That means he hasn’t seen them on camera or coming out of the neighborhood. That does nothing to reassure me they’re safe. But at least it means they’re not dead on the ground or been kidnapped. There aren’t that many cars near the house, but there are three large SUVs along the street.
They must be ours, but we’re not close enough yet for me to see the hubcaps that have our distinct markings. Because all of the Four Families use the same body shop to customize our vehicles, it’s considered Switzerland. The only way for us to tell our vehicles apart in a hurry are the unique hubcaps the shop owner makes for each family.
I scan the street and look for cars that might have brought the O’Sheehans. I need to get a sense of how many men there are. Normally, we’d park somewhere away from our destination, but there’s no time. Jorge pulls straight into the driveway. He barely has it in park before we’re both opening our doors. He hits the ignition button and is outside before the engine is off.
I pull the gun from my lower back, ready to shoot first, ask questions later. Years of practice have Jorge and me moving together, taking turns looking forwards and behind us, twisting to ensure no one can sneak up on us.
“Capitán.”
I nod to one of our guys who hurries to open the back gate for us. Just as I pass through, I see a head of long blonde hair step out onto the back patio. I expect to see someone following Maddy, but she’s alone.
What the fuck?
Nobody follows her out.
She steps onto the grass, looking around. I don’t know if she saw me or not, but I spot Drew stepping out of a shadow.
“Bitch, if you don’t want me to shoot you or your fucking bulldog, then get your scrawny ass over here.”
“I’ll come, just leave Elle alone. Leave all of these men alone. You win, Drew.”
“Bull-fucking-shit. I don’t win until they’re all dead. But you might survive this after all. Get over here.”
He points to the ground in front of him. He raises his gun and aims it toward the house. There’s no noise coming from it, but I wouldn’t expect there to be since their men will have silencers just like ours. I wonder for a moment where the fuck the new homeowners are. How have they not walked in on this shitshow? I may never get an answer to those questions, but I sure as fuck am glad they’re not here.
At least I’m assuming not. If they were, I would know about it from Pedro, the guy who opened the gate.
“All right, all right, I’m coming.”
Maddy runs toward him, her hands hidden at her side. The loose-fitting pants conceal what she has in them. If my heart was racing earlier, it’s surely stopped now when I realize what she’s about to do. I sprint toward her just as she draws back her right hand, then thrusts it forward, a knife going through Drew’s belly.
He roars with pain, and his hands go around her throat. I see her twist and try to pull the knife free. It keeps him distracted. I know she only has moments to go before he strangles her. Her left arm rises, and she puts the gun to his right temple and pulls the trigger. Blood sprays across her, and he drops, pulling her on top of him.
His sightless eyes stare at the sky as he loses his grip on her neck. She scrambles to get off him and turns around. There’s no surprise when she sees me, so I know she was aware I was there. She’s lost her ever-loving mind if she thinks I’m okay with this.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Maddy
I didn’t spot Javi until I was almost at Drew. I had no room for error, so I only looked around enough to make sure I had a clear path to him. I was fully focused on my target. There was only one chance for me, and I had to time it exactly right. Otherwise, he would’ve gotten the gun and the knife from me. I’m an excellent shot, but I already knew his hands were far stronger than mine. When he would wrap them around my wrist and squeeze, then twist, there was no way for me to keep a hold on anything I had in my hand. I’ve learned that through plenty of experience.
I knew stabbing him wouldn’t kill him instantly, but it would be much easier to penetrate the muscles in his abdomen than trying to drive a knife through his ribs over his chest. I wanted to stun him and distract him long enough to get the gun to his temple. I knew if I tried to shoot him as I ran toward him, he’d get off a shot that would kill me either before or at the same time as I fired my gun. I also wanted point-blank range with no room for error when the bullet entered him. Shooting him in the temple ensured I’d kill him.
I stare at his body as his vacant eyes look toward the heavens. I feel like I should roll him over so he can stare down toward hell. It only takes me a moment to come back to the present and drop both weapons. Hands grasp my shoulders and spin me. I’m prepared to defend myself, but I know within an instant that it’s Javi. His grip is firm but not hard.
I gaze up into his whiskey-hued eyes, and the world feels better, but only for a moment. He’s livid. I can’t blame him, but he’s pissed beyond words. He scoops me over his shoulder and hauls me toward the house. He says nothing to me as we pass through the back door. He says nothing to Jorge, who I spotted right behind him.
His men hurry out of the way, and Elle steps aside when Javi stops at the sink and grabs a towel, soaking half of it. He hands it back to me, and I scrub my face. I don’t know how Elle found clothes, but she hands fresh ones to Javi. We pass through the rest of the kitchen into the living room. He keeps going until we get to the basement door. He carries me downstairs to the room I was in with Elle. The room I should’ve remained in but eventually abandoned. I’m trying to work through the story I’ll tell Javi. It’ll be the truth—but likely selective.
He doesn’t quite drop me on the ground, but he’s none too gentle as he lowers me. I glance at the clothes he holds, and I know I need to change. He has to dispose of the ones with Drew’s blood. I hurry, then he presses my shoulder, silently instructing me to sit. I don’t expect him to draw my hands behind my back, but he does. He holds my wrists together, and I’m certain this isn’t kinky foreplay. I watch him reach into his pocket as he continues to lean over me. Before I realize what’s happening, there’s a zip tie around my wrists. Then he’s doing the same to my ankles using some kind of combination of four of them. He picks up the towel I dropped, along with the soiled clothes, and is surprisingly gentle as he finishes wiping my face and neck.
“Madeline, you will stay put. If you move even an inch from this spot, I swear to all that is holy, you will not sit down ever again. I will spank your ass raw.”
He says nothing else to me before leaving the room. The look he gave me while he issued that warning made my blood run cold. I don’t fear him hurting me. That’s not what causes my trepidation. I know he would never hurt me. I’m certain in his mind, keeping me here is the only way to ensure I won’t endanger myself again. I can’t blame him for feeling that way.
No, the look in his eyes makes me fear we’re through, that what I did is too unforgivable in his eyes. I knew he’d be furious if and when he found out or if he saw me, but I didn’t imagine he would end things with me. More fool am I for being that naive. It wasn’t naivety that made me go out there. It wasn’t a lack of considering all the things that could go wrong.
I thought through my actions, and it wasn’t a heat of the moment decision. I doubt Javi will believe me when I try to explain, but it’ll be the truth. Perhaps he’ll believe my explanation, but I doubt there’s any way he would agree with my rationale.
