The Billionaire Bad Boy Plan

by Michelle Love

  There was a long silence then. ‘Okay.’

  A small hope, a scintilla flickering the darkness. Ski-mask walked over to Seb and with relief she saw him release Seb’s feet. Seb was still frozen, staring at her, shaking his head.

  ‘I won’t leave her.’ His voice was steady, clear.

  ‘Seb… no…’

  Ski-mask’s posture was mocking. ‘Aww, how’s that for brotherly love? So touching.’

  He bent his head so that his mouth was at Seb’s ear. ‘Sorry, Seb. There’s only one person I want watching when I kill her. And it’s not you.’

  Seb was about to speak when Ski-mask calmly, and without hesitating, shot him through the head.

  Isa screamed as Seb’s body slumped to the floor, his eyes open and staring. Isa was insane with grief, anger, agony and she wriggled hard, ignoring the searing pain in her shoulder, desperate to get to her stricken brother. Seb coughed, once, then she heard the life fade from him with hopeless finality.

  ‘You fucker! You fucking cocksucking motherfucker!’ She screamed at her brother’s murderer, not caring if he killed her now. He merely laughed at her struggles. He stepped astride her and dragged her by her arms over to the chair Seb had fallen from. The pain in her shoulder was nothing to the overwhelming grief. Isa sobbed uncontrollably. He propped her up on the chair, crouched in front of her. Isa was blinded by the tears that flooded down her cheeks. This isn’t happening; this isn’t happening …

  ‘I’m not going to kill you tonight either, beautiful one. I want Sam to be watching when I gut you. This…,’ he waved his gun airily in her dead brother’s direction, ‘…was to give you an idea of how he will feel watching you die.’ He stood, and Isa looked up, defiantly meeting his gaze through her tears.

  ‘I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.’ He raised the gun and brought in down viciously striking her across the head. Pain exploded in her skull, and the last thing she saw before she passed out was her beloved brother’s body. Seb, Seb…I’m sorry…

  He pulled the ski mask from his face and kissed her perfect mouth. It was as soft, as sweet, as he’d always imagined. He’d never seen such a beautiful woman. Yet she was so still, so broken. Her shoulder gushed blood, and there was a cut now where the pistol had struck her head, dripping blood down one side of her lovely face.

  ‘Sleep, my darling.’

  He sat back and watched her, totally vulnerable. His gun was still warm to the touch from killing Seb. A shame but it had made his point. He knew this, Seb’s murder will have destroyed her happiness forever – well, for as long as she had left to live anyway and the knowledge that Sam would feel this pain would haunt her remaining days. He smiled to himself, pressed the muzzle to her belly again. He imagined the hot metal tearing into her body, emptying the clip into her, the way her body would convulse, jerk and finally go limp. His finger slid to the trigger. He wondered if he could get away with shooting her again, just once, somewhere non-fatal, just to relive the feeling but the shoulder wound was still bleeding heavily, and he didn’t want her bleeding out on him. Maybe he shouldn’t have shot her at all. The bullet had really fucked up her shoulder.

  Still… ‘Bang, bang, bang.’ He whispered and laughed. She stirred and his finger twitched. Nope. He had a plan, and he was going to stick to it. He put the gun away. He bent over her, hearing her labored breathing.

  ‘Isa?’

  She murmured. He pursed his lips and reached into his jacket. He pulled out the hypodermic and slipped the needle into her neck. She moaned as he pressed the plunger.

  ‘I said sleep, my darling.’ His voice was hard. He kissed her again, covered her with Seb’s jacket and left.

  Outside, he drove across the city in the gloom of twilight before using the burner phone to call the police. They’d find them sooner – which meant Sam, the family that was left would know the horror of tonight. It would be all over the local news. His work, his masterpiece.

  And it was only the beginning…

  Sam was beside himself with terror, with worry. Zoe looked pale, still. Detective Halsey kept glancing at Sam as he took the call from the operator. He put down the phone and took a breath in.

  ‘They got a call a half hour ago. The caller just said to look for two people hurt at an abandoned business unit out near the airport. They sent a black-and-white, an ambulance. Police just confirmed one dead.’

  Zoe cried out, and Sam grabbed her, held her tightly. God, no.

