The Lies That We Tell

Chapter 35

“What do I do?” The stupid whiny bitch cries on the floor.

Cole grunts as Adrian’s fist connects with his jaw. “Get”—grunt— “up and”—huff— “go after them!”

Aubree sobs, clutching the knife embedded in her side. “But it hurts.” I stand here, watching the scene unfold until I know for sure Rhyann and the lawyer got my brother and Tate out of here safely before I move. I step over the blood that’s slowly pooling around the spoiled princess on the floor. “Please help.” Aubree sniffles as her fingers wrap around my ankle where the tape had been moments ago.

I don’t bother to look down at her when I shake her wet grip from my leg. “If you don’t want to die faster, don’t pull the knife out,” I tell her without hiding the disgust in my tone and make my way to the two men fighting on the floor. I assess the scene as I approach slowly.

They’re both covered in dirt and blood. It’s difficult to discern from the dirt and the dried blood coating Adrian’s clothing, hair and skin. The fresh blood covers his hands and face as he grapples on the ground for— holy fuck— a Sig P365 9mm. Where either one of them had it hidden, I don’t know but I do know I cannot let Cole reach that gun. The two men are so occupied with fighting on the floor that they don’t notice me as I walk over to them, and the only good coming from Aubree’s over-exaggerated crying is that her sobs muffle the sounds of my boots as they move across the concrete.

I kick the gun under the table and grab Cole by the hair, lifting him to his feet as my fist connects with his face. “Get out of here Adrian,” I say. The older man nods and slowly pushes himself off the ground. Adrian limps out of my line of sight while I continue to pound my fist into Cole’s face. I let go of his hair and the man wobbles as he stands, his face moving as I continue to hit him. My left fist connects with the right side of his jaw, then my right gives him an uppercut to the chin. It doesn’t take long for Cole to catch onto my rhythm and he attempts to block my swings. I come at him with a right hook, my knuckles smashing into his nose, cracking cartilage and spraying blood across both our faces.

“You bitch!” Aubree shrieks behind us as an ear splitting bang rings out. It’s as if time stops and speeds up at the same time. I turn away from Cole as he stumbles with his eyes screwed shut from the pounding of my fists, and watch in horror as Adrian falls against Rhyann who’s standing in the doorway—terror and surprise written across her face— as a bloom of fresh blood spreads across the mans back covering his shoulders and seeping down to his hips.

I’m not even sure how I do it, but as the second shot fires and barely misses Rhyann, I’m leaping over the table and tackling Aubree to the ground. The gun falls from her hands and she screams out in pain as we both hit the floor. Blood trickles down the corner of her mouth as she chokes out her last cries before her eyes stare blankly at the wall.

“Adrian,” Rhyann cries as she loses hold of the dying man. “Dev.” Our eyes lock and even from where I am on the floor, I can see the tears welling up in her eyes. The shock of what happened in a matter of minutes has us both frozen in place, giving Cole the opening he needed to kick me square in the chest, knocking the air from my lungs as I fall back with a grunt.

“It was supposed to end looking like Rhyann lost her mind when she found out Tate was trying to take her company from her,” Cole says, kicking me in the ribs. There’s an audible cracking sound with the second thrust of his booted foot and a jolt of pain when I try to take a breath. “She was only supposed to be wounded enough to make it look real, like Rhyann was jealous of her and Tate”s engagement.” Cole kicks me again before he bends down to pick up the discarded gun. “But all of you thought you won, you thought you had bigger fucking balls than me.” He straddles my body as I struggle to breathe , god I hope he didn’t puncture a lung when he cracked my ribs. “But, at least I get the satisfaction of seeing your face before you die. As the knowledge of who really killed your cunt of a sister.” His words barely register through the pain. “How she cried and screamed as I raped her, swearing to me that her brothers would kill me.” Cole laughs. “Jokes on her. Just know that I’m going to do the same to your precious little redhead over there before I strangle her to dea—” Cole drops the gun and it’s then that I notice the small frame behind him. Her trembling hands drop to her sides and she backs away slowly. Cole’s hands go up, grasping for the small handle I can barely see sticking out of the back of his neck.

I lock eyes with Cole as his face contorts into a look of horror, my fingers wrap around the gun resting between my thighs and I take aim and shoot the man, dead center in his chest.

By the time Rhyann and I slowly make our way up the flight of stairs into the open air, cars are pulling into the open parking area, tires screeching to a stop. The two detectives, in their white Dodge charger leading the caravan of patrol cars and paramedics.

All five of us raise our empty hands signaling that we are unarmed as every officer there steps out of their respective cars, guns raised. “They’re in there,” I choke out, nodding my head toward the hallway leading downstairs.

“Get a paramedic over here immediately,” one of the detectives yells as he runs to us, holstering his firearm. “Are they armed?”

Rhyann laughs sadly— probably from shock— and says, “If they are, they won’t be fighting back.” The detective helps Rhyann get me to the side of the wall as a line of officers in riot gear descend the stairs.

“We’re going to need detailed statements,” he says, shifting my weight from Rhyann to himself. “From all of you.”

“After you’ve been cleared by your doctors,” his partner chimes in joining us.

I look over at Tate as one of the detectives drapes his coat over Tate”s lap. The other detective does the same for my brother, who lies unconscious on the ground with his head in Calvin’s lap. “He’s breathing,” Tate says and takes my hand reassuringly. I nod silently in response as a couple paramedics come running up with a gurney and red medical bags.

More patrol cars arrive as we are all loaded up into individual ambulances and I can barely make out the words “all clear” being called from inside the warehouse we’d all been brought to.