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I waited patiently for her to finish but it took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to let my Reaper free and seek out Acid right that minute.

“I managed to reach the blade and use it against the three of them. It’s sort of a blur,” she admitted as I sank down next to her on the mattress. “I fought like hell, Bodie.” She lifted her gaze to mine and the sorrow and fear were so vivid I reached for her hand and held it. “I fought like a woman possessed. I don’t know how . . . but I managed to stab Zook in the shoulder and I cut Dawg on the arm.” She swallowed hard, her voice wavering slightly as she continued, “I did the most damage to Acid. The knife slid down the left side of his face and sliced deep. There was so much blood. I think I cut his left eye too. I can’t remember.”

Pulling her into my arms, I felt a sense of calm wash over me. Acid, Dawg, and Zook were dead men walking. It was only a matter of time. The countdown had begun, and I would make sure Grim knew everything as soon as I left this room. “Sasha, I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

She began to cry, her shoulders shaking as I tightened my grip, unsure of what to do. I ended up rubbing her back awkwardly, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“How did you escape?”

“I kept using that knife until I was close to the door and then I made a run for it. I heard the shots they fired but none of the bullets ever found their mark. It’s crazy,” she whispered. “I never should have survived.”

“But you did,” I pointed out, leaning back to look into her eyes. “You were so fuckin’ brave.”

Sasha shook her head. “That doesn’t matter,” she replied sadly. “Because Suraya walked into the Blacktop on my day off only a few days later. She came in to visit Trish and check on me. Trish was there. She told me how the Scorpions rushed into the bar, aimed their guns, and how all three of them shot my sister in cold blood. They killed her because they thought she was me.” Her voice broke and she buried her face in her hands. “I hate that it was my fault.” Her head rose, black lines running down her face as the makeup she wore smeared. “I blamed and hated you too,” she admitted. “You were supposed to keep her safe. It was your job to keep her with the Royal Bastards. She wasn’t supposed to come to the Blacktop. I thought she was far away from Acid and the Scorpions. It never occurred to me that she would show up at the bar.”

I knew the guilt she was feeling because I had felt it, too. “I don’t blame you for feeling that way. I’ve felt responsible for Suraya’s death every single day for the last six months. I was only about fifteen minutes away when I received the call. Too late to do anything but witness Acid’s wide grin when he saw me arrive.”

Sasha frowned. “That doesn’t make sense, Bodie.”

“What do you mean?”

“Acid knew I was dating Zook. He didn’t know about you and Suraya. At least, I don’t think so.”

“Did you ever tell Zook you had a twin sister?”

“No,” she replied firmly. “It never came up.”

“Then you’re right. This doesn’t add up.” I rose to my feet, pacing again in agitation. “Acid killed Suraya because he believed it was you. But if he did know about you and your twin, then it makes sense that Acid waited around for my arrival. He would know how Suraya’s death would hurt me.”

“For what purpose?”

“To start a war,” I growled, cracking my neck as I rolled my shoulders back. “His actions hurt multiple people that day and I’m sure that’s what Acid intended.” I didn’t mention the fact that Acid had obviously been messing with our deliveries and the Denali brothers. The Scorpions were probably going to mess with our meth shipment soon and that would cause some serious shit with the Guerrero Cartel.

Sasha sighed. “I still don’t get it.”

“Maybe Acid never knew about you at all,” I wondered aloud, “maybe he knew I was dating Suraya and maybe he thought she was cheating on me on the side with Zook. It’s not far fetched to think that they planned to rape and murder Suraya the day they attacked you. They didn’t expect you to fight back and they didn’t count on the fact that you were actually twins. The whole thing blew up in Acid’s face, but he still used it to his advantage.”

“But I always went by Sasha.”

“And your sister went by Say. Maybe he didn’t connect the dots that you were two separate people.”

“I don’t know but I haven’t seen the Scorpions back at the Blacktop since the day Suraya died,” she admitted. “Not until the night you showed up. I mistakenly thought they wouldn’t return to the scene of the crime.”

“Assholes,” I cursed. “That’s no coincidence. I bet Acid planned to kill me and piss off Grim, ensuring the war between us and the Scorpions escalated.”

“By why wait so long? It’s been six months.”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s been recruiting, planning. Who knows?”

Sasha rose to her feet. “I’m worried about Trish.”

“Why?” I knew she’d mention Tricia sooner or later.

“She left that night with a getaway bag. I haven’t heard from her since and I can’t get through to her on her cell. She hasn’t called me back. I don’t know if she’s in danger or not.”

Shit. Grim wasn’t going to like that. “You know I gotta tell my prez all of this.”

“I know.” Sasha wiped under her eyes and sighed. “I’ll tell him everything I know.”


Tags: Nikki Landis Fantasy