24. Lily

24

Lily

There was a violent jolt as Carl stamped on the brake, cursing.

I’d been staring down at my lap, imagining my fate. Now I looked up, between the front seats and through the windshield.

Bull was standing in front of the car, his hands planted on the hood. His cowboy hat was pulled low against the sun, throwing his eyes into shadow. But I could sense those bright blue orbs staring right at me.

“Who’s this?” asked Carl.

I didn’t say anything. I was too busy staring back at Bull. Willing him to run. Willing him not to.

“Get out of the way,” called Carl through the windshield.

Bull kept his hands planted on the hood. “Right after I speak to my girl there.”

I expected the icy wave of dread. This was exactly what I’d been worried about. What I didn’t expect was the swell of emotion, right in my chest, at those two little words: my girl .

Carl muttered something and put his foot back on the gas. I guess he figured that he’d inch forward and force Bull to get out of the way.

What he actually did was remove any doubt, in Bull’s mind, that I was in trouble. The car crept forward maybe half an inch. And then Bull growled and leaned forward, muscles bunching...

...and pushed. The car stopped moving.

Carl cursed again and pressed harder on the gas. The engine roared and we edged forward.

Bull frowned. I saw his massive shoulders tense. And then he pushed again and I heard the rear wheels slip and kick up dirt.

Carl cursed and put his foot to the floor. The rear wheels spun in place. Bull grunted as he took the strain. “You know why they call me Bull?” he yelled over the roar of the engine. “‘Cause I’m built like one. I can do this all day!”

Carl took his foot off the gas and started to get out of the car, cursing. Before the heavy in the back could stop me, I threw open the door on my side and jumped out.

“You okay?” asked Bull as he straightened up.

I stared at him, still torn. I was debating whether to lie in order to get him out of there safely. But it was too late—the look on my face was enough. Bull’s eyes narrowed.

Carl was still getting out. Bull stepped forward and pushed his door closed with one hand, trapping his neck between the door and the car. “Are you crazy? ” spluttered Carl.

Bull jerked his head, nodding me over to him. I ran around the car to stand beside him. Meanwhile, the two heavies were looking helplessly at Carl. Every time they started towards him to help, Bull squeezed the door against Carl’s neck in warning and they stopped again.

“You have any idea who you’re dealing with?” Carl croaked, struggling to get free.

“Do you?” rumbled Bull.

Carl glared at him. He wasn’t a small man but Bull was a full head taller and much, much bigger. He stopped struggling.

“Now me and Lily,” said Bull, “are walking out of here. You got any sort of problem with that...I don’t much care.”

Carl glared at me and started to say something . But he glanced at Bull’s face and bit it back at the last minute.

Bull let go of the door and slid his arm around my waist. He stepped out of the path of the car and, as soon as Carl and his heavies were back inside, it roared off in a cloud of dust and muffled cursing.

When I looked around at Bull, he was staring straight down at me. I stepped back—only an inch or so, just so that I could have enough room to talk to him. But he used the arm around my waist to pull me in tight against him.

“No,” he growled. “Not this fucking time. This is the part where you tell me everything.”