Best option is to skirt around the trees, get in the back door. Maybe through a window. There’s a few open. Might be able to climb in, then shoot.
I hate shooting people. I’m a businessman, and more often then not, I try to keep my hands clean. Mack and the club do all the filthy work; it’s what they’re for. But fucked if I can walk away from this without shooting at least one fucker.
Might as well get it over with.
CHAPTER FORTY
JAYLAH
I’m fighting, with everything I have.
Benito is on one side, Kane on the other. They’re taking me to a bed that has cuffs on the head and foot. They’re going to tie me up, and Kane is going to fuck me until I’m carrying a child, which could take weeks because my pill would have to wear off. They’ll crush my spirit and damage me to the point of no repair.
So I’m fighting.
I’m biting, I’m clawing, I’m screaming, and I’m giving it everything I have. I won’t let this happen; I can’t let this happen. God, please, this can’t happen. Tears are streaming down my cheeks and I’m struggling to breathe as I fight, and God do I fight. I give it everything. My lungs are burning and my body hurts, but I don’t stop. Not even for a second.
When my body is dumped onto the bed I kick my legs out, hitting Benito right in the stomach. He bellows, grabs my leg and thumps it hard, so hard a scream leaves my throat. Then he jerks my body down the bed, strapping my ankle in. No, no, no, no. Please, no. With another desperate scream, I wave my other foot around.
“Fuckin’ get her!” Benito growls.
“Should have knocked the bitch out,” Kane grunts, lashing out and slapping me so hard I’m dazed.
I’m dazed long enough for them to strap me down. With desperate screams, I thrash up and down, trying to free myself, but there’s no hope. I pull so hard that in minutes, my wrists and ankles are grazed and bleeding. My arms are numb and I’m hysterical.
“Let me go!” I wail. “Stop!”
Benito leans down, his face close to mine. I snap my teeth, but he pulls back with a laugh. “Let’s see what he gets to play with.”
No.
Please.
Hands go to my shirt and before I know what’s happening, it’s ripped off. Bile rises in my throat and I start to scream, wildly, loudly, high-pitched.
“Gag her!” Benito orders.
Kane finds a piece of rope and a shirt, then he shoves the shirt over my mouth and ties it securely there. I scream beneath it, but the sound is muffled. Angry, terrified tears run down my face as I try, God, I try to fight. My body convulses with pure disgust when they take off my bra. Vomit rises, and I’m afraid I’ll choke.
Benito reaches down, roughly handling my breast. “Nice.”
Then they’re at my pants. No. This isn’t happening. This can’t happen. I didn’t do anything wrong. Fear flashes through my body as they cut off my shorts, then I’m in nothing but my panties. Benito hooks his fingers into them and I thrash so hard I’m afraid I’ll snap my own wrists. His finger trails down my stomach and I flick my head from side to side, screaming with everything I’ve got.
His fingers just reach the top of my pubic bone when a gunshot rings out. He jerks back, his face turning to Kane’s. “What the fuck?”
More gunfire sounds and I clench my eyes closed, praying with everything that it’s Mack, or Maddox, or someone here to help me. Benito rushes to the door, and I can hear the sounds of men beating each other, loud oomphs and grunts. Then I hear a familiar voice, but I can’t pin whose it is. “Fuckin’ cunt, move.”
I blink, trying to clear my vision. I watch as Benito pulls a gun out, and so does Kane. Oh, God. Benito opens the door slightly, but goes flying back when whoever is on the other side kicks it, making him lose his balance. Kane cocks his gun just as Marcus enters the room. Marcus. Tall, beautiful Marcus. I sob happily but stop when his eyes flash to me, and holy shit, is he angry.
A gun explodes, but it would appear Kane is a bad shot. Marcus raises his gun, hits him in the leg and sends him down. Then he spins to Benito, who is pushing himself up, gun in hand. He shoots his hand, sending the gun flying. Benito screams. Marcus runs in, pulling the key off the bedside table and unlocking me quickly.
