Now he just needed to make the long trek over to the bathroom. If he could do that, he could finish it. Then, he could die with a smile on his face. All he had to do was put a bullet in the back of Gabriel’s head, and it would be all over. It sounded like such an easy task, but just taking a step was almost insurmountable. He wished he could move quicker, could get his legs to respond like they were supposed to.
Right leg, he told himself, focusing on that solitary limb. Once it was firmly on the ground in front of him, he switched. Left leg. Over and over he repeated the pattern. Each step felt like it took an hour. It very well might have. His sense of time had gone completely out the window, along with most of his senses. He could barely hear Gabriel and Rachel talking even though they were only a few feet away, just around the corner of the doorway.
He was so close to them, yet so far. The warehouse office they’d turned into a bedroom wasn’t very big. During the fire fight, it had been almost impossibly small. Now though, it was like he was crossing the Atlantic ocean, one step at a time. He kept his gaze firmly locked on the doorway into the bathroom, ignoring everything else around him. The Jokers lying on the floor faded away. He wasn’t sure if they were all dead or if any of them had just fallen unconscious like he had, but he didn’t care. He didn’t even know how many Jokers were in the bathroom with Rachel.
It didn’t matter. Once he got there, he would take all of them out. He was ready to bend the laws of physics if that was what it took to get Rachel out of there safely. Even if they emptied their guns into him, he wasn’t going to die until Rachel was safe and sound. He would keep going. The grim reaper could wait, damn him. Griffin would get there soon enough. The bastard could just sit on his hands and be patient.
“I tried, you know. I tried to help her. Even with all the mistakes she’d made, I still loved her. I will always miss my dearly departed wife.” Griffin was still a few steps away from the doorway when the words slammed into him. His blood ran cold, his grip tightening on the gun. His breathing came in rapid, shallow gasps as he struggled to keep going forward.
He was almost there, so fucking close. Time around him sped up, but he was still stuck in the molasses, unable to walk any faster, no matter how much of his energy he put into it. Gabriel was nearing the end of his rope. Griffin didn’t need to see the man to hear it in his voice. He was getting bored with taunting Rachel. Even for a sadist like Gabriel, torturing a helpless pregnant woman would only entertain him for so long.
He wasn’t going to drag it out much longer. Gabriel was going to kill Rachel and try to blame her death on him and his brothers. He couldn’t let that happen. Even if it meant he had to live the rest of his life behind bars for all the people he’d killed, he wasn’t going to let Gabriel kill Rachel. She needed to live. More than anyone, she deserved a life. A real one, where she was in control.
Griffin was going to give her that life, god damn it!
He’d just gotten to the doorway when Rachel lunged off the ground toward Gabriel. His eyes went wide as he stared at her. His mind told him to leap in there, to help her before one of the Jokers standing to either side of the asshole shot her. But he slumped against the doorframe instead, his body nearly giving out. He could barely breathe, could barely see straight.
He tried to lift the gun and point it at Gabriel, but his entire arm shook before falling limp by his side. Tears stung at the corners of his eyes. He’d come so close, but he couldn’t do it. No matter how badly he wanted to save her, his traitorous body refused to listen to his commands.
The gunshot nearly sent him back into unconsciousness. The world around him shook like an earthquake. His knees buckled, his stomach rolling. It was over. It was all over.
All he could see was Rachel falling backward on to the bathroom floor as time around him stopped completely.
35
Rachel
Rachel stopped breathing as she stared up at Gabriel. She waited for the unimaginable pain to overwhelm her, waited for the world to fade away for good. But it didn’t come. She just sat there, struggling to breathe, as the world moved in slow motion.
Gabriel still loomed above her, but he didn’t move. His stood there, his eyes unfocused, as he stared straight ahead. His hands hung limply by his sides, the gun looking like it might fall to the floor at any moment. Rachel’s gaze moved down his body until she saw it. The pool of red at his feet, slowly growing larger with each passing second.
