restraining myself from giving Razor a slap on the side of his brainless head, I went in search of Alessandra. My stomach rumbled, and I hoped she'd managed to get us food from the roadside cafe.

As I approached, she came running from the store, her eyes wide. "We're on the television. The Don is after us. They recognized me in there. Oh, Cobra, they're after us." The dread in her voice made my blood curdle. "The Don-he's put a price on our heads. D . . . dead or alive," she panted, out of breath.

f.u.c.k! Just when we needed a long break from the bikes, we had to get the f.u.c.k out of there. First Razor's s.h.i.t and now that. How did Pedro find out so quickly? Did somebody spy on us? I hoped Esmerelda was safe, but I didn't have time to think.

"Come, baby, let's go," I yelled, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to my Harley. The stuff she cradled in her arms fell to the ground. She moved to pick it up. "Leave it. We don't have time. This place will be swarming with all sorts of people within minutes."

"Jesus, f.u.c.k," Ryder roared when he heard what happened. He was still trying to stop Razor from going back to finish the guys off. He gripped Razor by the shirt and shoved him toward his motorcycle. "Get your f.u.c.king a.s.s on the bike and let's go. Playtime is over. Unless you wanna stay and explain to the Don what happened?"

"Fine. But it wasn't me who brought the Don onto us."

"f.u.c.k, Razor, if I don't flatten you with my own fist," I threatened, coming to the end of my patience. "Quit playing up and get out front. Hammer, you take the back and Ryder, you stay with me."

I couldn't help noticing that Ryder's twitch had gotten worse. Maybe it was the wind in his eyes from the long dusty ride? Secretly I prayed it wasn't anything more than that, although I knew in my f.u.c.king gut that the night was far from over. Trouble was looming, and there was no other way than forward.

Alessandra took her place behind me, shaking in spite of the hot balmy night surrounding us. I squeezed her hand and brought it up under my T-shirt, placing it over my heart, pressing her palm flat against my skin.

I spoke into her earpiece. "Feel my heart beating, baby? Until I take my last breath . . . until my heart no longer beats . . . I will take care of you. And I will die fighting for us, if that's what it takes. Now hold on tight, 'cause we gonna have to go faster than before. Think you can do that for me, my love?"

She pressed her palm flatter and harder against my heart, making it beat even faster. "Yes, I can do it . . . for us. We can do this."

f.u.c.k me, if I didn't need to swallow hard. It wasn't the time to get all mushy, but this woman had my heart and I was willing to do anything to make us finally happen. I wanted a lifetime with her and I wasn't going down without doing everything in my power to taste that life.

Four bikes roared out of there like bats out of h.e.l.l. We opened up full throttle, taking off into the night. But not before I saw at least a dozen men storm out of the building and run after us. Those fools would never catch us, but the Don? He had far-reaching arms. G.o.d only knew whom he was paying to do his dirty work in the smaller villages. I'd heard stories of families selling one another out to him for a pittance. If the reward money on our heads was large enough, every f.u.c.king man and his dog would be after us tonight. And when they found the f.u.c.kers that Razor had lain into, all h.e.l.l would cut lose. f.u.c.k. This night had just gotten worse than I'd imagined.

Chapter 22 - Cobra.

"We're fifty miles from the border," Ryder said. "One last stretch and we're home free." His face was strained, and I could see the exhaustion in his eyes. Ryder never complained. Not like Razor, who'd been cranky and moody for the last two hundred miles. That was why I preferred bikes to cars-I didn't have to listen to his whining while we were riding. He could talk to the wind and it wouldn't affect me in any way.

There hadn't been anywhere decent to stop for miles, but when Alessandra tugged hard on my arm, I knew we had to take a break. She a.s.sured me she'd be fine taking a walk behind the bushes to do her business, as long as the guys didn't watch her.

My stomach rumbled and I was thirsty as f.u.c.k. Hammer had a bottle of water, so I gulped down a few mouthfuls before pa.s.sing it to Ryder. "Gotta make it last; only a few mouthfuls each," I said, rationing the water until we got to the other side. I'd buy everyone the biggest f.u.c.king breakfast at the first diner we got to once we were back in the States.

"I'm running pretty low on gas," Hammer said, taking a leak against the nearest tree. "How about you guys?" Hammer hadn't been able to fill his tank at the last place we'd stopped. He was last in line, and still pumping gas when Alessandra had come running out. When I yelled for us to go, he had to stop before his tank was full.

We'd managed to avoid the main hotspots along the route, and even had to deviate from the original route we'd planned because of what happened. We had to take a totally unplanned detour through a section that added another fifty miles to our trip and that had eaten into our fuel supply. I'd been watching the red needle with dread in my gut as the stretch of road continued in front of me with no end in sight.