“Get dressed,” he orders.
I pull the closest shirt I can find on, but there’s nothing else, so I’m left with only that and my panties. Marcus pulls me behind him and turns to face Kane, who is on his hands and knees, fumbling for his gun. Marcus kicks it, but another man lunges through the door, landing on Marcus with force. That force pushes us back and I fall to my ass. Kane is rolling for his gun, but I dive for it.
Marcus and another man are fighting, hard and fast. Fists are flying, there are loud grunts, there’s a lot of blood. I spin, lashing out and kicking Kane in the face. I hit him and he goes down with a bellow. I shove to my feet and rush towards Marcus—that’s when I see Benito. He’s on his knees, and his gun is pointed to Marcus’s head. My heart leaps into my throat.
Marcus saved my life.
Marcus is Mack’s good friend.
Marcus is married.
He can’t die. I won’t let him. Without thinking, I raise the gun and point it at Benito. His eyes flash to me, and he goes to move his gun but I’m too fast. I pull the trigger.
The force sends me flying backwards, and I topple, landing hard on the ground. Another shot of gunfire rings out, then Marcus is by my side, hauling me up and into his arms. I stare down and see Benito staring lifeless at the ceiling, a bullet-hole in his chest.
I killed him.
I killed Mack’s brother.
A scream leaves my throat and I start fighting in Marcus’s arms. “I killed him, Marcus. Oh God.”
“Enough,” Marcus demands, his voice firm. “You stop that, and stop it now. It’s done.”
“That’s Mack’s brother,” I sob. “Marcus.”
He walks me outside and through a heap of trees. Bodies are down everywhere, but the majority are alive, just beaten black and blue. Marcus is beaten black-and-blue himself. His eyes are dark, his lip is split and his knuckles are a mess. One looks swollen, like it might be broken. He fought through all those men to save me.
He opens the door to his truck and throws me in. “Put your seatbelt on.”
Then he’s around to the front driver’s door, sliding in. He starts the truck and pulls out angrily, speeding off with enough force to send me backwards into the chair. I’m still crying; I didn’t realize it, but I am. I killed Benito. I killed him. He’s dead because of me. I killed Mack’s brother. I double over and hiccup loudly.
“You need to get it together,” Marcus says, his voice still firm. “It’s done.”
“I killed him.”
“Breathe it out,” his voice is a little softer.
“Marcus.”
“Breathe it out,” he repeats.
I close my eyes and I breathe it out.
It doesn’t make it better.
~*~*~*~
MACK
My cell rings just as I’m about to get on the bike and hunt my brother down. I stare down at the display, and see it’s Marcus. He’s probably fuckin’ pissed we didn’t end the Tinmen. I answer it, raising a finger to Maddox.
“What?”
“Mack?”
“I’ve got a situation, Marcus. We’ll talk about the other shit later.”
“Your situation the girl I got sittin’ in my car beside me right now?”
My body flinches. “What?”
“Jaylah. I got her.”
“What the fuck have you got her for, you piece of—”
“Shut it, Mack. I was comin’ to the hospital to see you, saw a man carrying her off. Followed him. Shit went down; bad shit. She’s trembling, vomiting, in shock. She killed someone, buddy. And that someone was your brother.”
My blood runs cold.
“She was tied to the bed, half-naked. Don’t know what went down. Got her out, on my way back.”
/>
“Why didn’t you call me,” I growl. “When you first saw her getting taken?”
“Think that was on my mind? No, I was acting out of instinct. It was the last thing on my mind.”
Of course, fuck, I’m being an asshole. Jaylah...
“Marcus,” I rasp. “She hurt?”
“She ain’t good.”
“Hospital?”
“Possibly, bringin’ her to you. She don’t wanna come to you, fucked her . . . Shootin’ your brother . . .”
My poor, brave, beautiful girl.
“Where were they? We gotta clean that shit up.”
“Send the boys out, I’ll text the details.”
“Bring her home, Marcus.”