Then, everything moved into fast forward as Gabriel collapsed to his knees. He gasped, dropping the gun and falling onto his stomach. The two Jokers who’d been standing with him stayed where they were, eyes just as wide as Gabriel’s had been as they tried to process what had just happened. Rachel was just as confused as they were.
How had Gabriel gotten shot? They’d been wrestling for the gun but not in any way that would’ve made it hit him when it went off. It took a long moment before Rachel realized the gun Gabriel had been holding hadn’t gone off. The gunshot had been loud, but it wasn’t right next to her like it would have been if it had been Gabriel’s gun that had fired.
And if the two Jokers standing to the sides were just as confused, it hadn’t been one of them who’d shot. So who was it?
Rachel’s eyes darted to the doorway. Her heart swelled as she saw Griffin leaning against it. His vest and shirt were soaked in blood, his entire body trembling like he might collapse at any moment. She grinned broadly at him. Her prince had arrived. Somehow, he’d managed to get to her in time. He’d saved her.
Then, she noticed Griffin was leaning against the doorframe on his right arm, the one that barely held on to the gun. It looked like he was using all of his strength to keep from dropping it. How had he managed the strength to aim and shoot accurately in that state? The shocked look on his face just cemented her conclusion.
But if Griffin hadn’t shot Gabriel to save her, who had?
In her frantic state, everything blurred together. It seemed to take minutes for her brain to settle enough for her to notice the person standing behind Griffin, gun in hand. When she did, though, her heart rate skyrocketed again. He entire body resumed its trembling as she struggled to breathe. Gabriel looming over her with a gun had been terrifying enough.
Now she had Selena leering down at her, a firm grip on her gun. She strode past Griffin, barely even glancing at him. Rachel thought Griffin twitched, trying to bring his own gun up, but she couldn’t be sure. Most of her focus was on the woman quickly approaching.
Despite the menace in her eyes, Selena was the perfect picture of calm. She didn’t shake or tremble in the least bit. She casually stepped over the growing puddle of blood with grace and ease. But instead of moving to stand in front of Rachel and shoot her as well, she moved to stand right next to Gabriel. Rachel had never been more confused in her life.
Weren’t they working together? Selena had always been loyal to Gabriel, despite all of his faults. She’d seen him for the monster he was and hadn’t cared a single bit. When Rachel had tried to warn her off earlier that day, Selena had been on the verge of striking her. So, what had changed? Why would Selena turn on him like that?
Then, Selena smirked, and Rachel understood everything. Everyone had their limits, a breaking point. Selena’s had been higher than most, but she’d finally hit it. Something had pushed her over the edge and made her snap.
“How does it feel, being shot in the back?” Selena asked Gabriel. She lifted her foot and placed her heel on Gabriel’s back, grinding it into the wound. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it sounded almost as loud as the gunshot had. Each word dripped with venom, and Rachel shuddered. Selena was not the kind of woman you wanted to cross on a good day. This, most definitely, was not a good day.
Gabriel twitched, turning to face her. He wasn’t dead yet, but the look on his face made Rachel think he wasn’t far off. “Why?” he croaked out. His eyes were wide and bewildered as he stared at Selena.
“Why?” Selena cackled, the sound f
illing the entire room. “And you thought I was the stupid one? Did you think I wouldn’t know where you guys all went? That I couldn’t follow? Oh no, I came along, staying far enough back to watch. Then, I waited until the shooting was done and came to see who came out the victor. I heard every word you said to Rachel, you know. Who did you think you’d replace me with, huh? Another high-society broad? Some ditz who couldn’t tell her ass from her breasts?”
Rachel blushed at the veiled insult. There was no doubt Selena was referring to her, and Rachel bit back the instinct to argue. Being insulted was better than being dead, and she still wasn’t sure what Selena would do to her once she was finished with Gabriel. It was better to keep her mouth shut and hope for the best.
