Ace in the Hole (Black Badge Book 3) by Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle

Author:Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle [Bruno, Rhett C. & Castle, Jaime]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2025-05-05T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

While I did my best to keep my mind distracted, reloading my weapons, cleaning them, what have you, Rosa dug the plugs out of my body.

After I’d threatened the passengers, she’d spoken softly to them and, one after another, they took their seats and hadn’t moved since. I’d like to say it was her charm, but after witnessing what happened to the marshal, stunned silence is probably more appropriate. And a healthy dose of her untapped powers, which I’d seen turn minds in the past even before we knew she was more than human. I’d take what we could get.

Breaking the lock off the only door into the next cart and jamming it didn’t hurt either. “Contain the damage” was the name of the game. Nobody in to see what had happened to Ace’s car, or worse, to the marshal. Nobody out. And the conductor sure as shit wasn’t gonna stop after all the shooting back in Revelation.

“That’s the last one,” Rosa said as metal clinked onto the floor. “I think.”

I let out an audible sigh. “I’d know if it wasn’t. Thank you.” I pulled my pants up and buttoned them. The last one she’d removed had struck my thigh.

She sat back in her chair, facing away from the gory remains of Marshal A.D. Wassel, no doubt on purpose. It was tough for me to look at too, and I hadn’t been the one responsible for the mess. Finally, she took her first opportunity since everything happened to breathe.

Outside, rain crashed down so hard, the Devil must’ve been beating his wife. The next long stretch was spent in contemplative silence. As we pressed farther east, the plains gave way to hill country, giving us a small respite from repetition, though the terrain was the last thing on either of our minds.

When I’d saved Rosa as a little girl, I hadn’t the foggiest idea she was anything more than someone who didn’t deserve Ace’s bullshit. Now, I realized there was good reason—even if I didn’t know fully why—for Heaven and Hell to both be after her.

I’d told her plenty she was special. I was just now understanding how true that was. Special, powerful, deadly… a checkbox next to all the above.

I cast a glance her way. She faced forward, eyes unblinking—a blank stare.

“You alright?” I asked after what might have been half an hour or more.

It was like I’d pulled her out of a trance. She jumped a bit, as if shocked to learn she’d been awake. I gave her a minute.

“He’s never going to stop,” Rosa said, her voice soft.

“Ace?” I couldn’t help shaking my head. After everything, her mind was still fixed on the monster from her past. “We’re free of him. For a while, at least. I know it’s hard, but try to relax. You’ve been through a lot.”

“We both have,” she said, resting her hand on my leg.

I flinched, not expecting it. She’d just rid my body of bullets, had touched nearly every part of me… this was different.

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