I hear another door open, and it sounds like it is in the back—the one that Jet is supposed to enter—and I frown. There’s no way that he is ready yet.
Cricket looks to his left, down a hallway that I can’t see from here, and he smiles brightly. “Right on time.” He claps his hands, and my heart stops the moment I see Skye being brought onto the open dance floor. A little bit of blood runs down the side of her face, and her hands are behind her back. “Skye,” I breathe as I lower the gun.
“I’m sorry,” she sobs as she’s shoved forward.
I look up at the guy who is holding her up, and my mind can’t process what I’m seeing. “What are you …?”
Cricket smiles proudly as he places his hands behind his back. “Surprise,” he says excitedly. “I have a few surprises myself. I told you that I love surprises.” He’s all but jumping with joy.
“Oscar?” I ask wide-eyed. “You’re supposed to be dead,” I growl as the shock starts to wear off.
He gives me a big fuck you smile. “That’s what we wanted everyone to think.”
I ignore him and look at Skye. She tries to fight him. Trying to free herself to get away and come to me.
I take a step toward them but stop when he places a gun to her head with his free hand. She whimpers as her body trembles.
I look at Cricket, and now, he has a gun on me. “Hand them over,” he orders, and I clench my teeth.
“Brecken, don’t …” Skye says with desperation, but before she can say anything else, Oscar places his hand over her mouth.
“You’d better pray he does,” Oscar says pressing the side of his face to hers. She closes her eyes tightly.
I have no other choice. I hate to be unarmed, but I have to buy time in order for Jet to get in here. “It’s gonna be okay, Skye,” I tell her as I place my gun on the floor and kick it to the left of me. Far enough for me to reach but not toward them to have.
“The other,” Cricket adds with an eye roll.
I reach into my jeans and pull out the other from the small of my back. I do the same with it and then place my hands in the air.
Cricket then reaches into the back pocket of his pants and pulls out a pair of handcuffs. Fuck! My heart hammers in my chest.
He tosses them over to me, and I catch them without thought. “You know what to do with those,” he says simply.
Skye starts to thrash in Oscar’s arms, but his hand muffles her screams. He pushes the gun into her head so hard it has her tilting it at an odd angle. “Stop,” I shout. “Stop. I’m doing it,” I say as I place the first cuff on my left wrist.
“Tighter,” Cricket growls, and I cinch it all the way down as I grind my teeth. “I want the other just as tight,” he orders. I go to do the other, but he speaks. “Behind your back.”
I swallow nervously and look at Skye. Her head still tilted, tears running down her face as she sobs into his hand. I place my hands behind my back, and with a little bit of difficulty, I tighten the other one around my wrists. I do it just as he said. “Show me,” he orders.
I turn around and let out a shaky breath as I look at them over my shoulder to make sure one of them don’t charge me or shoot me in the back. He nods as if satisfied, and I turn back to face them.
He smiles and claps his hands as if the party is just getting started. Oscar lets up on the gun pressed to Skye’s head, and she straightens her neck. “Remind you of something?” Cricket asks. “I’m sure it’s kinda like when you shot Rachel in your club.” I try not to show my surprise that he knows I killed her. All this time, we thought no one knew. “You shot her twice, right?” He moves his gun to point over at Skye, and he fires. The sound is deafening but not as earth shattering as watching her body jerk before Oscar lets go of her. She falls to the floor as she lets out a terrifying scream.
“SKYE!” I run to her just as Oscar bends down and points the gun at her head. “Don’t take another step,” he orders.
I come to a stop, breathing heavy. I can’t risk it. I won’t risk her life. I yank on my bound wrists and cuss myself for ever letting her come her with me. “You fucking bastard,” I shout.
Cricket now has his gun turned on me. And Oscar has his on her head. If I’m killed, I can’t get her out alive. Cricket knows it, and he smiles at me.
I look down at Skye; she’s lying on her left side, facing away from me. I can see her hands are behind her back, crossed at the wrist and zip tied. They’re so tight that her hands have turned a blueish purple. The copper smell hits my nose, and I have to swallow the vomit that rises in my throat. A pool of blood slowly starts to form underneath her as she cries out.