“God, you men really are dumb, aren’t you? Do you do all your thinking with your cock? Is that why?” Selena snickered as she grinned down at Gabriel. Despite the man bleeding out right in front of her, Selena stayed squatting right next to his head. It was as if she was standing there talking to a puppy or a small child, not a dying man. “It’s a wonder you managed to get by this long without blowing everything. Maybe if you’d taken your cock out of your ass, you’d still be going strong. But oh well. I guess this is the end of the line for you.” Selena shrugged, then stood up.
Gabriel reached out for the gun he’d dropped. But in his injured state, he was much too slow. Selena kicked it away, still smirking at him, and raised her own gun.
Rachel wanted to close her eyes. More than anything, she wanted to squeeze them tight and try to block out what was coming next. She couldn’t. She had to watch. If she didn’t, she would spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. She had to know for sure he was dead, had to watch it happen. Then, she would be able to breathe easy again.
The gunshot was almost quiet compared to the others. Selena fired a single shot, hitting her target with ease. It wasn’t like the movies, either. Gabriel’s head didn’t explode and shower the room in blood. A single hole formed in his skull as his body twitched, then went limp.
He was dead. The monster that had haunted her for so long was finally gone. No amount of money in the world could buy him out of that.
Hours must have gone by as she stared at the body. Her mind was a mix of emotions, all swirling around inside her, and she had no idea where to even begin sorting through them all. It wasn’t until Selena moved and jarred her out of her haze that she realized tears had started falling.
She wiped them away quickly, then turned to look up at Selena. The woman still held the gun in her hand, a strong grip on it. Unlike Gabriel, she was fully alert. If Rachel so much as twitched in her direction, she would shoot. There wouldn’t be a tussle. Rachel probably wouldn’t be able to even get up off the ground before she was shot.
“Hey! What the hell?” one of the Jokers shouted. He stepped forward, glaring at Selena, taking Selena’s attention off of Rachel for a moment. The man heading toward her was easily twice Selena’s size, built like a linebacker. He could probably tear the smaller woman apart, limb from limb, with just his bare hands. “What the fuck did you do that for? You know how much money that fucker was worth?”
But Selena didn’t even flinch. She just shrugged, then raised her gun at the man. “Oh, I know quite well what he was worth. I also know where he kept a lot of his offshore money.” She smirked at the man. “Guess that means I’m in charge now, doesn’t it? Unless, of course, you’d like to join him. I’m sure an extra body in the grave won’t be much trouble.”
The man flinched and took a step back. Even though he was bigger than her and was also armed, he didn’t look eager to argue. Finally, he let out a long breath and nodded. Rachel wondered for a moment what hold Selena had over the Jokers for him to give up so easily.
Lost in thought, she missed her chance. Rachel probably should have lunged at Selena right then, should have used her momentary distraction. If she had, the Jokers might have backed her up, helping take out the woman who killed their source of money. But she didn’t. She just sat there, still trying to piece everything together.
Griffin hadn’t moved, either. He stayed leaned against the doorway. Rachel wasn’t sure he could have moved even if he’d wanted to. If he wasn’t using the doorframe to keep himself upright, he’d have probably collapsed. Blood still dripped from the wound in his shoulder. He needed to get to a doctor as quickly as possible.
But first, they had to deal with Selena.
Her Jokers having fallen in line, she turned back to Rachel. The two women stared at each other, neither one moving. Rachel wanted to ask her what she’d do next, but the words died in her throat. She just looked up into Selena’s eyes, trying to read her emotions. Unlike Gabriel, Selena was hard to read. She didn’t wear her thoughts on her face.
Selena looked over at Gabriel for a moment, then her eyes went back to Rachel as she let out a sigh. “I guess you were right,” she said at last, shaking her head. It had to have been hard for her to admit it, but Rachel respected the woman’s honesty. “I didn’t want to believe you, you know? I figured once you were out of the way, Gabriel would get his head out of his ass and realize just how much I could help him, but what can you do?”