"Yeah, mine is running low too," Ryder said, "I thought you said we'd have a gas station on the last leg of the ride."

"No way am I getting another fifty miles outta my beast," Razor said.

Hammer shrugged as he tucked his c.o.c.k back into his pants and zipped up. "I swear it shows on the map. But since we deviated from the original route, f.u.c.k knows where the next station is."

After all that we'd been through getting stranded without gas was the last thing I could stomach. We'd be sitting f.u.c.king ducks, waiting for the Don or his men to pick us up.

"Christ. Not after everything we've been through. Please tell me we're going to make it?" Razor said. "This wasn't any fun. Not at all what I expected."

"What did you expect, Razor? Because s.h.i.t just got real. I've got a good mind to syphon the last bit of gas outta your machine and leave you behind for stirring up s.h.i.t. I need to get Alessandra to the other side. You and Hammer can wait for us to come get you."

"Are you f.u.c.king crazy? What if the Don and his men get to us first?"

"Is Razor running a little scared? Why? You'll kick them bad guys with your boots, won't you? Slice 'n' dice the Don," Ryder teased. I guessed he was still fuming about the earlier incident. I would've thought it all very funny if it weren't so f.u.c.king possible of becoming reality.

Alessandra came out from behind the bushes. "You wouldn't really leave your brother behind, would you? If the Don finds him . . ." Her eyes were wide, openly showing the fear she held for Razor's life.

I pulled her closer and nuzzled her hair. "No, baby, we're just teasing the a.s.shole. Scorpio Stingers never leave a brother or a member of the family behind. And it's not about to happen on my watch either. We ride together or we walk together. We'll get over that f.u.c.king line, and n.o.body gets left behind. Dead or alive."

Hammer's face brightened up. "I have a plan. What if we ring Daemon and ask him to bring gas to us? It's not that far. You should be able to get a signal on your phone soon. We keep going till we run out. Daemon can slip over the border if we don't make it all the way and help get us the f.u.c.k outta here."

I wiped over my brow. That wasn't the best of plans, but if we had no other option it was the only thing we could do. Sitting ducks. Unease gripped my gut and tore away at it.

Ryder took his phone from inside his cut. "I've got signal. Want me to call Daemon?"

I nodded. At least if my twin knew where we were he could bring us gas. He was going to be p.i.s.sed when he saw the cargo we'd brought with us wasn't the one we'd set out to collect.

I listened as Ryder explained the situation to Daemon. His f.u.c.king eye twitched so badly I could barely look at him. Ryder and Hammer had worked out roughly where we were, and Ryder told Daemon where to find us.

"The signal is bad here. But we'll keep going till the first motorcycle runs out. Then we'll try to call if you haven't found us yet. But hurry the f.u.c.k up, yeah? We're tired and hungry, and we wanna get out of here in one piece."

Ryder hung up. "Daemon sounded way too chirpy for my liking. He said he'd bring Big Ed and Tank and get to us as soon as possible. I just hope the info we gave him about our position is correct."

"This is a f.u.c.k-up I never want repeated," I said, glaring at Razor.

"What? It's not my fault."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't wanna hear it. We're so f.u.c.king close, I can feel it." I looked down at Alessandra. "How are you doing? Think you can last another hour, tops?"

She grimaced, rubbing her a.s.s. "Another hour?" Then she broke into a smile. "Sure, why not? My a.s.s is numb anyway, so what's another sixty minutes?"

"Good girl, my beauty. We're nearly there."

Twenty miles later, the motorcycle spluttered between my legs. I slowed down, and signaled to the guys that I was stopping. I turned off the engine, my heart beating so hard I feared Alessandra might hear it. We were so f.u.c.king close, yet so far.

Thirty miles to the border, it was even more dangerous than it had been back there. Patrols regularly drove by looking for people trying to cross by foot. I'd heard that it was a shoot first, ask later kind of policy when the men patrolling weren't sure about the origin of the people they found. All denied by politicians, of course, but I had my sources that a.s.sured me it was quite the norm. Nice. f.u.c.king nice.

Here we sat, waiting for f.u.c.king Daemon of all people to save the day. He'd crow on about it for weeks that he was the one who got to save our sorry a.s.ses. I could hear him in my head already. Smug b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

I considered making the last thirty miles by foot, but one look at how exhausted everyone was, especially my girl, and I knew it was futile. Besides, it was better to stay together until help arrived. We could fill our beasts with gas and get those last few miles over and done with. Every muscle in my body ached from the tension I was holding onto. My nerves were shot, and I was in desperate need of a long cold drink.

