River Arrow (New Guardsmen Book 2) by Ella Drake Read Free Book Online Page A

she wouldn’t leave behind a kid to bleed daily in the missing of her.
    “We wait until dark.” Damn if he could add more to that torn open scar in his heart.
    She never answered his order.
    A scream ripped through the compound. In front of the community house, a young blond woman stumbled and caught her heel in her yellow wrap dress. It gaped for a few seconds but thankfully fell back together when she righted herself. Hands bound by a rope, she cried out and begged. “No, please. Let me go back.”
    “Cassie,” Mari whispered. Jared slung a hand out and gripped her arm. She jerked against him but stayed put.
    A roar of angry voices came from the community house. A rifle shot boomed in the air and a loud slam silenced the uproar.
    The drifter with Cassie yanked on the rope and led her toward a cabin. “Quit your fussin’. Ain’t gonna hurt you none. Not if you’re nice.”
    Cassie fought and screamed. Her feet dug into the ground and she leaned away, tugging, but the grimacing invader steadily pulled her toward a nearby cabin. The woman’s terror was suffocating. Jared clenched his fists and swallowed the vile taste in his mouth. The waste-of-human-flesh dragged the poor woman into the cabin.
    The door slammed. The others in his gang laughed but didn’t follow. After a moment, before Jared could catch his breath around the anger, it grew quiet. He’d barely processed what happened when the square was deserted again. The other drifters had gone off to do their own damage somewhere else.
    “I gotta get her out of there.” Mari brushed past him, running at a crouch, her arrow notched and ready.
    Jared lurched to his feet and chased after her. Once again, she’d jumped to action before taking it in, discussing their options, but maybe this time, it’d turn out okay. ‘Cause every moment Cassie remained alone with that man, the worse it could be. Mari’s luck would hold out. It had to.
    The door wasn’t locked. Mari disappeared inside and Jared knew a moment of sheer panic. Only a few steps behind her, those few seconds she was out of sight were the most desperate Jared had felt since he was an asthmatic kid and couldn’t take a breath. He barreled through the entry and in a flash of clarity, quietly shut the door behind him.
    Cassie was off in the back of the room, huddled with her tied hands held to her chest. Mari stood over the prone kidnapper who whined and clutched at his thigh where an arrow pierced him. Blood coated his pants leg.
    “Shut up,” Mari snarled at the subdued drifter.
    She’d worked fast. It was over before Jared darkened the door. The cottage was like Mari’s but more lived in. Clothes overflowed a crate. Some knick-knacks and hunting tools were on shelves. There was even an old picture from before the riots. Looked like a family snapshot.
    “Gag him.” Jared ordered, grabbed netting neatly folded by the door, and quickly tied the sniffling man.
    Mari stuffed a bit of rag into the man’s mouth and tied another around his head to hold it there. He sputtered but didn’t yell. Then, she went to Cassie and freed her. While the two women whispered and hugged, Jared tore a sheet into strips and wrapped the injured man’s leg. Much as this man may deserve whatever he got, he couldn’t let the man bleed out in front of Cassie. Standing, hands on hips, he checked on the women. Cassie gave him a bashful glance then shuddered against Mari.
    “Keep an eye on your prisoner and stay quiet as you can.” Mari stroked her friend’s tangled hair and gave her a hug. “You can do this. I’ll be back to get you out of here soon.”
    “Save them, Mari. They’re starving us. It’s only been a little over a day but the kids are already feeling it.”
    Mari gave a firm nod then pushed to her feet. When she passed the subdued drifter, she kicked him in the injured thigh. The man made a muffled yelp and Mari nodded as if satisfied. “He’ll be quiet or you take that hunting knife up there and