Selena shrugged, and Rachel nodded. How many times had she thought something similar? Hoped that Gabriel would suddenly change, and things would be better? She couldn’t blame Selena for that.
Selena glanced over her shoulder at Griffin for a moment. “The guy you call Padre? He’s still alive. Got hit pretty badly, but I’m sure your Doc can patch him back up.” Then, she looked between the two of us. “I’d say we’re about even now, wouldn’t you?”
Griffin was quiet, and Rachel wished she knew what he was thinking. If he and Padre were alive, injured but alive, then they hadn’t lost much, right? They could call it even. The Jokers no doubt lost more than a couple men in their attack, but Selena sounded ready to call it the cost of doing business. That meant no retribution, right? They could all walk away from today and not look back. Everyone could move on with their lives.
Finally, Griffin nodded. Rachel thought that Vlad probably wouldn’t be happy with Griffin negotiating on behalf of the club, but it wasn’t like he could argue with the deal they’d just made. Besides, the Jokers still had the upper hand. If Griffin tried to argue, Selena could just kill them all and walk away. No, this was definitely the best option.
“Consider it my thanks for trying to warn me,” Selena said, glancing back over at Rachel for a moment. Then, she looked at the two Jokers still watching her. “Get his body and the others. We’ll dispose of him somewhere and bury the others.”
The two men looked over at each other, their shoulders tense. They’d just lost friends, brothers. And Selena was just asking them to walk away from it all without any payback. That had to be a big pill for them to swallow. Rachel wasn’t sure Griffin would’ve been able to do it if he’d been in their shoes.
But they nodded. Selena walked out of the bathroom, moving right past Griffin with barely a look at him, as the two men moved toward Gabriel’s body. Rachel’s heart continued to thunder in her chest as she launched herself across the room toward Griffin.
36
Griffin
Griffin couldn’t believe Selena had been there the entire time, watching him, without him knowing. The blood loss must’ve been worse than he’d thought. It was a damn good thing she hadn’t been loyal to Gabriel in the end. Otherwise, she could’ve put a bullet in him before he’d even known she was there.
When Selena left, the tension left along with her. That was the only thing holding Griffin up, and he nearly fell face first onto the bathroom tile. Rachel caught him, rushing over and wrapping her arms around him. He was easily twice her weight, but she helped him up nonetheless. And for a moment, all she did was stand there and hold him.
The world faded in and out as he hugged her. It was all over. Rachel was safe. Gabriel was dead. There wasn’t anything left to do. He could die a happy man, knowing she would be ju
st fine.
Then, everything faded away.
The next thing he knew, he was lying on what had to be the most uncomfortable bed on the planet. He groaned and tried to sit up, but his head throbbed. Every inch of his body ached like a son of a bitch. The world spun around and around as Griffin tried to get his bearings, tried to figure out where he was.
“Easy there,” a voice said. Moments later, a shadow appeared over him, blocking some of the light. He blinked a few times, and Doc came into view, grinning at him. “Glad to see you’re finally awake. I was starting to think you were going to sleep for a week.”
Griffin groaned, closing his eyes. Everything was still a blur. “Where am I?”
“New safehouse,” Doc said. Griffin heard a scraping sound, and when he opened his eyes, Doc had dragged a chair over to sit right next to him. “By the time everyone got back, the Jokers had all cleared out. Rachel filled us in on what happened, but Vlad didn’t think it was smart to stick around the warehouse since it was compromised.”
Griffin nodded, then let out another groan. He had one hell of a headache. Well, everything ached, especially his shoulder. Slowly, he reached up and felt it, finding a thick layer of gauze and bandages.
“You’re lucky. They weren’t using hollow points, so the bullet stayed in one piece. Was able to pull it out easy enough and get you stitched up. It’s gonna hurt like a bitch for a while, but there wasn’t any major damage.” Doc shrugged, and Griffin wanted to smack the man. Lucky? Having a bullet embedded in his shoulder was lucky?
Hunted (Steel Kings MC Book 4) Page 14