Chapter 40
NEVER LIVE IT DOWN
NASH
My phone pings from where it sits inside my pocket as I walk the dry, desert like land between the job site that will be Sunset Falls Ranch and Resort and the barn where Briggs currently works out of in a small, too tight, makeshift office.
After seeing the sprawling spaces the guy usually works in, his current space is laughable. It’s just more proof of how wrapped up in the little woman that he’s making his wife. I’m no fool, so I know for a fact that things went from being fake to really fucking real, really fucking fast.
Hell, I’m not sure they were ever fake to begin with.
I check my text.
Briggs: I’ve gotta run Mom into town. Lilah wanted to stay at the house. Head up there, will you?
The thought of her being up there alone puts fire under my step. I haven’t felt wholly comfortable with the woman being on her own since Briggs told me about the ex who fucked her over.
Me: Already heading that way.
Briggs: Thanks.
I don’t have experience with psychopaths, but from what I’ve read about the soulless fuckers and the picture painted of Lilah’s ex, I’d put money down he’s one. The only comfort is that, for the most part, when his crew of losers moves on, they usually stay moved on.
But their crew also don’t end up landing the heart of a man as wealthy as Briggs, either. A man who uses that wealth to put the lot of them away for good.
I told Briggs his digging made me nervous for Lilah. He told me about Carson’s warning to be vigilant. I haven’t slept right since.
That could be because I’ve been bunking in the Alder house the last three nights, unbeknownst to Lilah. Well, she saw me this morning, but the party was excuse enough for that.
It makes me uneasy, the two people I love like family and the woman they love sleeping like sitting ducks for whoever and whatever decided to prey on them. I’m not sure what I’d do or how I’d help in the event shit went down. I just know I want to be there for whatever that shit was.
If I went down with the people I loved, then I was going down happy.
But I wouldn’t go down without giving the best fight I had in me.
I hit the barn and Briggs’ temporary office with a grin. I like to rib the guy about the sacrifices he’s made to be close to a woman, but I know I’d do the same.
It’s a bit of a hill from the barn to the house, and I’ve already worked up a sweat under the hot sun. Hey, maybe I’m sweating out the liquor I drowned myself in last night when a certain woman with a wild head of tight curls refused to spare me even a single glance.
Fuck, it’s hot out here. It’s a different kind of heat from the Alberta sun I’m accustomed to. I haven’t decided if I like it yet.
Maybe if I got out on that big lake that edged town. The one the falls fed. I bet it’d be more bearable then.
Maybe I’ll buy myself one of those boats people use to whip others around on tubes. I could stop in the middle of the blue and dive into the deep to cool off from this unrelenting heat. Yeah, that could be fun.
I’d buy myself a bright one. Blue or maybe lime green. The paint would sparkle—
Who the fuck?
My heart kicks over a beat in my chest as my boot hits a rock and I stumble. I right myself in time to see the black sedan, shiny and tinted, pull beside Lilah’s Tahoe.
I freeze, crouching down next to a bony bush of Oregon Grapes.
The car door opens, and a man swings one leg out, then two. He stands and I feel my gut drop into my boots.
Fuck, no.
I snap a photo that’s too blurry to do much of anything and shoot it off to Briggs with a text that says call 9-1-1. He’s probably already made it into town by now. It’ll take him at least fifteen to get back.
A lot can happen in fifteen minutes.
I silence my phone as any good sleuth would do and shove it back into my pocket.
I watch the man disappear into the stone of the front entrance as an alarm bell of curses blares loud in my mind.
I can’t imagine Lilah would just open the door for anyone.
I also can’t imagine that a man in his line of profession isn’t equipped with the tools to break seamlessly into a locked front door.
A beat passes and I hear a string of angry barks. Senior must be on the patio, and if he’s losing his shit like he is, I imagine the door is closed and he can’t get to Lilah.
Clearly, she opened the door. Or he picked the lock.
Either way, he’s inside and Lilah has no protection.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. It’s a chant in my mind as I race from my hiding spot behind the Oregon Grape bush to the house.
Then I stop. What the hell am I going to do? Bring a hammer to a gun fight?
Fuck!
My heart is a thunderclap on repeat in my chest. I can hear the swoosh of blood between my ears. Every sound is amplified, even those of my own body.
Is today the day I die? Is today the day I fail to save Lilah?
No. No, I won’t think like that.
My hands tremble as I pat myself down. I’m not on the tools, but I wear them like I am. Always have and after today I always will.
