Page 70 of Bonded By Blood

That seemed like an odd thing to say, so Joe glanced back at him. “What is?”

“I think they’re hunting, too.”

Kendall looked between them, but Colt wasn’t quiet long enough for her to pose her question.

“You.”

“What?” Kendall asked.

“Me?” Joe asked, taken aback. Were they that bent on their grudge?

Colt shrugged. “One of you, anyway.” He never looked back at Joe or Kendall, instead keeping his stare forward.

Oh. Shit.

“Um, Joe?” Kendall asked, this time hesitantly. From her tone, and the returned heightened rate of her heartbeat, he assumed she’d caught on that the Wilsons were nearby.

Joe placed a hand on her shoulder and offered her a smile. “Everything will be fine,” he said. “We’re going to take his advice and head back now.” He really hoped she wouldn’t argue.

“Clock’s ticking,” Colt said, voice low, as he shifted his weight. There was a new tension in his voice that hadn’t been there before and as he adjusted his stance the scent of wood teased Joe’s nose. As well as something metallic that he couldn’t define. Whatever it was, it brought back the aura of danger that had wrapped around the Slayer when Joe had first spotted him on the escalator earlier that evening.

Knowing this particular street had become nowhere he had any business being, Joe gave Kendall’s shoulder a light nudge. “Come on, let’s cross here.” There was movement on the other side of Colt now, too, so continuing in their previously intended direction was out of the question.

“Wait,” Kendall said, resisting as best she could and stumbling awkwardly. “I don’t want to just run—”

“Yes,” Joe said, firmly. “You do.” He’d indulged her mood, but he would not let her run headlong into a fight she couldn’t win. Arguably, he shouldn’t have played complacent from the beginning.

“Aw, what’s this?” a newcomer interrupted, his voice like a bad case of déjà vu. “Haven’t learned how to wrangle your dinner yet?”

“Oh my God,” Kendall muttered, instantly freezing.

Joe turned around tightly and yanked Kendall behind him without letting go of her arm. He narrowed his eyes at the sneering face of Troy Wilson. “Is there something you want from me, Wilson? It seems awfully bold of you to come crawling out of your hole just to taunt me.”

Troy’s beady eyes glared back at him from beneath the ballcap. “You know what I want. I don’t care if my brother already ripped open your neck. When I do it, you ain’t gettin’ back up.”

“So you’re disgusting and stupid, huh?” Kendall said under her breath. She absolutely knew she’d spoken loud enough for him to hear her.

Troy snapped his glare to her. “’Scuse me, bitch?”

“You heard me, asshole,” Kendall returned, leaning slightly forward.

Joe straightened an arm between them, grabbing her opposite bicep and pulling her back. “Knock it off,” he warned her. Why did she insist on taunting this murderer?

“Why should I?” Kendall asked, eternally stubborn. “He’s not so scary. He practically cried the last time I dealt with him. Maybe I’ll just do that again.” She held up her phone. “You know—call Jasen.” It was exactly what she’d done in the grocery store, what felt like a lifetime ago. That much was true.

But Joe knew this would go differently. He knew it in his gut.

Troy growled, rage flashing across his face. “You goddamn bitch!” He lunged forward, as if forgetting Joe, seemingly intent on mauling Kendall.

Joe tackled Kendall to the sidewalk, his arms cradling her head to protect her from injury. She let out a forced rush of air from the impact, and then a sudden sense of stillness came over the area. Joe glanced at her without moving, afraid he’d misjudged and just not yet registered the scent of her blood. Her eyes were wide and her heart hammered wildly, but he smelled no blood.

Then Colt spoke. “I heard you were the dumb one.” His tone was calm.

“S-Slayer!” Troy stammered the word, shocked and fearful simultaneously.

Carefully, Joe eased up, but did not fully release Kendall. He adjusted himself enough to look over and found Colt had stopped Troy’s forward momentum with the threat of a stake to the heart. Troy must have had excellent reflexes, because while the tip of the wood indented the cloth of his shirt, it had not pierced through.

“There are two more of you,” Colt said, speaking to Troy without removing his weapon. “Where?”