Reciprocity

by K. I. Lynn

  “What are we going to do?” I asked, my voice shaky and feeble. The car jostled again as they slammed into the bumper. I shrunk into my seat, holding on to the seatbelt and trying not to freak out.

  “Away from them. Away from everything.” His voice was clearer than mine, yet it spoke volumes about where he was at in his head. He was far, far away from here. Imagining some place where he could lock me away.

  The wheel jerked as they slammed into us again. The back end of the car swung out, but he kept control, the car rocking as it maneuvered back into a straight line.

  Every heartbeat passed in what felt like hours, not seconds. Slow motion in fast forward—a strange sensation.

  I wanted the car to stop.

  I wanted it to go faster.

  I wanted the world to melt away and take my fear with it.

  Another minute, hour, lifetime with Nathan.

  I wanted to catch a fucking break in my shit life and have the future we deserved.

  A tear slid down my cheek and time caught back up.

  The tires lost traction on the road as they hit us again, sending us careening into a field. My head slammed into the window as we bounced around on the uneven ground. I held on tighter as the car spun out, narrowly missing a tree.

  I exhaled, expunging the air from my aching lungs. How long had I been holding my breath?

  Nathan pried his hands from the wheel and turned to me. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, unable to voice any of the hundreds of emotions boiling. His head whipped around, searching for our followers. He turned the key, but the engine wouldn’t turn over.

  “Fuck! We need to get out of this car.” He reached out, pointing across the field to a large wooden barn. “There. We have to run.”

  I reached down to my purse for the Ruger and opened the car door. The darkness made it hard to see anything, but the moonlight created enough light to make our way across the overgrown grass. As we approached the barn a light flipped on.

  “Shit.” I hissed.

  We slid onto the ground behind a stack of hay. Nathan’s head popped up to see where our stalkers were. A car door slammed and he turned back to me, sadness and fear flooded his features as he stared at me. His hands grasped the sides of my face and brought my lips to his.

  “I’m sorry, Lila. I’m so sorry.” His expression broke my heart. “Baby, I need you to do as I say.”

  I shook my head violently from side to side.

  “Please!” He rested his forehead on mine. “Baby, you have to run. I’ll buy you some time.”

  I gripped onto his shirt, fisting it and holding on tight, unwilling to let him go. “You mean your death will buy me some. No! I can’t live without you. Please, Nate. Don’t leave me.”

  He let out a shaky breath. “I can’t watch you die, and their intent is to kill you.”

  “Then don’t go. We can still make it out of here.”

  “Come on out, Thorne!”

  I gasped, and Nathan froze.

  I swallowed hard and looked down at the gun in my hands. “They don’t know where we are. We can take them out now.”

  His eyes went wide and he nodded, pulling the gun out from his pants. “Together.” He leaned forward and kissed me, then turned back to the direction they were coming from.

  There was a small space between the stack and I peeked through, but it wasn’t enough. I popped my head up enough to see that there were two guys, both dressed in suits. Another set of headlights headed down the road toward us.

  My eyes widened as I recognized a guy wearing a knit cap—I’d seen him before. Many months before in the dress shop. He was the one I’d told Nathan about—Mack.

  “Shit.” Nathan hissed as he ducked back down, pulling me with him just as a shot rang out, flying through the hay and past us into the barn. A small amount of light poured out from the new hole.

  Another shot whizzed by, and I peered through the small space again. The chubby one was in view and I pulled the gun up, lining up the sight. My finger sat on the trigger, my chest heavy with anxiety and the weight of what I was about to do. I closed my eyes, blew out a breath, and squeezed.

  The gun fired, the force of the kick-back and surprise of the shot made me lose sight of him for a moment. A scream of agony pierced the air, and I knew I’d hit my target somewhere.

  Nathan shook me and I looked at him, but he sounded like he was in a tunnel.

  “What?”

  He pulled on my arm. “Come on.”

  My hearing cleared, and their yells came through. We skirted around the edge of the barn, out in the open, and a bullet barely missed us. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, even when I fired off another round at our attackers.