I’ve got a hammer, a blade, and a pouch full of nails.
I look to the black sedan. It’s his escape, if nothing less. And considering what I know of the past victims who went missing after run-ins with this crew, I know they don’t leave a trial of bodies behind as evidence. They take the bodies and do—the devil knows what they do with those bodies.
But today isn’t the day he takes Lilah.
Crouching low against the back tire on the passenger side between the sedan and Lilah’s Tahoe, I pull out my hammer and a nail. I drill it into the tread of the tire, making it look natural.
Then I drive my blade into the inner rubber of the tire, flattening it fast.
My heart is pounding in my ears as I turn to Lilah’s SUV. I’ve heard Briggs huff and puff about how she leaves her car unlocked, and I fucking pray that today isn’t the day she’s decided to start listening to him.
With my hand on the back door of the driver’s side, I pull and feel complete relief as the door opens. I crawl into the back, thanking heaven above that the windows are blacked out with tint. I know from experience a man can’t see inside unless his face is damn near pressed to the window.
Then I wait. I don’t have to wait long before I see them. Lilah with her face pale and streaked with tears and the fucker who already destroyed her life once behind her, his gun to her back.
Her entire body trembles with every step she takes, and I can hear her pleading with him to just forget about her. To let her live her life.
“Haven’t you taken enough from me?” she asks him, sharp sobs cutting between her words.
He pushes the tip of the gun into her spine. “Get in the car, darling.”
“Don’t call me that, you sick pig.”
He laughs. The fucking psychopath laughs.
Lilah bites down on her lip, I think to tamp down another sob.
That’s when he sees it. His flat tire.
And the guy fucking loses it.
“What the fuck! A fucking nail? For fuck’s sake.” He boot fucks the flat tire, screaming about this bitch not being worth it before he swings his gun straight into her face. I go stone stiff as I watch the barrel connect with her forehead, the quiver of anger in his hand.
Tears are a river that flow freely down her face now. Her full bottom lip trembles, but she doesn’t make a single sound as she stands and stares at him. Daring him.
Fucking Lilah.
Hurry the fuck up, Briggs.
The guy’s eyes are wild as he looks around, landing on her Tahoe. “Where are the keys?”
“In-inside the h-house,” Lilah stutters.
“Fucking move, then,” he shouts.
She kicks quickly into action, and they return into the house, appearing again only seconds later. He’s got the gun to her back again and the keys in his other hand. I crouch down as low as I possibly can.
He doesn’t take her to the passenger door this time. Instead, he takes her to the driver’s side. The seat I’m currently behind.
I feel a moment of panic at the thought he might be planning to sit behind her with the gun to make her drive.
He warns, “Sit pretty, now.”
He slams the door and Lilah’s head swings to the side to look for anything she might use to fight. She spots me and jolts. I raise my finger to my lips before motioning for her to turn around. She complies, her hands trembling in her lap as I shift from the driver’s side to the passenger.
The asshole climbs into the passenger seat, swinging the gun in her direction again.
“You’re going to drive exactly where and how I tell you to, or you’ll get a bullet in the gut. You understand me, darling?”
She nods but says nothing. He hands her the keys, and she starts the ignition.
“Let’s go.”
She begins to back out of the parking spot, shoulder checking and making eye contact with me. I can see from the wide set of her terrified eyes that she doesn’t understand why I’m letting this proceed.
But if I pull out my blade now, he’ll shoot her without question. Without hesitation.
I need her to drive. I need the speed that makes him fear for his own life if he takes hers.
I wish I could explain.
Lilah completes the turn and is driving down the drive when she asks, “What are you going to do to me?”
“I’m going to take you to Mom and Dad.” He snickers.
Carefully, I slide my phone from my pocket and hit record.
Lilah stutters, “T-Trish and Dillion?”
He snickers again. “You always were stupid. Pretty enough but fucking dumb as a stump. They aren’t my parents.”
She ignores him. “Just your keeper then?”
He sneers. “I work with them.”
“What will they do?”
“Kill you. Painfully, most likely. Trish never liked you. Dillion liked you too much, so he’ll probably want a round or two with you before Trish and Melody have their fun.”
“Your sister?”
He shakes his head on another laugh. “My wife. Jesus, you really are stupid.”
Her hands tighten on the steering wheel. But she whispers, “You’re sick. All of you.”
“Yeah, well, we’re sick and rich.”
“And what now? What are you going to do now?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Why not? You’re going to kill me, as you’ve so eloquently stated.”