“You son of a bitch. I’m gonna kill you,” I scream turning back to face Cricket. I try and try to pry my wrists free, but it’s no use. I did what he wanted, and I don’t have a key on me.
“It was just her leg.” He shrugs carelessly and then sighs. “But no, you’re not gonna kill me,” he says matter-of-factly.
Skye cries as she lies there, and Oscar looks at her as if she’s a fucking game he is playing.
“Why?” I ask Cricket. “Why now? Why her?” I know why. She’s told me, but I have to buy time and keep him talking until I get my chance to take him down. Even with my hands cuffed behind my back.
“See, the thing is that I had a client who came to me for some drugs. Robert was his name.” So glad I killed that bastard. And even though I made it look like suicide, he died fucking slowly. “He was here one night and saw a pretty blonde come in. He said that he knew her. I guess she was a friend of his ex.” He waves a hand carelessly in the air. “He wanted a piece of her. But he knew she wouldn’t go for it because he had been with her friend.” He smiles. “I gave him a drug. A drug that would make her want him.” Gen. “That would make her so horny out of her mind that it wouldn’t matter where his cock had been; she would still want to taste it.” He chuckles happily. “Well, one day he brought her in here, and she mentions her best friend. Skye. I ask Robert if that was her friend he had been dating, and I’ll be damned. It was.” Skye moans in pain, and I bite the inside of my mouth till I taste blood. Hang on, Skye. “Now, I could have gone right to her and killed her, but what kind of uncle would I be if I didn’t wanna play with my niece? So one night, a friend of mine saw Tiffany up at Seven Deadly Sins. And said that she left high and with a man. A married man, in fact. I had them intercept her for me. They took her and killed the guy before dumping him for his wife to find. And then Robert and I had some fun with her. She wouldn’t give up anything on Skye, though.” He rolls his eyes as if annoyed.
“Robert was her boyfriend,” I say through gritted teeth. “Why not just ask him for the info that you wanted?” I snap. My hands are starting to go numb.
He snorts at that. “She didn’t tell that shmuck anything.” He waves his hand in the air. “Plus, they had been broken up for a few months when I found all this out. Thanks for killing him, by the way. But yeah, so I wanted to know where she had been. If she was still scared of the dark.” He smiles wickedly. “I wanted to know her fears. Fear is powerful when used correctly. All Robert knew about her was how she liked to be fucked.” I growl, and he ignores it. “So we just eventually killed her.” Skye whimpers softly. “Plus, he was annoying. He never thought things through. He ran her off the road …”
“That was Robert?” I growl.
He nods. “Then he wanted to put her away in prison for murder.” He shakes his head. “I told him that would never work. That we needed to just kill her.” Skye whimpers and I fight the cuffs. I’m gonna save you, Skye.
I look at Oscar now standing, holding his gun down at her head, and Cricket keeps going, getting my attention. “I decide to make an appearance. Leave her a goodie bag to help her remember Tiffany. I just wanted to fuck with her, but when I got up to her apartment, I’ll be damned. Again. You were there beating up some man for her.” He laughs. “It was perfect. Two birds, one stone. I just hung back and watched it happen.”
Sky
e lets out a cry of pain, and I watch her hands fight the restraints. I don’t know if she is just trying to feel if they are still there since she’s gone numb or if she’s trying to free herself. “Shut up,” Oscar shouts and then kicks her. Her cries grow louder.
“You want me,” I remind him Cricket desperately. “I killed Rachel. I killed her,” I repeat as my chest tightens. “Kill me,” I offer, and Skye whimpers.
“Yes.” He sighs. “Which is where I got the idea of Throb from. All those years she told me all the shit you guys did, opening the club was by far the best one you’ve had. Thank you.”
“Why didn’t you just kill me when you found out I killed Rachel?” I demand. The cuffs dig into my hands, and they are cutting my skin.
“Because I told you. I have patience, unlike you. I knew someone would come along.” And he gestures to Skye. “And there she is.” He smiles a cold smile. “And victory tastes so sweet.”
“And Monica?” I ask.
