Chapter 62
OCTOBER 31 – FRIDAY 9:43 PM
M yles
The same truck that I’d chased after the night we tried to capture my father sped down the street and squealed as it turned the corner. The shooting might have stopped, but chaos had erupted. The glass windows had exploded inward with the gunfire, and everywhere I looked, people lay injured and bleeding. Others were crying or screaming as they huddled by walls or behind furniture. A few were dead, their eyes sightless as they bled out on the floor. This was a goddamn disaster.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I said, dodging people as I ran for the VIP area where Ren and Nash had been.
One minute Mr. Genovese’s guards were here and then the shooting stopped and they all seemed to vanish. Sirens were already loud in the distance. This was a huge fucking mess, and yet all I cared about was making sure my Snowflake was safe.
Liam, Theo, and Blake ran out of another section of the club together where Ivy and Chantry were huddled with Sabastian and Trey. I had just started up the stairs when Nash skidded to a stop with one of Mr. Genovese’s guards. Nash looked us over and visibly relaxed.
“Where’s Snowflake?”
“With Mr. Genovese, his guards put them in his limo. This is his head of security, Marcus. He stayed behind to help us handle the situation. The cops will be here any minute.”
“Wait, so you’re saying she’s alive?”
Nash nodded, and I leaned forward on my knees, taking a deep breath and rubbing a hand over my heart. For just a moment, it felt like it had been ripped from my chest.
“That was me da. I don’t know who the guy was in the back with the AK, but I saw him get shot,” I said.
“Yeah, I got him,” Nash growled. “This is a fucking nightmare. I’ll stay here and talk to the cops,” Nash said as Morrison jogged over after checking on Ivy. “Morrison, what should we do?”
“It was a drive-by, and there are a lot of witnesses to back that up. But we need to get rid of your guns,” he said. “They’ll take them as evidence, and if you’ve ever used them or plan on using them in the future, they will have a ballistics record on file.”
“Okay, give me all of your weapons. I’ll take care of them in case you guys get stopped trying to leave. Go with Marcus and get the hell out of here. He’ll take you to Ren. Then we’ll deal with Owen because, so help me god, I’m going to tear his intestines out of his body with my bare hands and strangle him with them,” Nash snarled.
“Git in line,” I said.
“My truck is out back. The keys are above the visor, take it,” Nash said. I handed over my gun before running for the exit, followed closely by the others. But I jumped in the driver’s seat.
“I’m taking that,” Theo said, pointing to a motorcycle parked on the road with the helmet on the seat like the driver would be right back.
“Do you know whose bike that is,” Liam asked.
“Nope, and I don’t care.” Theo peeled off his suit jacket and tossed it in the truck before running for the motorcycle. I let him do his thing and pulled out, following the black rubber marks of tires that had been left behind.
“Where are we heading?”
Marcus sat in the passenger seat, staring at his phone.
“Veer right here,” he said.
The truck wasn’t happy with the sudden jarring movement.
“The road forks up here and turn left,” Marcus said.
“This is a strange way to go,” I said.
“The main road was blocked off back there. It said construction,” Liam answered from behind me. I hadn’t even noticed. I’d been so focused on following Marcus’s directions.
“Are you tracking them,” Blake asked.
“Yes. They are on this road but a bit ahead of us and traveling fast,” Marcus said.
There was a loud roar, and in a blink, Theo blew by us like we were sitting still, shaking the truck.
“Fuck,” I said, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Does he have a death wish?”
“Trust me, Theo knows what he’s doing,” Liam said, far calmer than I felt.
When the road opened up on the straightaway, I floored it. The engine revved as the miles clicked higher. My car could handle this speed and more, but I’d only driven Nash’s truck a few times and never at top speed. I had to ease off the gas a little as the engine complained. It wouldn’t do us any good getting stranded at the side of the road.
“There’s the rest of my team,” Marcus said, pointing at the red taillights ahead of us. Theo had caught up with limo as well.
I squinted my eyes and stared at the oncoming lane of traffic.
“Is that arse in the wrong lane,” I asked, weaving over slightly to see a pickup running parallel with Mr. Genovese and Ren.
Everyone leaned forward to see and what happened next felt like it was right out of an action movie. The piece of shite smashed into the side of the limo.
“What the fuck?”
Nash’s truck lurched forward when I hit the gas. Theo was weaving behind the pickup that had just hit the limo like he was trying to get its attention. The motorcycle swerved again, and I recognized the battered tailgate. There was an unmistakable flash of a gun going off, and the limo jerked toward the edge of the road.
“No, no, no.”
My worst nightmare came alive in front of me when my da crashed into Ren’s limo, and it soared through the air and off the road.
“No!”
The scream ripped from my throat as we helplessly watched it hit the ground and roll. Tires flew off, a door went flying, and the trunk popped open before the stretched car was torn in half as it crashed into a tree and came to a stop. Smoke rose in the air as the SUVs in front of us hit their brakes. Men jumped out and ran for the crash.
The pickup truck fishtailed as I reached where Ren had gone off the road. My brain completely shutdown with panic. I jumped out of the truck, but Liam grabbed me before I could run, slamming me against the side.
“Let go of me,” I roared and tried to pull away.
“Look at me,” he said, shaking me. “Whatever happened down there, happened. I have the most medical training. You need to help Theo get your father. That was him in the truck and he cannot escape.” I looked around and wanted to throw up. Terror was eating at my insides. “Seconds mean the difference between life and death. Do you understand me, Myles? Get your father. Don’t leave him to just Theo. I’ll take care of her. I promise.”
As much as it killed me, I knew he was right. He let me go, and I hopped back in the truck, the tires spinning as I raced off after Theo.
“God….” I squeezed the steering wheel as pain wrapped itself around my beating heart and threatened to stop it forever. “Please, help her. You can’t take your angel home yet. Please don’t take her, I’m begging you. If you need to take anyone, take me. I hand myself over to you, but please not her.”
Owen…I’d lost sight of the truck and needed to focus on getting to Owen. Violence that had only ever filled me once before coursed through my veins and helped push the fear aside enough that I could think.
Pulling out my phone, I hit Nash’s number.
“Kind of busy here,” he said.
“The limo was run off the road,” I said, and it was dead silent.
“What?”
“I don’t know if they’re alive. I’m after Owen. He did it. Theo’s on a motorcycle following him, and Liam and Blake are with….” My breath hitched as I swallowed the wail of pain down. “She has to be okay, Nash. I….”
“Listen to me…she’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
“What I know is that we don’t have time to think of the worst-case scenario. Track Theo’s cell. He should have it on him. I’ll send backup. Once you get that fucking piece of shit, take him to the warehouse. I’ll talk to Morrison so I can get the hell out of here and keep you updated. Myles…think positively. Princess is strong, and she’ll fight, so don’t stop fighting for her.”
My teeth clenched tight, and my jaw cracked as I let the rage fully take over my mind until only one thought filled me: Find Owen. He wouldn’t get out of this alive.
“I’ll git him,” I growled.
“I know you will,” Nash said and hung up.
One memory at a time rose like the Devil’s hand to show me my past. The abuse that never stopped. The mental games that he used to try and break me. The broken bones, knife wounds, and threats he used to keep me scared. The vile sound of his laugh as he made me cry or scream. It all fueled me, filled me, and made me who I was right this moment.
Owen wanted to tear my heart from my chest. But I would rip open his rib cage and smile as I squeezed his black heart. I’d make sure he was staring into my eyes as the light faded from his for hurting my Snowflake.