  He pulled me through the large, wide doors of the barn for some cover, just as one of the men came into view.

  “Stay down!” Nathan shot off a round just as one of them ran around the corner. The guy screamed out as the bullet clipped his shoulder.

  I shook my head at him and kept at it as he began to close the door. If he was going to protect us, then I would, too. We were a team.

  He pulled the lever down into its footing in the ground. “Fuck…” He looked around behind us, realizing we were trapped within the barn’s large walls, the only other exit being a regular-sized door next to the large one.

  A loud bang with some splintering wood filled my ears before Nathan screamed out and clutched his arm. I grabbed hold of him and led him over behind a tractor. He hissed when I pulled his hand off to see—the bullet grazed his arm, but he was fine.

  They tried to get through the doors and started firing off, punching through the wood planks.

  I gripped his shirt and pulled, yanking us toward a ladder that led to a loft.

  Before we could reach it, we were tackled to the ground. Two men began kicking Nathan, and another hauled me up from the ground by my hair.

  I dug my nails into my attacker’s hand as I screamed in pain. He turned, pulling me by my hair and slamming me into one of the barn’s support beams. I fell to the ground, the world spinning and blurry for a moment as my head rang. The need to move was strong, but I couldn’t.

  “Don’t fucking touch her!” Nathan yelled from a few feet away.

  Whoever stood over me turned toward him, leaving me on the ground and heading to Nathan. I squinted and saw that the men who’d been kicking Nathan were laying at his feet. In the next moment, Nathan hit the one who attacked me and sent him to the ground, blood gushing from his nose.

  I stood, my legs shaking and my head still spinning. The guy in the hat also got up and picked up his fallen gun, raising it in the air.

  “No!” I jumped onto him, the force enough that the bullet missed Nathan and fired off into the distance.

  He grunted, cursing as he pulled me off. I stumbled back, but before I could right myself, something hard collided with the side of my head, sending me down to the ground. Pain exploded through me, my vision blurring, ears ringing.

  “Stupid bitch.”

  I turned over and tried to get up, but I was weak. I tried again, but it was too late.

  The asshole pushed on my back and I lurched forward. One of his other guys had his gun on me, and Vincent stepped forward for the first time.

  Vincent stared at me with an eerily happy smile—it was intense. “Hello again, Mrs. Thorne.”

  He stood in front of me and motioned for his men to stand me up. I turned to look for Nathan as they hauled me up, and he was being held by two men, blood dripping from a large split in his lip. He pulled against them, still fighting. One of them punched him in the stomach until he stopped.

  Vincent turned to Nathan, his wide smile becoming even more malicious. “I really wanted to kill you. I killed your wife and son, and at the time I thought that the life you had left was punishment enough. Then, all of the sudden after so long, you’re happy, and they tell me you re-married.” He sneered at Nathan. “All the while, my daughter is miserable in jail. I cannot all
ow you to be happy when she is in such a state.” His nostrils flared, and his arms opened wide. “So, here we are again. I’ll kill your wife in front of your eyes and watch the misery take hold of you again, making me very happy. Restoring the balance back to the way things should always be.”

  There was only an instant that passed—a click followed by a loud bang that bounced around the metal walls of the warehouse. Something pushed my shoulder back, hard. Nathan howled behind me, but it took a second to register why.

  Searing pain ripped through me, time delayed by a few heartbeats as my brain received the signal. My face scrunched up as a scream exploded. My mouth hung open, whimpering, shrill gasps coming through.

  As the shock settled, I looked down. Thick, dark red liquid was coloring my shirt and seeping from the open wound. My left arm was cold, hanging limp at my side. I didn’t even want to try and move it, afraid of the pain it would cause.

  My knees gave out, and I fell to the ground.

  “Oh, I missed.” Vincent’s malicious smile told me it was intended. Torture me to make Nathan suffer more. “Aren’t you going to beg for your life? Or to kill you and spare him?”