“Well, who hasn’t touched Monica?” he asks with a laugh. “Her husband offered everyone to touch his trophy. And a trophy she was. But this …” He gestures to Skye again. “I sent Monica to pick her up last night. I thought the best surprise would be for you to come home and see that she was gone, with nothing there but my business card. I was tired of playing this game and was ready to just put an end to her miserable life.” He looks down at her with disgust. “But when she never showed, I knew you had killed her,” he says simply then looks at Oscar. “Pick her up,” he orders.
Oscar grabs her by the upper arm and yanks her to her feet. She cries out as he shoves her into a chair. Blood covers the left side of her body and her hair. I swallow the bile that rises in my throat.
Cricket walks over to her, and I take a step to them. Oscar lifts his gun to me, and I stop. Where the fuck is Jet? Cricket pushes the hair back from her face with the end of the gun. Tears fall down her bloodied cheeks, and my heart stops when her eyes meet mine.
He holds his gun against the side of her face. She whimpers as she tries to pull away, but he holds it still with his free hand. “Look at him.” He gestures his head toward me. “He and I are no different.”
“He’s nothing like you,” she says, sounding tired. Her eyes close and open slowly.
He laughs. “But he is. He’s killed like I have. Why do you forgive his sins but not mine?”
“You killed my parents,” she says as her head bobs up and down. She’s losing too much blood. Where is Jet? “They did … nothing … to you.”
“Ah, the parents,” he says with a sigh then looks at me. “Has she told you about her mother? She was my greatest slave. I won her in a bet, but she was by far the best. That’s why my brother fell for her; he couldn’t separate his feelings from his needs.” He rolls his eyes. “The sorry bastard.” Then his eyes light up with excitement. “I was kind enough to loan him my greatest gift, and he fell in love with her and then got her pregnant.” He huffs then he smiles. “Is she like her momma?” he asks, and I growl. “’Cause you’re just like me.” Skye shakes her head as she closes her eyes and then opens them again. She needs medical attention, and now. “You’re a take-charge kind of guy. You use this town to your advantage, and I’m sure you like your women just as obedient as I do.” He yanks her head back by her hair. She doesn’t even cry out, she’s so out of it from the blood loss. He wraps his hand around her throat, and I take a step toward them but stop as he places his gun back to her head. Just a few more steps and I’ll be to her.
“Just kill me,” she whispers, and my stomach drops.
“Don’t,” I say desperately shaking my head as my throat tightens. “Don’t…”
He looks up at me. “That would be too easy.” His hand moves away from her throat and travels down to her chest. I grind my teeth in frustration as I fist my hands behind my back. “You know I was gonna keep her. Men pay a lot for virgins. And some sick bastards like them young.” He chuckles. “But before I got the chance, she ran.” He frowns.
Her head falls forward. “Skye?” I shout trying to get her attention. She doesn’t move. “Skye?” I scream so loud my face turns red and she makes no sign of hearing me.
“Oscar, take care of that,” Cricket orders. “We don’t want her to die too soon.”
Oscar yanks a bandana out of his back pocket and slides it between her leg and the chair. Then he pulls it tight around her upper thigh to slow the bleeding. Her head comes up, and she softly cries out from the roughness.
“Hang in there, Skye,” I say letting out a long breath. And she whimpers as fresh tears run down her face.
Cricket looks at me. “You may leave if you want,” he says with a careless shrug. “I’m not gonna free your hands, but you’re free to go.”
“I’m not leaving without her,” I growl as my body starts to shake. I’m gonna stand here and slowly watch her die. I’ve failed her once again. And if she dies, I’m gonna have them kill me.
“Then you might as well shoot yourself. She belongs to me. She is mine.”
“I killed Rachel,” I scream. “Didn’t she mean anything to you?” I ask breathing heavily. “Or did she just think all that up in her fucking head?” I demand.
He tilts his head from side to side as if he’s trying to decide and then says, “You killed a very reliable source, yes. But you fell in love with my niece,” he says simply. “The niece I’ve been trying to kill for thirteen years. See the irony? Killing her will kill a part of you.” He laughs. “It’s a win-win for me. But I’m really surprised you made it through the loss of Nicole.”
