Page 130 of Insidious Heart
The bear of a man stuffs a SIG in the front of his flannel pajama bottoms because yes, I woke his ass up too, and tries to get out but I run around to the driver’s side and stop him. “You’re retired, old man.”
He shakes his head. “Retired from your line of work, not protecting my own. I’m coming in, Tor, so get out of the way.”
“John,” I say softly, the urgency of the situation still pressing on me but it’s now accompanied by this weird need to protect the first and only person for a long time to see me as something other than fucked up. “The Kings are on their way. I know the house, I’ll be fine.”
Little John keeps shaking his bald head, and when he smoothes down his beard to get ready to muscle through me, that’s when I see it.
For the first time in over twelve years of knowing him, I can see it as clear as day. John Andrews isafraid.
And that does something to me, too.
“Look, when I get Stevie out, I’m going to need you. I don’t know…” I glance back at the house and swallow hard before ducking into the open window. “I don’t know if she’s ok, but I do know that once she’s out, once Stevie is away from that fucking shithole, the only place I want her to go is to your house in Birch Creek.”
His brow furrows for a second. “Victor, I—what about—”
“I’ll be fine.”Probably. “I’m always fine. But Stevie isn’t going to be no matter what happens in those four walls. And last I knew, she had Cal’s boys. If they’re all in there, they’re going to need somewhere safe to go, somewhere they can be protected from anyone or anything that comes looking.” I give him my patented grin. “Old and retired aside, you’re still the scariest motherfucker I know and that makes you the bear for the job.”
“Ok, Tor.” John nods, his dark brown eyes going glassy. “But if your ass doesn’t show up by morning I’ll be kicking it the entire way from here to Birch Creek.”
I wink. “You could bounce quarters off my ass, and don’t you forget it.”
With a few grunts and an annoyed shake of his head, Little John backs out of the driveway and takes off toward his house, hopefully to meet Pope and Doc just in case I need them, too.
And like so many times before, I sneak up the driveway along the side of the house, turn the corner, and head into the backyard, only this time I’m doing it with my gun drawn and my heart racing.
The back door is kicked in, the screen barely hanging on. I can see signs of a struggle in the kitchen; pizza boxes all over the floor, broken glass, and a little blood. No bodies though, alive or otherwise, and I have to take that as a good sign.
“Please, please just let him go!”
I hear my baby dove before I see her and the fear in her frantic voice fucking guts me, but I stay quiet and stay sharp as I move along the back of the house to check for any other Demon Seed bastards.
“Beau, just put the gun down.” Cal’s voice now, loud but calm with a strange edge I can’t quite place. “Let’s just talk about this.”
A gun goes off and Stevie screams before I hear, “Time for talking is done, you Judas motherfucker!”
I run around to the other side of the house to where the living room is, peeking in windows as I go and what I see when I’m close enough? Jesus, it’s worse than I imagined.
Cal is standing in the middle of the room, arms spread wide and lowered to show he’s not a threat. Stevie is standing behind him, thank fuck, bawling and hysterical, and at her feet…fuck. Rochelle is lying lifeless on the floor in a pool of blood, her head propped in King’s lap, the teenager silently weeping while he stares daggers at Beau. Beau, who’s standing in front of them looking about the same as he did when I left him save for the terrified little boy he’s holding by the hair, the muzzle of his gun pressed hard to Prince’s temple.
Fuck.
Fuck me, this is all my fault.
There is literally no one else to blame but me because I’m the one who ran his mouth and fueled a fire that was already hotter than hell itself. I’m the one who got sloppy and didn’t make sure Beau couldn’t get out. I’m the fucker who didn’t kill The Butcher when I had the chance.
This is all onme,and the only thing I can do now is make it right.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You was the one who took the hit out on me?”
I search for a way in that won’t draw any attention but come up short before a thought occurs to me. As fast as my legs will carry me, I race to the backyard again and throw myself at the trellis as soon as I’m within reach.
Beau’s position means he won’t see me coming down the stairs. So as long as Stevie’s window is open, I should be able to get in and down there without anyone but her or Cal seeing me.
And thank fuck my girl likes her room freezing cold when she sleeps.
I slip my fingers under the pane and push the window open, the trellis creaking and bowing while I do, and when the piece of shit breaks, I lunge through the opening just as another shot rings out.
“Ask him!” Beau screams. “Ask this motherfuckerwhyhe’d want me dead!”
