“Cap,” Derek approached. “While you guys were blowing up helicopters, I got something you want.”
“Please tell me it’s Adams. I’ll really hate you if you say you got me a coffee.”
“Well, I tried to go through the drive-thru and get you one, but the lady was terrified of me. Must be the way I look.”
“Derek,” I growled, on the verge of losing my shit. This whole operation had gone to shit in no time and I was seriously lacking patience.
“I’ve got Adams. One mile east of the lodge,” Derek said. “What are we gonna do with the fucker?”
“I can think of a few things I’d like to do to him. The man’s been a pain in the ass for too many years.”
“I’m with you,” Knight said.
“Get in line. Everyone wants this fucker.”
I was just about to leave when Sean came strolling over, looking much more relaxed than I expected.
“Sean,” I said hesitantly. “You seem calm.”
“Why wouldn’t I? I mean, technically you didn’t ruin my Christmas. My sister looks happier than I’ve ever seen her. She’s not freaking out at every turn, so that’s a positive. I got to see some fireworks-”
“A building burnt down.” He shrugged. “So, why are you not yelling at me?”
“What’s the point? You did warn me. And when Maggie came running out to save your ass, I guess I was kind of curious.”
I grinned wide. “So, you want to come along the next time?”
“Not a chance in hell. You guys are fucking crazy.”
“Well, in our defense, we didn’t ask for this.”
“No, you just planned out the whole fucking attack so that you could kill Adams. Totally different.”
He turned and walked away, shaking his head as he chuckled to himself. I reminded myself that I still had work to do and headed through the woods, following Derek to where Adams was being held. Soon Cazzo, Sinner, and Coop were right there beside me, along with a few other guys.
“I thought I told you to stay with Maggie,” I said to Sinner.
“Yeah, like I was going to miss the chance to kill the fucker that made sure I was practically dickless.”
We ran through the trees, keeping our eyes out for any missed threats, but Derek’s team had been thorough. In a matter of minutes, we were standing in front of Adams, the man that had caused so much pain over the years. And here he was, ready for one of us to kill him. But not before Cazzo got his hands on him. That was one thing I was sure of.
“Victor Adams,” I grinned at the man strapped to a tree. “It’s so nice of you to drop in.”
He didn’t say anything, just sneered at us. I assumed he didn’t have much to say because he knew he was fucked.
“So, what brings you to our neck of the woods? Family reunion? I hate to disappoint you, but I’m pretty sure Vanessa doesn’t give a shit about you anymore.”
“Trying to sell her to the cartels will do that,” Cazzo nodded. “Although, I’m sure she would love to be here to see you put in the ground.”
Adams jerked, but couldn’t move behind the rope. “I have reinforcements coming. If you let me go, I’ll wait until after Christmas to come after you again.”
“Aww, that is so sweet,” I said, in mock sincerity. “Maybe we could exchange Christmas cards.” I grinned at Adams and turned slightly to Knight. “What do you think? Do we let the spirit of Christmas guide us? Let this asshole go?”
“You know, I don’t think he has anyone coming,” Knight answered. “Last I checked, and I’m very thorough, he’s all out of money. He used up all his good luck with the cartels, and the only reason he’s still alive is that he promised them a very big payday. I think I have the paper right here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper, one that none of us had seen or heard about. “Yep, this is the one. I found it in your hotel room. Your security sucks, by the way. Anyway, this is just a little death threat from your good buddy, Carlos. Look,” Knight showed me. “There’s even a picture with a target over his face. Isn’t that cute? Anyway, he says that you have until tomorrow to pay back the money you owe him. Or else.”
“Ooh,” I hissed in a breath. “What do you think ‘or else’ means?”
“I’m pretty sure it means me.”
Adams paled and I wondered what the fuck was going on. “No…I have until tomorrow.”
“Think of me as your boss. I was hired to do a job. I’m somewhat of an overseer. I came along to make sure that you complete the job. And if not, I make sure that you die a very long, painful death.”