"Tell me about your twin," Alessandra said. "Does he look like you?"

I nodded. "Yeah. We're identical. Except I have a cobra tattoo and he doesn't. His eyes are darker than mine, too. But most people can't tell the difference between us."

"That's weird. I can't imagine two of you," she said, wrinkling her pretty nose as she thought about it.

"Oh, there's only one of me. Daemon and I . . . we're nothing alike. From the outside it may seem like we are, but in reality-"

My words were cut off by Hammer jumping up from the rock he'd sat on and looking toward the west. All our heads turned as we tried to make out the moving vehicles in the distance. Friend or foe? Was it Daemon or the f.u.c.king Don? Cops? Who'd find us first?

As they drew closer, I saw that the group of vehicles consisted of only one motorcycle.

"What are those pickup trucks doing and why is there only one motorcycle? Where are the rest of the Scorpio Stinger brothers? Daemon didn't mention anyone else was coming, and I can't imagine Big Ed or Tank riding a truck," Ryder said, a deep frown drawing his brows together. "Something's wrong. Hide the f.u.c.king girl."

I nearly laughed. "Where will I hide her? In my pocket? Look around you-there's nothing but scrub and bush and f.u.c.king rocks."

"It's still dark enough. Dig a f.u.c.king hole under a bush and hide her. I'm not f.u.c.king kidding."

One look at Ryder's face and my heart nearly leapt out of my chest. I'd never seen him more serious except on the day we'd rescued him from a sure death. "Cobra, trust me, you wanna get her out of the way."

Frantic, I scrutinized the area. There wasn't enough time to dig a hole. The only way I could protect my girl was with my own f.u.c.king body. Whoever came for her had to get through me first.

"It's too late to hide her. But stop worrying; it's Daemon. f.u.c.k, I never thought the day would come when I would be glad to see him," Razor said, noisily blowing out a harsh breath to signal his relief.

The biker rode ahead of the pickup trucks. With panic rising, I watched as it stopped a few yards from me. I narrowed my eyes so I could see better into the darkness. Relief washed over me as I recognized Daemon.

"Daemon, where's Big Ed and Tank? Who are these other people in the trucks?" I asked, without greeting him. There wasn't time for pleasantries and I wasn't in the mood anyway.

He removed his helmet with a c.o.c.ky grin, as I expected. "Stranded in the middle of f.u.c.king nowhere. How the f.u.c.k did you manage that? Which of you idiots was navigating?"

Hammer stiffened. "That would be me. We had to take a different route."

"Yeah, I heard about your precious cargo."

"Who's in the truck?" Ryder and I said at the same time.

"Somebody you won't be expecting," Daemon replied.

A few seconds later, the truck ground to a halt, sending dust and sand billowing from its wheels. No sooner did it stop than the doors opened. I couldn't believe my f.u.c.king eyes. Behind me I heard Ryder suck in a sharp breath.

"We're f.u.c.ked."

"No. G.o.d no," Alessandra said, her voice strangled, as she gripped my arm tighter.

f.u.c.k! Game over.

Chapter 23 - Cobra.

I couldn't believe it. The f.u.c.king Don. Where in h.e.l.l had he come from and why the f.u.c.k was Daemon with him?

"Daemon? What the f.u.c.k, man? Didn't both Ryder and I explain the situation to you? This is the guy we're getting away from."

I pushed Alessandra behind my back before Ryder took a step closer to me so that we effectively shielded her with our bodies. She held onto my cut, trembling so hard that I could feel it where I stood with my arms crossed and legs wide, ready for anything.

The exhaustion that I'd felt only moments ago dissipated as adrenaline coursed through my body. I was on high alert, and by the looks of it, so were Ryder and the other two men who'd journeyed with me through the night.

Daemon sneered. "There's a pretty price on all of your heads, brother. But being the nice guy that I am, I didn't sell you out. Or the f.u.c.kers with you." He glared at Ryder, and I knew he was tempted to give him up. He'd hated my new brother since the day I'd brought him home from juvie. His gaze traveled back to me. "The man really only wants the girl. So hand her over. I get paid my money, and all is good."

"You're a f.u.c.king traitor. Why the h.e.l.l would you do this?" Ryder bellowed. I'd never seen him angrier. He moved toward Daemon, murder on his face.

"Not so fast," my twin said, drawing a gun and pointing it directly at my heart. "Turns out that I've actually done business with Don Pedro before. So when I called to tell him I knew exactly where his precious cargo was, he promised me a handsome reward for returning her to him." He lifted the gun, now pointing it at my head. "You stole the f.u.c.king girl. She belongs to Don Pedro. That's theft, Cobra. Even a low-life knows there is honor among thieves."

"No, listen-"