  ‘Is it them?’

  Halsey looked at him with deep sorrow in his eyes. ‘The two victims had no i.d. but they said it was a young African-American male, late teens/early-twenties and a biracial female in her twenties.’

  Sam didn’t want to ask the question, not in front of Zoe, but he had to know. ‘Which one is dead?’

  He felt Zoe clutch at him, knew she was trying not to hear. Neither answer would comfort her. Halsey shook his head.

  ‘They didn’t say. The survivor was being airlifted to hospital with serious gunshot injuries. The body of the deceased will go to the coroner’s office.’ He sighed, got up and walked around his desk to sit in front of them. He put his hand on Zoe’s shoulder. ‘I’m so sorry. We’ll have someone take you to the hospital.’

  Outside in the cool of the evening, Sam saw Cal talking to a police officer. He came over when he saw them, his face drawn with worry.

  ‘Hey man, I just got your message.’

  Sam nodded tightly. ‘Where have you been? I’ve called you a hundred times.’

  Cal balked at the anger in Sam’s voice. ‘At a girlfriend’s. What’s going on? Where’s Isa?’

  Zoe started to cry quietly as Sam explained. ‘We’re going to the hospital now. He took her and Seb, killed one of them, shot the other. We don’t know who’s dead.’

  Cal looked as if he was going to be sick. ‘Jesus…Jesus…’

  Halsey appeared from a car that had pulled up next to them. Cal settled Zoe in the back with him, his arm around her shoulders, whilst Sam sat up front, staring blindly out of the windshield.

  One dead, one alive…Sam kept repeating the phrase in his head. He hated that he was praying, begging whatever celestial powers there were to please, please, let it be Isa who survived. God, Seb, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… He felt like a murderer himself as he glanced in the rear view and caught Zoe looking at him. I’m sorry. He wondered what the hell could be going through her mind.

  Halsey kept stealing glances at him as the car sped through the dark Seattle streets. Finally, he pulled the car into the hospital parking lot, and Sam darted from the car, not wanting to wait any longer.

  ‘Sam!’

  But he ignored Cal’s shout and sprinted for the entrance. Only at the door did Halsey catch up with him, stop him. He body-blocked Sam – impressive for a man his height against Sam’s huge build.

  ‘Sam… Sam… listen up.’ Halsey was breathless. ‘You have to prepare yourself. Whoever is alive in there, a friend, a family member has died.’

  Sam nodded once and pushed past him to the hospital reception, but found, as the nurse looked expectantly at him, he couldn’t form the words. Halsey showed his badge to her and explained who they were, who they wanted to see.

  The nurse checked her computer records. ‘They’re not here just yet.’

  ‘Do you… do you know who they ar…’ Sam couldn’t get the words straight, but then Zoe gave a cry as a gurney was wheeled at speed passed them. Sam’s stomach dropped as he saw Isa’s too still face, the blood-soaked clothes, and sheets. Her eyes were closed, her skin paler than he’d ever seen. She looked dead. No…no…but then why would they be rushing her to surgery…? He looked at Zoe, whose distress made her eyes wild and scared. She shook her head, confused as he was. Halsey put his hand on Zoe’s arm.

  ‘I’ll find out what’s going on.’

  Sam stared after the gurney, disappearing down the corridor into the surgical wing. Halsey was right – deep down, Sam knew she was alive but where was the joy in him?r />
  Seb... Seb was dead. He whirled around, hearing Zoe’s scream. Halsey was accompanying a gurney, the black body bag on top of it so final, so horrifying. Seb was dead.

  Sam caught Zoe as the older woman collapsed, screaming for her murdered son.

  The hospital was deathly quiet by the time a surgeon came to see them. Huddled together in the relatives’ room, Zoe had sobbed herself into an almost catatonic state. A grey-faced Cal, fear, and distress making him look younger than his years, watched his brother pace back and forth across the room, his angular face rigid and fierce with worry and defeat. Isa had been in surgery for hours, and no-one had come to update them. Halsey stayed with them as long as he could before he was called back to work. Two uniformed cops stood vigil outside their room.