What the fuck was he talking about? I watched as he stepped forward, flicking a knife from his pocket. It glinted in the moonlight and Adams actually swayed on his feet.
“Did Carlos tell you about my…specialty?” Knight asked.
“Please,” Adams whimpered. “I have-”
“You have nothing,” Knight said in a low growl, cutting him off. “So, since it seems that you don’t know exactly what will happen, I’ll fill you in. Let you get a little taste of what you can look forward to. First, I’ll take my knife and shove it up your ass. Then, while you’re screaming and pleading for it to stop, I’ll roll you over and slice you open from your neck to your dick. But I won’t cut it off just yet. That’ll be saved for last. Do you want to hear more?”
Adams was a quivering mess as Knight approached. He held the knife right to Adams’ face and trailed it lightly down his cheek, neck, and then down his chest.
“But we’ll save that for a little later. There are a few other people that would like a crack at you first.”
He walked away, waving Sinner on. But Sinner just stood there. “I don’t have anything to say to this asshole. Seeing him dead is good enough for me.”
“Coop?” I asked.
“You know, I thought I would have something to say, but…I’m good.”
“Cazzo?”
He shook his head. Knight stepped forward, flipping his knife in his hand. Adams was as white as a ghost, knowing what was about to happen to him. But I wondered how long Coop, Cazzo, and Sinner would let Knight have all the fun. He moved forward until he was right in front of him, and then he shot Adams an evil smirk that sent chills down my spine.
“Let’s get started then.”
He cut the ropes from around Adams’ body and grabbed his jacket, throwing him to the ground. The tear of fabric had me grimacing. This might be right up Knight’s alley, but this wasn’t something I wanted to see.
“Wait!”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Cazzo
Vanessa came running out of the woods, skidding to a halt just ten feet from her father’s body on the ground.
“Don’t kill him.”
“What?” I all but shouted. “You can’t be serious. You know what he did to you, and you know what he did to everyone else here. Why would you want to spare him?”
She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “He’s my father. Like him or not…he’s my father,” she pleaded. I moved to her instantly, wrapping her up in my arms. I didn’t like that she still felt something for him. And I didn’t like that she was preventing me from doing the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world. But she was my whole world, and if she needed this, I couldn’t stand in her way, no matter what everyone else thought.
I turned and faced the guys, shaking my head slightly.
“Are you fucking serious?” Coop asked. “If you let him go, he’ll never stop coming after us. He’s deranged!”
“So you want me to kill my wife’s father? Hell, I’d gladly put a bullet in him, but not if it hurts her.”
“This is a mistake,” Sinner said in a sing-song voice. “I can see it now. We’ll all be going about our merry lives, and this asshole will come out full force with the cartels and-”
“Don’t worry about the cartels,” Knight cut in. “I’ve got that covered.”
“Of course you do,” I muttered. While we were all bickering, Vanessa
had moved closer to her father, practically standing beside him now. She bent down and pulled him to his feet. He had a graceful look on his face for all of two point five seconds. I watched in slow motion as he pulled the gun from the back of her jeans and pulled her in close to him, pointing the weapon at her head. All of us had our guns trained on him, but were unwilling to take that risk.
“Put the gun down now!” I yelled.
“So you can kill me? You really think I believe that you’ll let me go because she says so,” he said, jerking Vanessa in his grasp. As I stared at Vanessa, I realized that she didn’t look panicked in the least, and it hit me then that she wanted this to happen. Well, not this in particular, but she wanted to test him. And he had failed. So, I decided to take it a step further.
“She’s pregnant,” I said, letting the urgency leak into my voice.
“And that matters to me how? It’ll probably turn out to be just as much of a disappointment as she was.”
With a heavy sigh, Vanessa shoved her hands up, knocking the gun away enough that she could twist away. All of us fired at the same time, not taking the chance that no one would fire. Adams fell to the ground, slumping onto his back. I walked forward and kicked the gun away, just to be safe, even though he had at least five bullet holes in him. I kicked his limp body and breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn’t believe how much better I felt now. It was like that had been weighing me down for years.
