Miscreants: Next Generation (Badlands 8)

“I told ya we been blessed,” another man said from behind me.

Both their voices had a heavy twang.

“We don’t want any trouble,” Travis expressed, finally lifting his head.

“Neither do we,” a third man replied.

“If you do as we say, won’t be any trouble at all,” Goggles said, flashing a yellow-toothed smile.

He took a step back and looked us over with an exaggerated motion of his head. Great. A guy who carried his balls in the form of a gun. This was the last thing we needed. The longer we stood here, the higher the chance of us being caught by someone I was actually worried about.

“Can you skip the whole theatrical performance?”

Goggles threw his head back and laughed. I wasn’t sure what I’d said to warrant that kind of reaction, but okay. He lifted the shotgun off his shoulder and extended it outward, pressing the rusted barrel to my lips.

This was the reaction I had expected. Although, having no idea where the barrel of this thing had been, it was revolting.

“Honey, you are so lucky I’m in a good mood today and have a soft spot for a pretty face.”

So lucky. I refrained from rolling my eyes. If he didn’t have two minions with him, he’d have already been disposed of so we could be on our way. I kept my mouth firmed in a flat line. I wasn’t going to be a smart ass while there was a gun capable of blowing a hole in my face leveled right at me.

“Jacob, you got room in the truck?”

“More than enough.”

“Good.” Goggles looked over at Takara. “I don’t come across too many like you.”

Her lips slightly puckered, but she otherwise showed no visible reaction.

Goggles moved the gun to Travis’ chest and let his gaze linger for a minute or two.

“I want the two girls and the big fella. I got no use for this one.”

That was all the warning he gave before pulling the trigger. I’d heard gunshots plenty of times, but this time…I swear it was seriously one of the loudest things I’d ever heard in my life.

My ear canal restricted to protect my ear drum, but it still hurt like a sonofabitch. There was a ringing sensation that muffled everything happening around me. Travis’ body jerked backward; blood sprayed down my right side. There was a ringing sensation that muffled everything happening around me.

I more felt than saw Poet be pulled away just before a pair of roughened hands grabbed me. A thick sack came down over my head, obscuring my vision. Blinded and deaf, I couldn’t defend myself when one of the assholes kicked my legs from under me.

The last thing I recalled was my body hitting the bloodied tarmac.

CHAPTER TWELVE

I skipped searching the woods.

It was more logical to start my hunt in Phobos. This shithole was what Lilith and her friends would have happened upon once they finished their adventurous trek through a small jungle.

These were the friends I made sure she had, for the record. I should have found a dog instead.

What greeted me here wasn’t entirely unexpected.

I stood from my crouching position and nudged Travis’ body with my boot. The hole in the center of his chest already had blood congealing around it. I examined the burnt shell that’d gone straight through him, turning it over between my thumb and forefinger.

“There’s another body a few streets over. No one worth identifying,” Brody stated, running his fingers through his beard.

“Alone?” I asked.

“Some of the proselytes found sleeping bags in one of the houses and a duffel of supplies. We think there were two more with em, possibly three. All women, if their gear is anything to go by.”

“There shouldn’t have been anyone here at all,” Amo said, taking the shell when I offered it.

“Phobos may look like shit, but if you take the state of the Badlands into account, it’s a paradise. It’s untouched and free from the effects of a turf war.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Aurora agreed.

“Do you think whoever else was here, the person that did this, got to Lilith?” Dawn asked, frowning down at Travis.

“I know they did. Along with Takara. Poet too. His body isn’t something we’d miss. And whatever women were stupid enough to take refuge here were more than likely taken too.”

Her bright green eyes flashed to my face. “That’s rather harsh. You said yourself it’s a paradise. They aren’t stupid for wanting—”

I lifted a hand to silence her before she could step up to an imaginary podium.

“I don’t want to hear any of that sympathetic make-the-world-a-better-place bullshit. It was a figure of speech. Look around you. Does this look like a nice place, Dawn? Is it somewhere you’d go to live the glory days?”

Cheeks turning red, she blinked and looked down, mumbling something unintelligible before putting some space between us.