  The surgeon, an efficient looking woman in her fifties, nodded to them as she entered the room and introduced herself as Dr. Reinhold. She pulled up a chair and motioned for Sam to sit. He sat down next to his brother, who put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  ‘As you may have been told, Mrs. Levy was shot in the shoulder. The bullet missed the bone, thank goodness, but what we were more concerned with was the amount of blood she lost, which was considerable. We have stabilized her now and hopefully, she shouldn’t need another surgery, although we certainly can’t rule that out.’ The doctor took a deep breath in. ‘As I say, we’ve stabilized her, but I must warn you: Mrs. Levy is very seriously injured. Her recovery will take a long time both physically and, considering what she went through, almost certainly psychologically.’

  No-one spoke for a minute then Zoe sighed. ‘Doctor….do you know what happened to my son?’

  Dr. Reinhold glanced at Sam, unsure but he nodded. ‘Your son… Sebastian? Sebastian suffered a single gunshot to the head. He would have died instantly, so he didn’t suffer. I know it’s not much of a consolation, Ms. Marshall, but I am truly sorry for your loss.’

  Dry-eyed, Zoe tried to smile. ‘Thank you, Doctor. And thank you for saving my daughter.’

  The tension Sam had been holding in released, then and his whole body slumped. He realized he’d been waiting for Zoe to crack, to scream about how unfair it was her son had died, how it was Isa’s fault. He’d been revving himself up to handle that and now, hearing her name Isa now as her true – and beloved - daughter made something in him break. He dropped his head into his hands and sobbed.

  The police went to bring Louisa to the hospital, and when Zoe went to meet the young woman, Cal accompanied her. Louisa’s face was pale, and when Zoe told her that Seb was dead, her legs gave way, and she sank to the floor, shaking her head. Both Zoe and Cal managed to shift the sobbing girl into a chair.

  When she had calmed herself, Zoe took her hand. ‘I know, sweetheart, I know, but we have to be realistic here.’

  Seb was dead. Louisa looked up into Zoe’s kind but drawn face. ‘Zoe, I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling right now. How’s Isa?’

  ‘She’ll recover okay, we think, at least physically. It remains to be seen as to whether any of us will be okay ever again.’

  Zoe sounded utterly bereft, utterly exhausted and Louisa squeezed her hand. Wiping her eyes, she shot a look at Cal. She may not be keen on the guy, but she couldn’t deny he looked completely shattered. She remembered Seb telling her about Cal’s mom… no, wait it had been Sam’s mom who was murdered. She shook her head. God, so much loss.

  Cal looked up, sensing her scrutiny and he tried to smile but just sighed. ‘I’m so sorry, Lou.’ His voice was low and broken, and her heart went out to him. He’d lost his friend, his roommate, his buddy.

  ‘Look,’ she said, ’why don’t we all go down to the diner on the corner and grab some breakfast. Not that I think it’ll make any of us feel better, but it’s better than waiting here.’

  ‘Good idea.’ They all looked up at the sound of Sam’s voice. He stood in the doorway, filling it, his green eyes a mask of pain and anger. ‘The surgeon just told me, Isa’s come through the op but she’ll be in post-op for a while yet. I could do with some coffee.’

  Zoe, although reluctant to leave, was persuaded by the fact Sam was coming with them and they all went to the diner.

  The waitresses, used to dealing with grieving people with the diner being so close to the hospital, moved around them with respect and consideration, bringing them extra food and coffee. Sam sat next to Zoe, his arm around her shoulders. Lou felt slightly awkward, sitting next to Cal, his big presence seemingly smaller now.

  Sam was talking to them in a low voice. ‘I don’t care what protection we’ve put in place up to now, it all changes from here. I’m sorry, but now we know anyone is fair game, all of you are in danger, and I’m not risking anyone else’s life. Cal, call Jock and get him to set up around the clock security for Isa, Zoe, and Louisa.’

  Lou opened her mouth to protest, but Sam fixed her with a stare. ‘Just until the police catch the guy, Lou,’ he said, ‘Seb – and the rest of us – would never forgive ourselves if anything happened to you.’

  Lou shut her mouth. Sam clearly wasn’t in the mood for an argument. Zoe rubbed a hand over her face.

  ‘I’ll go along with whatever you think, Sam, but we need to discuss Seb’s funeral too. I don’t want the mourners frisked at the church door.’