“Nice shot,” Cap said.
“Not bad, if I do say so myself,” I grinned. “Right in the heart.”
“What? No, I was talking about my shot. Right through the fucking neck.”
“No, my shot hit first. It was the kill shot.”
“How do you figure?” Coop asked as he walked up. “My shot was a head shot. That was the kill shot.”
“Nah,” Sinner bent down, examining the body. “It wasn’t a kill shot. See how the bullet looked like it would go to the brain, but it actually skimmed along the side of the head. Sorry, but all you did was give him a headache.”
“Well, if all of you hadn’t shot at the same time as me, his body wouldn’t have jerked out of the way of my bullet.”
“Yeah, that’s what happened,” Sinner grinned.
“Fine, where’s your shot?”
“Mine’s in the stomach,” Sinner said proudly. Coop gaped at him.
“That’s not a fucking kill shot. That’s a seriously wounded shot.”
“He’s right,” Chris piped up. “Trust me. Been there, done that. Got the shot glass. It hurts like a motherfucker, but definitely not the kill shot. You gave him a fucking tummy ache.”
“Look, it doesn’t matter if you guys shot him too,” I said irritatedly. “I shot him in the fucking heart. The heart stops beating and the body is dead. Boom, motherfuckers!”
Sinner shook his head. “Nope,” he said, examining the body further. “Look, the bullet is about a half inch too low. At best, you nicked his lungs. So he’s got a breathing problem. Big deal. And Cap, seriously, you didn’t even hit his neck straight on. No arteries are severed and neither is the spinal cord. Again, another breathing problem that could easily be solved with a trache.”
“So, wait. If none of us actually did the kill shot, then who the fuck did?”
“Me,” Knight said from behind us. “Did you miss the small hole in between his fucking eyes?”
We all looked back down at the body and only then seemed to notice that he did in fact have a hole between his eyes.
“How can we be sure that’s your shot?” I asked.
“Because I never fucking miss. And you guys already pointed out your shots, which only leaves mine.”
“Well, fuck,” Sinner said, staring down at the body. “Alright, but if anyone asks, I’m saying it was me.”
“Likewise,” Coop grinned.
“Alright, enough debating. It’s time to get this shit cleaned up and get back home.”
“Don’t worry about Adams. I know someone that wants his body,” Knight said, walking over to Adams and hauling him up, as if he didn’t have blood dripping out of his body in multiple places. I suddenly remembered that Vanessa was still here and went over to her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“If I had realized you were playing him, I would have drawn it out a little more for the guys.”
“I wasn’t completely playing him. I guess part of me wanted to see if he would have a change of heart. But I guess he was never really interested in being my father.”
“Well, my parents love you.” I kissed her on the forehead and pulled her into me, but then something occurred to me. “Vanessa, what did you tell my parents when you left?”
“Um…I didn’t say anything. I sort of left them with Raegan’s parents and snuck out.”
“When did my sweetheart become such a badass?”
“I guess it comes with being married to you,” she grinned up at me.
“And you feel okay? The baby’s okay?”
“I’m sure she is.”
“She?”
“I think so,” she said, turning to walk away.
“No, it’s gotta be a boy,” I called after her, but she just smiled back at me and kept walking. “Vanessa, don’t you walk away from me. We’re going to talk about this right now.” She kept walking. “We’re having a boy and that’s final!”
“I’ll let you think that,” she called.
“Shit,” I said, staring at the ground, my hands on my hips. “I’ll just have to figure something out. I’ll fuck her more and fill her with more of my swimmers. They can negotiate with the little one. Yeah, good plan, dick.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Chance
The building was pretty much burnt to the ground. Smoke filled the air all around us and flakes of ash drifted through the air. All of us stood around, staring at the building and checking in with the ladies to make sure they were alright. There went our wedding. Morgan’s dress was in there and her day was ruined. I tucked her into my side and wiped some ash from her face. It only smeared, making her look badass.
