by Amy McKinley
I shifted my sight, and in between heartbeats, I shot him through his scope. “Clear,” I announced to the guys. In quick succession, I broke down my sniper rifle, packed it up, and headed to the stairwell. I identified no other snipers. Rex had demanded that the fight take place on the street. We wanted that too.
I flew down the stairs, and in record time, I exited the building to the sidewalk. I dropped my rifle by the door, intending to come back for it later. The fight required a 9mm instead. I’d filled every available pocket with clips.
We will finish this today.
Mike had confirmed that we would have a ten-minute delay from the time the confrontation was scheduled to when the police could respond to the reports of gunfire, and Rich had made sure to coordinate the bust on Malone’s organization with our street fight.
The police had been apprised of the situation. We wouldn’t have to explain or be detained.
“You brought fucking guns!” Rex yelled from a distance away. Thirteen men, including Mole, postured around and behind him.
“Nothing’s pointed at you. What are you complaining about?” Jack shouted back.
I couldn’t help it—I jumped in too. “You had snipers on the roof to pick us off.”
“That’s something you’d be familiar with, wouldn’t you, Hawk?” Rex screamed, his temper notched up several degrees. “They were there in case.”
“Bullshit,” Chris sneered.
I echoed his sentiments. Rex and Mole didn’t play by any rules, and trying to have a fight like we’d had from the old days was another clear sign that anything would go. We were ready. Our guns were accessible but not drawn. Nothing would stop us.
“We’ve got you outnumbered. You’re missing guys, Jack,” Rex taunted.
Rex and his group edged closer with confidence in their strides, given the difference in numbers. We were five against thirteen. Still, I wasn’t worried, especially since they hadn’t automatically pulled out their weapons and started shooting us. Rex wanted a show. He craved power. It was an illusion.
“You seem to be missing someone. Weren’t you supposed to bring Stella? Wasn’t that the reason for this meeting?” Jack casually threw out the fact that Rex had lost Red. She was safe in our storage unit with Hannah, and I could breathe easier because of it.
Rex’s temper ratcheted up another degree as he picked up his pace, a maniacal sneer painting his face.
“Be ready,” Jack said.
“All day, every day.” I flexed my right hand. Rex would go for Jack first, and I would take Mole. Keegan would rain hell down on anyone in his path. Chris and Mike were more methodical, reading their opponents and striking where they thought it would bring them down the fastest. Watching them was like witnessing a choreographed fight.
Within arm’s distance, the first punch was thrown with a satisfying thwack. I buried my fist in Mole’s gut, followed by an uppercut. His eyes were dilated, and he didn’t react to the pain.
The fighting around me faded. If an opponent came at me, I reacted. Otherwise, my focus was on Mole.
He pulled a blade. I did too. He swung his knife in a wide arc, and I jumped back. I threw mine, and the tip pierced then lodged in his shoulder. It caused the distraction I wanted. He glanced down at the protruding handle.
My fingers curled around his knife-wielding hand and shoved it. Once his arm was high, I struck his elbow, breaking or dislocating it. His knife clattered to the street.
Mole went to pull the handle of my blade out. I punched him in the nose. His head jerked back, and his arm hung limply at his side.
A body slammed into my side. With a grunt, I absorbed the hit. I lost track of Mole while the new guy and I exchanged punches. Then I heard a gunshot.
Yanking my gun free, I swung the butt of my weapon against the new guy’s temple. He dropped, and I reassessed. Where did that shot come from? Who was hit?
Mole rushed me. Caught off guard as another guy slammed into my side, my gun fell from my hand. Shit. I froze. Mole’s gun was pointed at my head. Noise ceased. His mouth opened. I heard nothing. The barrel held my attention. In slow motion, his finger squeezed. I dropped to the street. The bullet shot past my neck, barely missing me, but I could feel the burn from the heat of it.
Lurching forward, I lunged and tackled him. We rolled together, my hand on the one he held the gun with. All of my weight kept him on his back as I slammed his wrist into the street over and over until the gun fell from his grasp.