“On it.”
I hang up and turn to Maddox. “We got her.”
His shoulders visibly relax, until he asks, “She good?”
“She killed Beni.”
His jaw tics. “Fuck.”
“Got a mess to clean up. Marcus is sending the details.”
“I’ll deal, you be here for her.”
“Wasn’t plannin’ on bein’ anywhere else.”
He nods and turns around. “Boys, mess to clean. Let’s ride.”
“Text you the details,” I yell.
“Copy,” Maddox says, throwing his leg over his bike.
The text from Marcus comes through five minutes later.
Now I fuckin’ wait.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
I don’t want to get out.
I can’t.
I killed his brother. I’m a murderer. I killed his brother.
Marcus gets out. I press the lock closed the moment he’s exited, locking myself in. I drop my head into my hands, and my body shakes. I hear my door handle rattling, then I hear, “Jaylah?”
Mack.
Oh, God.
Mack.
“Baby, open the door.”
Baby. He won’t call me baby when he knows what I’ve done.
“Open for me, honey. Fuck, open the door.”
I clench my eyes together and sob loudly.
“Baby.”
I start shaking, and then a minute later the door is opening. Marcus obviously had more than one key. Of course he did.
I don’t look up. I press my hands over my face and tremble as Mack reaches in and lifts me out. He carries me inside and puts me onto the couch. Then he’s kneeling in front of me.
“Baby,” he murmurs. “Look at me, honey.”
“I killed him,” I screech. “I killed him. I’m so sorry.”
“Hush,” he soothes, curling his fingers behind my neck. “Hush.”
“I killed him.”
“Baby, calm.”
“I shot him. He’s dead.”
“He was goin’ to do fuckin’ bad things to you,” he murmurs.
“He was your brother,” I sob.
“And baby, for what he was goin’ to do, I would have put him in the ground if you hadn’t.”
“I’m a murderer.”
“Honey, hush.”
“I got shit,” Marcus says softly. “Help her sleep.”
“Give it to me,” Mack orders.
There’s shuffling, then Mack has a small pill in his hand. He looks down at me, soft brown eyes searching my face. “Take this for me, honey.”
“Mack,” I whimper.
“Baby, please.”
He slips it past my lips, and I don’t protest. I swallow the pill. Then Mack climbs onto the couch. I hear Marcus leave and I clutch Mack’s shirt, crying so hard my body aches. Soon, the aching turns to a numb feeling, and my eyelids droop closed.
Then I’m out.
~*~*~*~
MACK
“It’s done,” Maddox says, walking in later that night with Santana by his side.
Jaylah is sitting on the couch. I’ve patched her up, cleaned her up, and she’s eaten. She still looks pale, and her eyes are distant, but she’ll come out of it. Hurting someone is hard enough; killing someone is worse. I’ve tried not to think about Benito, tried not to feel a slight stabbing that he’s dead.
He deserved it, but deep down, he was still my brother.
“No trace?” I ask.
“Doubt it. Benito was into bad shit; won’t be a surprise that he’s disappeared.”
“The ones left alive?”
“He paid them big to be involved. They won’t speak; I’ve made sure of that.”
I nod.
Santana is looking over at Jaylah. Her eyes meet mine for a second and I nod. She reaches out, squeezes my arm and then goes and sits beside her. Her arms go around the tiny, shaking body of my girl, and Jaylah sinks into them.
“How’s she holdin’ up?” Maddox asks.
“Took a life. Never easy.”
“No, it ain’t.”
“Ash?” I ask, turning to him.
“Awake, doin’ well.”
“Krypt?”
“He’s hanging in there.”
“I’ll take Jay to see Ash tomorrow, first thing.”
“Best thing you can do, in my opinion?” Maddox says, turning to watch Jaylah again.
“What?”
“Get that baby for her.”
I only just rang and spoke to Tracy, checking on Diesel. But I never thought to bring him home.
“I’ll make the call,” I mutter, walking off.