I stiffen, and I look at him wide-eyed. Could he have?
He must know where my mind is going with that because he shakes his head. “No, but Rachel told me everything. She told me how Case lost a sister, and you were in love with her. Then she described to me that she had seen a picture. I knew exactly who she was talking abbot. She never even made it to slavery.” He sighs as if disappointed. “You have a type.” He shakes his finger at me. “You have a type all right. You like fighters. Once again, just like me. I like it when they fight too.” He laughs at that, and I look at Skye.
Her head is down, but I can see parts of her chest through her dark hair, and I can see it rising and falling. “What was that?”
I look over at Cricket, and he has his gun trained to the hallway. And then I hear a sound of something crackle … I smile. It’s about time.
“What the fuck is that noise?” Cricket demands, looking at me. I just shrug my shoulders. “Go check it out,” he orders.
“There was another guy … Jet …” Oscar says.
“What?” Cricket demands.
Oscar knew Jet was here as well? “I thought I took care of him,” he snaps.
“Well, obviously not. Go and take care of him the right way this time,” he shouts and then shoves him forward. He pauses as he looks down the hallway after Oscar. “Jet …” he says softly and I smile. He’s starting to put two and two together. He sucks in a deep breath as he realizes that I’m here with a cop. He turns to face me, and I charge him. I lower my body and hit him in the chest with my shoulder. A loud bang goes off, and we move so far back that we hit the tables and chairs that line the far wall. We crash to the floor, and I clench my teeth as pain shoots up my arm and down my back. I see his gun out of the corner of my eye and am thankful I knocked it out of his hand.
He gets up faster than I do, but I manage to get up to my feet just in time for him to charge me and take me back to the ground. He lands on top of me, pinning my arms underneath me, and he punches me in the face. My jaw cracks as my head snaps to the side, and I taste blood when he hits me again.
Gunshots ring out from down the hall, and Cricket turns his head to look. I take the second to buck him off. He falls to the floor, and I wrap my legs around his neck and clench them tightly. His legs kick out, and his fingers dig into my jeans as we lie on the floor, and I hold him, moving with him to keep him in place. He bares his teeth as his face
starts to turn purple and then a reddish color. I continue to hold him as I look up at Skye still sitting in the chair. I can see her hands still behind her back and the blood that covers her. “Hold on, Skye,” I say through gritted teeth. “Just hold on,” I say as I fight with Cricket.
Case comes running into the room looking like he got the shit beat out of him. Blood runs down his face and a cut on his chin. His shirt ripped. “What the…?”
He ignores me and aims his gun down at Cricket. “Let go of him,” he orders.
I undo my legs and then two more shots ring out, making me momentarily deaf. My ears ring and I sit up. He walks to me, and I shake my head. “Get Skye,” I say, kicking Cricket’s dead body out of my way.
He runs over to her and looks down at her. “Fuck!” he hisses as he picks her up in his arms. She doesn’t even make a sound. He looks at me. “We gotta go. The fire has been started.”
“Jet? Where’s Jet?” I ask.
“He’s already in the car,” he tells me, and I sigh in relief.
“Get her out of here,” I order, and he doesn’t wait. He takes off out the front door with her. “Fucking bastard,” I hiss as I look down at Cricket. I scoot over to him and turn to where my back is to him, and I start digging through his pocket. The same one he had pulled the cuffs out of. I smile when I feel a handcuff key. I undo them and then turn to face him one last time. I hear the crackle of the fire closing in on us, and I can smell the burning of flesh. Oscar. There’s no coming back from that, you bastard.
I turn and walk over to the entrance and bend down grabbing both of my guns and then run out the front door. My Range Rover is already waiting for me right outside the door. I jump in the backseat and see Skye lying there. Case slams on the gas as he gets his cell out and calls 911. Jet sits in the passenger seat, blood running down from his face, but he’s awake and looking at Skye in horror. An explosion booms outside the car as Case informs the hospital that he has a critical patient on the way.
I yank my belt off, wrap it around her upper leg, and tighten it, making a better tourniquet than Oscar had made.
Obsession (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2) Page 41