Shattered (Dividing Line #5) (38 page)

Ryan ran his fingers through her hair while he thought. “She was probably lying to avoid physical damage. Forget about it.” But Ryan knew he wouldn’t, he needed to think about that. Venom had escaped so she was still a viable threat. He thought he might do something utterly repellent to him. He’d pay his useless druggie bitch of a mother a visit. It wouldn’t surprise him if she’d had a kid no one else knew about.

Rachel sank into his arms as they drove to the safe house to get cleaned up and collect their things. She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was sleep but she was determined not to until she was back with her children and her parents.

“We’ll put all this behind us and rebuild our home,” Ryan murmured into her hair, feeling equally tired, the gentle rocking of the car lulling them both to sleep. “No one’s going to hurt us again.”

She just nodded into his chest, watching the world whizzing by, envying those who walked in it, their lives untainted by murder and mayhem.

He tilted her face up to his. “Are you okay?” he said, his eyes searching hers.

“I will be.” As they kissed she knew it was true because she had him.

Robbie watched Katia anxiously as he broke the news of Alex’s death. He was starting to think he had his own personal guardian angel because the bullet that had hit him had glanced off his shoulder bone, causing a slight crack in the bone and a cut to the skin, but that was it. He’d survived two gunshots. However the bullet had been fired from quite a distance so it had lost a lost of its momentum by the time it had hit him. He’d watched everything from the shadows, unwilling to risk his neck to save Alex. His only thought had been about getting back to Katia, who he was wildly in love with. All that remained of their crew was Robbie himself, Katia and the two youngest Sugar brothers. All the others were gone.

Katia had gone so still and quiet he was becoming very concerned.

“Katia, are you…”

The scream that tore from her throat was ear-shattering and Robbie winced. Tears started to run freely down her face and her bright red lips drew back over her teeth in a snarl.

“Who did it?” she shrieked.

“Ryan Law. He cut his throat.”

Katia launched into a fit of screaming and yelling, interspersing English swearwords with Slovakian ones. Robbie just let her tear the room apart around him, smashing ornaments, destroying pictures and furniture. When it was done she stood in the middle of the room panting, tears coursing down her face, make-up smeared and hair all over the place.

“I swear that one day I shall kill Ryan Law and his wife for this. I shall avenge Alex and make them suffer as I will now suffer for the rest of my life,” she screamed. “I know his contacts. We will start again somewhere else, we will rebuild the brothels and we will make much money and power. When that is done we will take our revenge. I promise you Alex, I will avenge you,” she yelled zealously, staring up at the ceiling as though expecting to see his spectre hovering there. A shiver ran down Robbie’s spine and he glanced over his shoulder, certain he could feel someone standing behind him.

Katia’s manic blue eyes settled on him and she pointed a long taloned finger in his direction. “You will help me, yes?”

“Of course.” He would too. It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go. He only wanted to be by her side.

“You two,” she spat at the Sugar brothers, who nodded, too afraid of her to say no.

Katia picked up a solid silver letter opener and started stabbing the coffee table with it. “Ryan and Rachel Law I will find you and cut you open, just like you did to my Alex. Appreciate every single breath you take because I am coming for you.”

THE END

Many thanks for downloading my book. I hope you enjoyed it. Ryan and Rachel will be back in summer 2014.

Thanks to my sister Suzy for her input and my mum Stephanie for her proof-reading ability. Last but certainly not least, thanks to my husband Paul for his knowledge about motorbikes and for putting up with me spending so much time on the laptop.

Heather Atkinson, February 2014.