He cried out, his wrist likely broken. I lurched up to my knees and straddled him. I put all my power behind my fist. I punched him in the sweet spot along his jaw. He jerked, lifting slightly off the ground then falling back, limp and unconscious.
I grabbed Mole’s gun. Mine was missing. With a shove, I pushed off of Mole and jumped back into the fray.
Where is Rex? I wanted a piece of him. Keegan was decimating his way through four guys. Chris and Mike were fighting back to back. There. Jack’s fists struck Rex in a fast combination.
The flash of steel in my peripheral vision had me reaching for my gun. Shit. The gun-wielding guy jerked back, and blood bloomed on one sleeve of his arm then the other. His gun fell to the ground.
I looked around, and panic spiraled through me. Son of a bitch! From the roof of one of the Range Rovers, Hannah was picking off the guys who’d pulled weapons. Her black stocking cap hid her platinum hair, and I knew Red was inside the vehicle.
Keegan’s four thugs were handled and on the ground. Hannah took out five, who were alive but unable to use their arms. Mike and Chris were stepping away from the two they’d taken on. Mole was still unconscious. That left Jack and Rex. I badly wanted a piece of Rex. But they were engaged.
Another gun went off, and time stood still. Jack and Rex were locked arm-in-arm. The sound had come from them. Fuck, no!
Rex shoved, and Jack staggered back. There was blood on both of them. Who’d been shot?
Another of Rex’s guys punched Jack, deflecting his attention from Rex. I took a step forward, seeing an opening to engage.
A car door opened. It registered in the back of my mind. I couldn’t take my eyes off Rex. I shot a look at Jack, worried he’d been hit.
Sirens screamed in the distance. They were getting closer.
Jack twisted as he punched the other guy. The blood didn’t seem to spread. Relief struck me hard. The shot hadn’t hit Jack. The blood was Rex’s. It wasn’t a mortal wound.
The guy Jack fought went down. He took a step closer. Rex raised his gun at Jack. Time stood still. Then Rex’s body jerked back. What the hell? Jack hadn’t touched him. Blood bloomed at the top of Rex’s shoulder, and his eyes narrowed.
I glanced over my shoulder. Who had fired a shot? Hannah. She stood over a man on the sidewalk. Why is she here?
My heart stopped. Red stood five feet away, her gun raised. My head whipped back to Rex while I pulled the gun from my waistband. It happened in slow motion.
I heard Red shriek, “No!” It barely registered. Who’d given her a gun?
Rex raised his gun and pointed it at Red. I lunged across the bullet’s path. My body jerked. I fired. Then I crashed to the ground. My gaze stayed on Rex. His head jolted back, his body rippling from the bullet I put in his forehead. The gun in his hand fell, and his body followed.
A scream pierced the air. Then hands were on me. Turned from my side to my back, I blinked at a hysterical Red. That’s when my heart started beating again. I scanned her body. No blood. She’s safe. My God, I couldn’t lose her. I knew without a doubt she was it for me. I would make it work—I would do everything in my power to be the man she needed.
Red’s arms settled around me carefully. I pulled her close. Her hand pressed on my side. That’s when I felt the burn. I’d been hit. When I looked at her hand, blood oozed between her fingers.
“I’m sorry.” She hiccupped. “I saw Rex raise his gun. I thought he was going to shoot you.”
“I’m okay. I think it’s a scrat
ch.”
“I couldn’t stay in the car. Hannah was fighting another man. She didn’t see you and Jack. Well, she did. She shot him in the shoulder, but I wasn’t sure she had. I’m so sorry. It’s my fault you were shot.”
“Shh. I’m fine. Promise.” I needed her out of there. If any one of those guys had hurt her, I would lose my mind. I wasn’t mad. I got it. Hannah would’ve wanted to be there for Jack. It was a clusterfuck of a situation.
All around us, men groaned on the ground. I scanned the scene and kept vigilant. If one of them had been able, they would have drawn a weapon on us.
I caught sight of Hannah. Her hands roamed over Jack. I waited but could tell from his face that he wasn’t injured. We all wore bruises. We had all taken some hits.