“You know, for a stupid girl you talk like a smart bitch.” He leans just a touch closer to her, tracing the tip of the gun over her lips. “I always did like your mouth, you know. Maybe I’ll take it for one last drive. Old time’s sake and all.”
She rips her mouth away from the gun. “Bet your wife would like that.”
“She likes to be pissed off when she takes her chunk of flesh.” He sounds both bored and excited. “She’ll probably want to watch.”
These fucking people are totally fucking crazy in a not good way.
“After you all have your fun with me, what then?” Fucking hell, she’s playing it cool.
“We’ll do what we were trying to do before your boy toy set his dog on us.
” He clucks his tongue. “Didn’t expect a bitch like you to land the jackpot, but damn, you caught yourself a big fish.
Too bad he knows who we are. We could have given Melody to him.
She’d have fucked away his tears over you and wiped him dry before he remembered your name.
Too bad.” He swings the gun. “Turn left.”
Lilah turns left. “So now you’re rich off scamming innocent people, what then?”
“We retire in a big house on a nice island.”
She’s on the straight away now, already hitting eighty kilometers per hour.
I push up, sliding the blade of my switch knife to his throat.
I growl, “I’m done listening to this shit.
” I press the blade harder into his throat, watching blood bead in a line.
My stomach turns and I feel a prickle of heat. I blink hard. Don’t pass out.
Fucking do not pass out.
I’m not made for this.
The guy—Jake, I think his real name is, stiffens.
“Drive faster, Lilah,” I tell her.
“I’ll fucking shoot her,” Jake threatens coolly.
“You won’t, because I’ll slit your throat.”
“I’m already dead.”
“No.” I shake my head. My hands are slick with sweat. I grip the knife tighter and the guy hisses in a breath.
I realize my mistake and ease off a bit as another prickle of heat swims to the surface of my flesh. I see spots in the corner of my eyes. Sweat slicks my neck.
I tell him, “You’ve got two choices. You give me the gun; I get her to pull over and I let you run free. Or you keep pointing that thing at her and I slide my blade deeper into your throat.”
“There’s a third option,” Jake grunts.
“Yeah? What’s what?”
“I shoot her, and we take our chances with the out-of-control car.”
“I’m prepared for that.” I press the blade in again, hitting resistance that seriously has a spotty black hovering at the edge of my vision. I force out, “Faster, Lilah.”
She whimpers. “Nash.”
“Faster.”
She drives faster.
I press the blade harder.
“Okay. Fuck, okay.”
“Okay, what?” I grind out. My voice is rough with the struggle to hang on to consciousness. He mistakes it for a grit I clearly do not fucking have.
“I’ll give you the fucking gun.” He swallows. “And you let me run.”
“Deal,” I agree. “Lilah, pull over as soon as I have the gun.”
“You don’t know who you’re messing with,” Jake threatens as I grab the gun, and he releases it.
Something bubbles in my stomach. Acid, I think. Perhaps it’s last night’s liquor.
Lilah slows and parks on the side of the road.
“Run,” I croak as I pull the blade from his throat. It’s red with beads of blood that have streaked the silver. My stomach turns.
Jake pushes from the car and starts for the bush as Lilah flips in her seat. She plucks the gun swiftly from my hand, leans over the center console, aims and fires before I can get a word out to stop her.
The sound of the shot has that acid in my gut boiling over and I throw open the door just in time to expel the contents of my stomach in the ditch.
Lilah is already jumping down from the car, rounding the hood. She’s got the gun trained on Jake as he writhes in the dry grass, shouting curses.
I’m relieved she hasn’t killed him. I can already hear sirens.
“I hope you get a tick, you sick piece of shit!” She kicks him hard in the leg, and by the way he wails, I’d say it was the leg she shot. “You’re going to prison. It’s a hell of a lot more than you deserve, but you’re going.”
He continues to wail on the ground as a big black truck skids to a stop beside the SUV. The sirens aren’t far behind.
I see Briggs fly by me to Lilah and then there’s a soft hand on my shoulder. I’m spun around and those soft hands grip either side of my face. I see double of Shana and through the ringing in my ears, she tells me I did good.
The rest is a blur. Officers and cuffs. An ambulance and questions. A statement I’m not sure I’ll remember and Lilah’s shaky hug. I think I hold onto her for dear life.
Briggs’ gruff ‘thank you’. Another hug from Lilah.
Jake gone from our lives. Alive. Everyone is alive.
I think I vomit again.
I’ll never live that down.