  “No.” My voice was steady despite the fear and pain I was in.

  “No?” he asked. He seemed a bit shocked by my response. “And why is that?”

  “Because even if you don’t kill both of us, whoever survives will kill themselves.”

  Stunned, Vincent’s eyes widened, and he stepped back from my kneeling form. My shoulder was throbbing, sticky blood seeping out.

  “I will ask, though, if you are going to kill us both, kill him first.”

  “Oh, but I want him to watch you die. I want him to suffer more.”

  “But for him to suffer, you would need him alive. And if you leave him alive, he’ll just kill himself before dawn breaks.”

  Vincent continued to stare down at me, and then his gaze flickered between Nathan and me.

  “Lila, baby, please,” Nathan begged from behind me, struggling hard against his bindings and the men holding him.

  I smiled up at Vincent. “Death can’t stop us. We’ll be together on the other side, because we were born for each other. So do it. Kill me. End this nightmare.”

  Nathan begged for me to stop, but there was no stopping. Not now. We were at the end of the line. I couldn’t live without Nathan, and I knew he couldn’t live without me.

  Vincent raised his gun and pressed the still-warm steel to my forehead. Nathan thrashed behind me. It was violent—fighting with all his might. The sound was breaking my heart, but it would only be until the trigger was pulled. A tear escaped and ran down my cheek.

  “I love you, Nathan,” I whispered, his wailing filling my ears.

  “A pity to kill a woman such as you, Delilah,” Vincent said as he cocked his gun.

  I closed my eyes and waited for the last sound I would ever hear. My muscles unconsciously tensed in anticipation, my thumb twirling my wedding bands on my finger as I counted the seconds.

  Then the shot rang out, along with Nathan’s screams.

  I felt no pain.

  CHAPTER 28

  My eyes were still sealed tight, waiting for the pain, waiting for the nothingness to consume me. The concussive sound of the gun firing exploded in my ears. Warm droplets landed on my skin.

  I waited.

  One heartbeat…

  Two heartbeats…

  The beating continued on.

  The ringing grew louder, making me cringe, then was gone, replaced by the thud of something heavy dropping to the ground in front of me.

  My breath was ragged as my heart raced, still waiting for the bullet to hit me. I forced my eyes to open, half expecting to see the nothingness of death or the shiny leather shoes of my killer splattered with my blood.

  I saw neither.

  Vincent Marconi’s body lay sprawled out in front of me, his eyes open, the light fading from them. Blood seeped out of his chest, pooling beneath him. I wiped my hand against my forehead and found no hole, but thick, sticky, dark red blood instead.

  It wasn’t mine.

  Everything was silent, or seemed to be. I began to shake, my body trembling and convulsing. Pain radiated from my shoulder as I slumped to the ground, my head falling onto the packed dirt floor. Nathan called out to me.

  “Drop your weapons!” someone yelled.

  Men stormed into the barn, filtering in and disarming Vincent’s men. Shots fired off again, echoing in my ears.

  Everything moved in slow motion, the sound muted by a tunnel. I saw the vision of a terrified Nathan sliding to the ground in front of me, then nothing.

  My eyes flew open, and millions of blinding lights assaulted me.

  Warm, large hands brushed over my forehead and then drifted through my hair, calming me. “Shh, it’s okay, baby.”

  I groaned, my brow furrowed as my brain tried to wake from its groggy state. Where was I? The florescent light above me was familiar, and not in a good way. My heart raced, confusion and fear moving through me. I needed to run, flee…didn’t I?

  “Nate?” Was he okay? What was going on?

  My teeth clenched, and I hissed as a throbbing pain in my shoulder zinged into a sharp one. I blinked, my eyes straining to adjust and focus. Tiny caresses to the back of my head drew my attention and fuzzy mind.

  I turned my head and found Nathan’s blue eyes staring at me. He was a mess.

  “Hi.” His swollen and split lip twitched up into a smile. Added to that, there were bruises on his face, and it was also puffy.