Half an hour later, Tracy is entering with Diesel in her arms. She looks to Jaylah, and her eyes go soft. Jaylah turns and her eyes catch my boy, and tears well in them.
Tracy walks over, placing Diesel in her arms. He knows her—his little hands curl into her shirt but she doesn’t notice. Her face is buried in his neck, and her body is shaking.
“I’ll call later,” Tracy whispers.
I nod at her.
Maddox claps me on the back. “Leave you to it.”
Santana curls into me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I’m glad she’s okay, Chief.”
“Me too, Chante.”
She leans up, kisses my cheek, and then everyone is gone. I walk over to the couch, sitting beside Jaylah. I pull her into my side and lay back, taking both of them with me. I wrap them in my arms. Diesel tucks in, and I press his pacifier into his mouth. He sucks, still with his fingers tangled in Jay’s shirt.
Then together, we fall asleep.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
My feet can’t move quick enough.
I rush down the halls, Mack behind me with Diesel in his arms.
I reach the door and I step in. A choking sound comes from my throat when I see Ash sitting in bed, a drip in her hand, and a few other random tubes connecting underneath her shirt where I know she was shot. Krypt is sitting beside her bed, and when we enter, his eyes soften. Ash tears up and I run over.
I stop at her side and I lift her hand, tears streaming down my face. She reaches up softly, pulling me down, and carefully, I close my arms around her. Her body is shaking, and I hold her there, so close, for a long time. When our tears have dried, I pull back and stare down at her. “Figures you would look hot even in a hospital bed,” I whisper.
She laughs hoarsely. “I don’t know about that.”
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“I’m alive because of you. How do you think I’m feeling?”
I smile weakly. “You scared me.”
“You saved me.”
She reaches out and takes my hand. “Jaylah, I’m pregnant.”
My body jerks, and I start crying again. “The baby?”
She smiles. “We were keeping it a secret until I was twelve weeks. I only found out a few days ago. I thought . . . I thought I’d lose him or her, but for whatever miracle . . . my baby is okay. Thanks to you, my baby is okay.”
I sob loudly, and a warm, hard hand circles my waist. I turn and Krypt is standing beside me. He pulls me into his arms, dropping his face to my hair where he murmurs, “Thank you.”
“Stop it,” I croak when he pulls back. “I’m
never going to stop crying.”
Ash smiles a beautiful smile. “Thank you is the only thing we can give you, but you deserve so much more.”
My lip quivers, but I nod.
“How’re you doin’, sweetheart?” Krypt asks.
“I killed someone. It’s not easy.”
He nods. “Know the feelin’. This advice, it might not help you, but it might make it clearer in your head. Do you think, even for a second, that he wouldn’t have taken your life if given the chance?”
I shake my head. “No, but it doesn’t make it better.”
“Bad people are bad people, Jay. If he didn’t do it to you, he would have found another way. Maybe through Mack, maybe through Diesel. You saved more than yourself by killin’ that man. Feel it, mourn it—move on from it. Life is hard, shit goes down, and you can either let it defeat you or you can stand and fuckin’ fight. You, sweetheart—you’ve got somethin’ worth fighting for.”
I smile at him, my lip still trembling. I reach out and take his hand; he lets me. I squeeze it and then turn to Mack, who’s holding Diesel. His eyes are soft and on mine, and I know in that moment that Krypt is right. I have so much to fight for.
And I’m going to make sure I keep fighting for it.
No matter what.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
TWO MONTHS LATER
“Mack is going to go bananas, knowing we’re here and he doesn’t know about it,” Santana squeals happily as we approach the massive, and I mean massive home.
“I owe it to Marcus to say thanks. It’s been a crazy few months, but now it’s time,” I say, slipping out of the car.
“Do you think we’ll get to meet his wife?” Ash asks rubbing her rounding belly as she climbs out, too.
“Oh, I hope so,” I say, tying my hair up and walking towards the gates.
“This place is huge!” Santana gasps, gazing at the massive home.