  ‘Of course not,’ Sam’s voice softened, and he massaged her shoulder. ‘I would never let that happen. Will you wait until Isa is out of hospital?’

  Zoe nodded. ‘I hope it won’t be too long.’

  Sam shrugged. ‘I don’t know yet.’

  The waitress brought their food and all four of them picked at it unenthusiastically. Cal sighed after a while and put down his fork.

  ‘I don’t get this… why kill Seb?’

  He looked apologetically at Zoe who winced. ‘Sorry, Zo, but why do that and not kill Isa? Isn’t that what he wants, after all, to kill her? Why let her go?’

  ‘It’s a sick and twisted fuck we’re dealing with,’ Sam said harshly. ‘He wants to break her completely before he ends this. It’s his way of showing Isa that he holds her life in his hands. Jesus.’ Sam broke off and shook his head, his face gray with exhaustion and grief.

  ‘I just don’t understand why this is happening,’ Zoe said softly, after a long silence. ’Isa’s the sweetest person; how could she inspire such hatred? Such violence?’

  ‘Easy,’ Cal said a touch harshly, ‘that face of hers. Zoe, this fucker sees that kind of beauty as a challenge; he had to own it or destroy it.’

  ‘What gives him the right?’ Zoe’s voice started to rise then, ‘who the hell does he think he is?’

  ‘Exactly.’ Sam said shortly. ‘Isa may be my wife, but I’m under no illusions that she belongs to me or anyone else but herself. That’s what love is. What this guy has is a deep, violent obsession, and it’s terrifying.’

  Louisa shivered at his words and she felt Cal squeeze her hand to comfort her. She smiled gratefully at him. ‘Listen, Cal, Zoe, if you want me to…um…pack things up at Seb’s, I’m more than happy to.’

  Zoe nodded. ‘Thank you. That would be a help.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ Cal said, ‘Save all the hassle of the security teams ganging up on you.’

  They left Sam and Zoe in the diner and Cal drove Louisa back to his and Seb’s apartment. Louisa was okay until she stepped into Seb’s room, the room where only a few days ago, they had spent the afternoon making love and laughing together. The room where Seb had shyly told her that he was falling for her. She had chuckled and told him he was crazy.

  Now, she wished she had been honest with him, told him the only crazy one was her – for him. Louisa choked back a sob then felt Cal’s hand on her back.

  ‘You okay?’

  She shook her head and went to sit on the bed, gathering Seb’s abandoned t-short to her face and letting her tears soak into the fabric. She sobbed for a few long minutes, not caring what Cal thought of her.

  As her tears shuddered to a halt, sh
e felt the bed dip next to her as Cal sat down. She looked up and he handed her a glass of scotch. She noticed his eyes were red.

  ‘Drink it,’ he said, ‘If there ever was an excuse to get drunk…’

  She took it and threw it back, shuddering as it hit the back of her throat. ‘God, that’s gross.’

  Cal gave a throaty chuckle. ‘No taste.’

  Louisa half-smiled but the pain was sitting heavily on her chest. ‘It’s not real,’ she said, her voice breaking. ‘It’s not real. He’s not going to come through that door.’

  More tears and she slid the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. She felt Cal’s hand on shoulder and gripped it with her own.

  ‘I know,’ he said, ‘I’d like to kill the motherfucker who did this, Lou.’

  Louisa nodded and looked up at him through her tears. ‘Promise me, if you ever get the chance to do it, you will.’

  Cal gave her a strange smile. ‘I promise, Lou. I promise.

  Her eyes felt gritty, and every cell in her body screamed with pain as Isa shifted in the bed. The smell of antiseptic, of sickness, of death, filled her nostrils, and she gagged, opening her eyes and retching wildly.

  ‘Sweetheart, sweetheart…’ Zoe’s voice broke through her panic, and she felt herself being shifted by strong arms into a sitting position. Agony ripped through her shoulder, and she threw up into the bowl shoved hastily towards her. She heaved and heaved until there was nothing left to bring up. Gasping for air, Isa slumped back into the pillows as Zoe wiped her mouth, smoothing the hair back from Isa’s sweat drenched face. Isa couldn’t take her eyes from her mother.