“Well, I guess that’s pretty much it for us,” she said with a sigh. “I guess we could just get married at city hall.”
“Fuck that,” I growled. “I’m marrying you today. I know it’s not the wedding you want, and I know we all look like shit, but does it really matter? I just want you. The rest is just window dressing.”
She grinned and pressed her lips to mine.
“Ew,” Payton groaned. “That’s gross.”
“Someday, you’ll want to do this too, kid.”
“Yeah, and Chance will have a gun ready, so watch who you bring around,” Morgan laughed.
“Hunter!” I shouted, spinning around to look for him. “You ready?”
“For what?”
“To marry us.”
“Now?” he asked incredulously.
“Why not? Look at the scenery. Not everyone can boast a view like that.”
He looked around, a grimace on his face. “I guess it would be the most unique ceremony I’ve ever performed.”
“See? Look on the bright side,” I said, coughing furiously as a big smoke cloud drifted in front of me.
“Okay, let’s do this. Do you have rings?”
“Uh…” I checked my pockets, sighing in relief when I found them in my front jeans pocket. “Got ‘em.”
“Alright. Hey!” Hunter shouted. “Everyone over here. We’re having a wedding!”
Slowly, everyone started drifting over, looking ravaged more than anything.
“Um…if you have a phone, I would be grateful if you took pictures,” Morgan said cheerily.
“Of what?” Ice asked. “You want to remember this?” Lindsey smacked him in the chest. “Ow, damn woman. Be nice. It’s a fucking wedding.”
“Let’s get this over with so we can get the fuck out of here,” Cap grumbled. “I don’t want to be here when the owners realize that we orchestrated this.
”
“Nice,” I snapped. He shrugged.
“Alright, let’s get this shit started,” Hunter said, clearing his throat. “Dearly beloved. We are gathered here…among all this wreckage…bullet casings, grenades, RPG’s, C4…carnage, and…all these dead bodies…to witness the union of Chance and Morgan.”
“Now it’s a Reed Security wedding,” Sinner grinned.
Hunter cleared his throat and continued. “Okay, I’m kind of winging it from here since all my notes are burned to a crisp.” There were some laughs and then Hunter continued. “You guys should go into this knowing that it’s gonna be one helluva pain in the ass. I mean, bullets and blood got nothing on what it’s like in a marriage. I mean, just the other day, Lucy was bitching at me because-”
I cleared my throat, stopping his soon to be rant.
“Right. Anyway, you obviously love each other and all that shit. And unlike Craig, you’re not dragging Morgan to the altar, so we’re good there too. And I know both of you are serious as fuck about this.”
“Maybe not say ‘fuck’ right now,” I hinted.
“Oh, right. Um… I guess that’s it. Chance, do you take Morgan to be your lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold for the rest of your goddamned life? To be attached to a woman that will twist your balls into a goddamn knot? Really think about this.”
I very calmly and very rationally swung back and punched him in the face. “I do.”
He rubbed his jaw and slowly turned back to me, shooting me a little glare. “Shit, I just wanted you to be sure. I’m the fucking minister. Show me some goddamn respect.”
“Nice, using blasphemy during my vows.”
“Fine, I’ll keep it clean. Do you, Morgan, take this buttmuncher for the rest of your life. To sleep beside his cranky ass every night and wake up to that ugly mug every morning?”
“I do,” Morgan grinned, completely unfazed by all of it.
“Great, that’s fucking fantastic,” Hunter griped, still rubbing his jaw. “You can uh…you know, kill her.”
“Excuse me?”
“Kiss her. I meant kiss her.”
I flicked him off and then pulled Morgan into my arms, kissing the hell out of her in front of all our friends, and like Hunter said, all the dead bodies. It was fucking great.
A Mad Reed Security Christmas Page 21