Hannah helped to disentangle Red, and I stood with help from Chris. Keegan had a knife wound. The wound on my side hurt like hell, a burning path arcing up to my chest, but it didn’t appear to be anything fatal—more of a graze.
We would be fine. Something inside me relaxed slightly at the knowledge that none of us had been mortally injured.
“Everyone good?” Jack asked.
Each of us responded that we were.
“No,” Red replied. Her hand clasped mine. She stared at Rex’s prone body.
“What’s wrong?” I held her away, my gaze tracking every inch of her body. There were no signs of a new injury. No bullet holes.
She pointed at Rex. “That’s the guy who took my brother. How are we going to find Max?”
Her brother. I cradled her face in my hands and held her gaze with mine. “Mole is alive. We’ll get information about Max from him.”
We were going to have to talk about her brother.
Chapter 32
Stella
I paced back and forth on the street where the battle had taken place. Blue and red lights flashed, painting the buildings around us as the crime scene it was. The officers left me alone after they asked me one or two questions. I wasn’t hurt, only shaken. The blood on my hands and shirt was Hawk’s. My stomach churned as the image of him being shot replayed in my mind.
For the hundredth time, my gaze sought his. He winked when he caught me looking at him, reassuring me once again.
“Hey.” Hannah put her hand on my shoulder and a finger under my chin. She forced me to look at her. “Hawk is fine. Mole is being arrested. It’s going to be okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I swallowed the guilt as best as I could. It didn’t work, and I spilled my concern to her. “But I was here when he wanted me to stay away. I caused Hawk to be shot.”
Hannah snorted. “No. Rex would have shot either Jack or Hawk at that moment even if you weren’t there. If I hadn’t been fighting with another one of their guys, I would have laid Rex out sooner.”
My gut eased a little. I wanted Hawk’s arms around me. I wanted him to be safe. Hannah squeezed me again before she stepped aside. I peered over my shoulder. In long strides, Hawk crossed the distance between us.
He pulled me against him, his arms wrapping around me. I was careful to stay to his right side so I didn’t brush against where he was shot. One of his hands pressed against my back and held me tightly, while the other threaded through my hair. When I felt weight on top of my head, I knew he was resting his chin on me, smelling my hair. He’d told me once that touching me and inhaling my scent grounded him.
“Nice loophole, Hannah.” He chuckled.
“Like that?” She snickered. “I’m off to pull Jack away. You two, behave.”
Hawk shifted. When his arms loosened, I leaned back and looked up at him. “Are you in a lot of pain?”
A sexy grin curved his lips, relaxing his features. “I’m fine, Red. Stop worrying.” He glanced back at the police officers. “They’re clearing out, and Jack got a call from Rich. We need to head out. They found your brother.”
“What?” Panic fought with relief and sent a volley of tremors through my body. “Is he… alive?”
“Shit. Yeah, I’m sorry, I should have started with that.” His thumb caressed the side of my face. “Let’s head out so you can see for yourself.”
The drive to the run-down apartment building didn’t take long. The men remaining from the fight were arrested and taken away by the police. An ambulance took the rest. The guys didn’t seem worried about anything, so I let go of my anxiety over the confrontation. Hawk was incredibly skilled. I had nothing to worry about.
I shifted from foot to foot in front of the door to the apartment where Max had been found. His back was to me as the paramedics finished checking him over. Hawk’s hand rested on my hip, and I was grateful. I needed his support.
The paramedic stepped back, and Max turned toward me. Relief made my knees buckle. Hawk held me up. The same emotions were reflected in my brother’s eyes. I bit my bottom lip. He looked like hell. He was too skinny. Bruises marred his face and arms. There was a nasty cut along his hairline and another on his dry and cracked lips. Deep purple half moons hung beneath his eyes.
Dammit. He did this. After the first wave of relief passed, my temper sparked. I broke away from Hawk’s side and stomped over to my brother. I gave him a careful hug, holding in the words that threatened to fly out of my mouth. A few seconds was all I could hope for before I let him have it. “You’re okay?”
“Sore and likely dehydrated, but yeah. I am.” Max’s lips curved into a small smile.
He’s smiling? After all the shit he put us through? I trembled, and the words I tried to hold back exploded. “Do you have a single ounce of remorse?”