  The anxiety running rampant through me began to calm—he was all right. “Hi.” There was a twinge in my jaw as I tried to stretch it out.

  “How do you feel?”

  I frowned, still trying to remember how I landed in the fashionable blue hospital gown I was sporting. “I hurt. What’s going on?”

  He pursed his lips. “Do you remember what happened? You’ve been out for almost twelve hours…I’ve been freaking out that you weren’t coming back to me.”

  My shoulder hurt. It hurt a lot. “We made it out? How?”

  His lips moved into a thin line, and I gathered he didn’t like my response. “Well, I have some news.”

  I froze, unable to read from his expression if it was good or bad. “What?”

  “For once in a very long time, it has a happy edge to it.” His thumb stroked the back of my hand. “Vincent Marconi is dead…I’m finally free.”

  My eyes popped open wide. “Free? As in, he’s gone for good?”

  He smiled and let out a relieved sigh. “Yes, gone. Never to return.”

  “How?” I was still reeling.

  “Noah. He shot him…just in time.” His jaw clenched and tears welled in his eyes. “Fuck, baby, for a split second I thought I’d lost you. I owe him everything.”

  Noah? There was a vague memory of him standing in front of me, worried and knuckles white as he held a gun, but most of it was a blur after Vincent put the gun to my head.

  “What happened after that? I mean, he’s dead, but what about the rest of them?”

  He blew out a breath and tightened his grip. “Vincent was the one with the vendetta, and he was the leader. Between him being dead and the legal actions against his organization, I’m the least of their worries. The fighting over who becomes the new head will ensue and become the focus.”

  I wasn’t sure I believed him or his bravado. It seemed sincere, the relief evident in his body language, and he wasn’t lying or putting on a front. My gaze moved around the room, and I noticed a cop standing outside the door. “Then why do we have an armed guard?”

  “Noah did it just in case, but I’m not worried. One of Marconi’s guys got into a shoot-out and lost, and the other two are in custody.”

  “Was it the one that followed us? Mack?”

  He nodded. “Yes. He was Vincent’s favorite. They also caught Vincent’s son, Giovani, in a third car. Both had warrants out for their arrest and are in cus
tody. Which is another reason I know we’re free.”

  “Really?” Could it be true?

  “You passed out from shock before that all went down. Paramedics came. It was a mess.” He let out a chuckle. “You missed all the bullshit of explaining what happened.”

  “I’ll still have to.”

  “Yeah.”

  We were silent for a moment, simple comforting touches and light kisses.

  “I’m tired of seeing you in a hospital bed.” Nathan’s voice was hoarse and he sighed.

  “I’m tired of waking up in them.”

  His lip twitched, and he placed a kiss on my hand. “I only want to come back here when you’re having my babies.”

  I smiled. It hurt, but not as much as the pain from wanting to be in his arms. “How about we start now?”

  He let out a scratchy laugh. “God, baby.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

  “Get me out of here. I just want to be with you—only you.” I kissed my way down his jaw. I didn’t know if it was the meds or the situation, but I needed him.

  His eyes lit up, and he hugged me, but very gently. “We have to wait until they release you.” The thick emotions in his voice seeped through, and he sounded on the edge of tears.

  I wanted to squeeze him hard to my chest, but my arm was weak.

  “I want to go home. Now.” I released him and looked into his eyes. “I want to be snuggled in bed with you, safe and warm.”

  He stroked my cheek and gave me an empathetic look. “Me too. I want that so much.”

  “Then let’s go.” I tried to sit up, but he placed a hand on my chest, stopping me.

  “Not just yet. The doctor wants to keep you for the day.”

  I let out a whine and shook my head, not liking his response. My bed filled with my office god was calling me, and I wanted the hell out. “Why? I’m fine.”

  He cupped his hand under my chin, lifting my head up to look in his eyes. “I know you think you are, but my Honeybear is not the expert on this. They just want to make sure they know the extent of your injuries. We were tossed around in the car, then chased down and beaten. Your body’s not meant to be pounded that way.”