Page 88 of Paths
Byron takes a step and narrows his eyes. “I’ll do what I need to do for this family. Liabilities are eliminated, and she’s a fucking liabil—”
That’s when I pull the trigger.
All I hear is the gunshot ringing through the abandoned warehouse as he hits the floor. I don’t hear the commotion, the yelling, or the men running to Byron where he’s starting to bleed, lying on the cold concrete. That’s when his eyes roll back in his head.
I know he’s dead. That’s what he gets for going after Maya.
“Fuck!” Jeff yells and turns to my dad. “What are you going to do about this?”
“No one fucking touches her,” I warn and turn my gun on the rest of the group, including my father. I look to Trevor, who doesn’t take his eyes off me. “The only reason you aren’t dead, too, is because I know you were taking an order.” His chest heaves, even though he’s standing stock-still. I look back to the rest of them. “I’ll get her back and that asshole who took her from me will pay. But no one makes a move on Maya Augustine. Ever.”
I don’t give a shit about Byron, I’ve always hated him and now he’s out of the way. I walk backwards, not taking my eyes off them when my dad calls for me, “Weston, stop.”
As soon as my back clears the door, I turn and move. It’s time to bring Maya home and take care of that asshole who took her from me for good. I shoot two tires on every car but mine.
I have a task.
Fuck the consequences. All I can think about is her.
Chapter 23 – You’ve Sunk Me
Grady –
“I can’t believe you’re engaged.”
I look over and Crew raises his beer to his lips as he watches the huddle of women at the bar with their empty bottles of wine scattered about.
Wine “tasting” turned into everyone having a glass and then another. The next thing I knew, Addy closed the place down and brought out platters of food as Evan started popping corks. That’s when the wine tasting turned into a party.
I take a sip of my water and make no comment. Maya and I still haven’t spoken the word engaged out loud, let alone anything else. At this point, I’m just happy she’s still wearing my ring. It’s a step in the right direction, but I’m not about to tell Crew.
“You beat me,” Crew goes on and turns to me. “I’m giving Addison some time—she needs it after what went down with O’Rourke. But we’re getting married in the spring as long as she’s good. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
“Happy for you, man,” I say, because I am. There are times I look back on what we did, when we were in the thick of it. Seems like forever ago, when really it hasn’t even been a year since we officially retired. It seems like another life—a hallucination compared to the last couple months.
“You gonna tell her?” Crew asks.
I sigh and look at my obsession, sitting in the middle of my sisters. Three of them are drunk and cackling up a storm with Addy and her friend Mary, but Raine and Maya haven’t had a drop. They’ve been deep in conversation for some time.
“I’m working on it,” I answer. “Just when I think I have a plan, new shit is thrown at us. The latest being my sisters.”
“I just found out two of them are staying with us at Addison’s since I only have one bed at my old house.” He looks over at me and raises a brow. “You’re welcome.”
“I have no idea how long they’re staying, but at least they all have jobs. They have to leave eventually,” I grumble. “Speaking of jobs, I know Maya’s ex and his family are still a threat, but once that’s under control, I think it’s time for me to come back. I’ve taken too much time as it is.”
“No problem. Whenever you’re ready.”
“I’m ready,” I say firmly. “This time around, I’m all in. I see what you did when you got us out—I’m not taking it for granted again. I’m committed.”
Crew looks to me and nods once before turning back to the women, saying, “It’s time. Time for us to sit back and reap the benefits of doing our duty.”
I lean back in my chair farther and think about the benefits. I’m so ready for the payoff, I can barely stand it.
But first, I know things need to happen and information needs to be shared. And that makes me antsy.
*****
Maya –