Max held up his hands, his eyes taking on that wary look he wore whenever I lost my mind on him. “Stel, things got out of control, but everything worked out.”
“You think? It wasn’t because of you.” I flung my hand into Hawk’s direction—he’d moved to talk to a few men I hadn’t noticed before. I adjusted my arm to point at him. “It was because of him and his friends. They were the ones to handle your colossal mess. Do you have any idea what a nightmare you caused?”
“I do, Stel. I get it. Gambling’s a problem for me.” He hung his head. “I tried to get my problems under control. They spiraled.”
“You should have gone to the police or checked into rehab. Instead, you did what?” I tapped my foot. What is wrong with him?
“I know. There were so many temptations. Then… I got involved with this new guy who was being brought on to work with my bookie. They offered me a few lines before I left. Things got even worse after that. That’s when I saw the ring.”
I shot a glance to Hawk. “Oh shit. That’s where he got Jenni’s ring. He went to Rex or Mole.” Hawk’s lips were pressed into a tight line. He’d heard. Good, he needed to know. It was something all the guys had wondered about. I focused back on my brother. “Between drugs and gambling, you have a major problem.”
A muffled sob escaped his hands, which covered his face. “Stel—”
“No,” I snapped at him. I knew he was going to fall back on old habits and excuses, but that wouldn’t work anymore. “You risked your life. You sold me out. Not only that, you’d be dead if it wasn’t for Hawk and his team.”
“Shit. I know. I know.” His shoulders shook with each sob he held back. “This time was different.”
“Why? I don’t understand what changed or why you gave me up to those men. Do I mean so little to you?”
Max banded his arms around me and squeezed. “No, Stel.”
“I don’t get it. You have to explain.” My voice was muffled against his dirty shirt.
“There were drugs, and they—it was different. I don’t ever want to fall into that hole again.” His arms loosened, and he fell back against the couch. “I don’t deserve it, but please forgive me. I fucked up, and I swear I’ll never do that again. It left a lasting impression. I swear.”
It wasn’t enough. “You need to get help. We can’t keep doing this. This time has to be the one that sticks. You have to uphold your promise to me.�
�
With awkward movements, Max got to his feet. The weight of his hands fell onto my shoulders, which felt fitting, as it was how I’d felt since Oma passed away. It had been a huge freaking weight I had to carry around.
“I know.” In slow increments, Max pulled me closer. “I’ll do it this time. I’ll go to rehab.”
Tears ran down my face, washing away the last of my anger. So many times, growing up, he’d comforted me. He’d stood up for me when we were young. He’d taken the fall when I’d screwed up a few times. It had been nothing big, but still…
“You’re the only family I have left. I can’t lose you.”
Hawk
Red and her brother were deep in conversation while Jack and I talked with Rich. We needed to wrap up the details. I overheard Max tell Red where he’d gotten Jenni’s ring. Jack must have too, because he flinched. It was one thing that I hoped would be off his mind and put to rest. It was over. Rex was dead, and Mole was in jail.
“Is Tridel going to be a problem?” I needed to know. If Red continued to live in the area, I might have to move back to make sure she stayed safe.
“No,” Rich answered. “Tridel is in the process of being dismantled with all their properties seized.”
I snorted. That would be interesting. “Guess the casinos are up for new owners.” I couldn’t see the government running them.
Rich grinned. “Seems that way.”
We must’ve had the same thought. “You guys did great work. We apprehended Malone and most of the men under him. Several have already talked. With their testimonies and the in-depth data Chris collected, he’s going away for a long time. In addition to all that, we have Tridel’s books.”
“Were you able to find out if Malone had any knowledge of Stella?” I had to ask. If he had been involved, things could get stickier.
“From what we’ve learned, he did not. Stella was an exclusive target to the northern territory head, Stan Jones, and Rex.”
“And Mole.” Rex and Mole had always worked together. Rex being dead didn’t mean that Mole would be out of commission. He would want revenge. It wasn’t something we could dismiss, not after everything that had happened and the past coming back with a vengeance. I had to find out what would happen to Mole.