Chapter 36
Enough
Deja
Nine months later …
“What’s the deal with you and Brooklyn?” Val asks as we leave the shops we just cleaned out and walk toward the car park.
I bite my lip as I think of the wedding. I hadn’t known he would be there. I was there to work, not as a guest.
When he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, I was startled. Mattia looked like he was going to come to my rescue until Uri pulled him back and whispered something in his ear. Needless to say, Mattia hasn’t spoken to me since.
In fact, I haven’t seen him much lately. After getting caught checking me out on my first day, we’ve talked a few times, and I had planned to go on a date with him. Cole blew that out of the water.
“Ya owe me an apology and makeup sex,” Cole had breathed in my ear.
I was so angry with him and myself for allowing my body to melt into his. I didn’t get to respond because Vita started to cry. I had to tend to my charge, but not before Cole left me with something to think about.
“My own granda is dead because of ya. Imagine what I’ll do to someone who’s not my blood and tries to touch what’s mine. Don’t get someone killed because ya couldn’t trust me.
“When ya know the truth yer going to be angry with yerself for missing out on this dick all this time for nothing. I want ya, DJ, but I’ll wait. Make no mistake, baby, I’m coming for what’s mine,” he whispered in my ear before releasing me.
I haven’t been able to get his words out of my mind since the wedding. I clear my throat and glance at Val. She’s become my friend. I don’t want to lie to her.
She and Uri have been showing me what it’s like to trust, whether they know it or not. I love watching their relationship and how they are with friends and family. They have pulled me into that trust.
“I don’t know Brooklyn.”
Val’s face hardens as she glares back at me, looking like she’s ready to kick my ass. I sigh and hold my hand up. I want to be here, so I’ve been honest with Val about my life.
“I don’t know him as Brooklyn. I know him as Cole. I grew up with his family.
“His sister, Kate, was my best friend. Cole and I were dating until I found out he cheated on me. Then I busted all the windows out of his car.” I shrug.
Val bursts into laughter. “I knew I liked you. Mattia was one of our best guys. When Uri said he was sending him away to save his life, I wondered what the deal was, then I saw O’Brien looking at you like a hot piece of meat.”
I roll my eyes. “Wait, that’s why I haven’t seen Mattia. Really?”
Val shrugs. “If Brooklyn says you’re his … my husband isn’t going to get in the middle of that, and Mattia didn’t need to die for something he couldn’t have.”
I burst into laughter. “Maybe he could have. Cole should know how it feels.”
“Are you sure he cheated? He doesn’t strike me as the type.”
“I caught him walking with her and their daughter outside their apartment.”
She looks at me with wide eyes. “That doesn’t sound right, DJ. Do you mind if I look into this? If you’re right, I’ll make sure Uri knows to keep him away.”
“You don’t have to do that. I doubt I’ll see him again.”
“Yeah, okay, I’ll look into it. The look on that man’s face said he plans to be all up in your life. Just you wait.”
I laugh and shake my head as we move through the car park. Uri has the kids today, so against Uri’s wishes, we’re traveling a little light on security.
“Deja, get down.”
I duck down as a bullet bursts through the window of the car we’re in front of. I drop my bags and pull my gun from my purse. Val insists that I carry at all times.
I look around to see where the shot came from. I already know that voice that called out the warning. It was Callum.
I spot him and Blair heading my way with their guns drawn. Gunmen appear out of nowhere. I look to Val, and she has two guns out.
She takes a step to fire back and groans in pain. “Fuck, I think I twisted my ankle,” she whimpers in pain.
I look down at her foot, and she’s not putting her weight on it. She’s a mother of three. The last thing she should be in is the middle of a shootout. The twins and I can handle this.
“Stay here,” I command.
“What?”
“Stay here, we have this,” I repeat.
I signal for Blair and Callum to follow my lead. I then round the car we’re hidden behind. I take out two heading my way.
Valentina
Everything in me wants to run out and lie down, everything not mine. However, Uri would be pissed, and I’m not about to leave my babies behind trying to be the hero.
DJ has proved to be a skilled fighter. She’s a good shot, but I’ve never seen her use more than one pistol at a time. I’ve been telling her we need to work on that.
She’s just not able to flip that switch to override her dominate hand. It took me time to master the skill, so I get it. I’d just prefer if she were ambidextrous.
Being able to use both hands has saved my ass more times than I can count. Right now, it would come in handy for sure. However, my nanny and her two angel shooters shut my injured ass up real fast.
DJ rounds the car and takes down two guys. She then tucks her gun away and runs toward a car a few paces away as the girl angel covers her.
DJ flips and lands on the hood of the car in front of her. She kicks the gunman at the side of the car in the head before he can turn to face her. He drops his gun and DJ lands on her feet in front of the car.
The guy is taller than her, but she doesn’t hesitate.
The guy moves in, throwing a punch, but DJ blocks it.
He goes to throw another combo, and she ducks those too.
She jumps in the air and kicks him in the chest, sending him flying back onto the hood of the Mustang in the parking spot next to them.
The guy kicks back up onto his feet and shakes his head. Meanwhile, angels one and two are picking guys off as they run through the parking garage like two little demons.
I might take their angel titles back. One of the gunmen runs out from behind a car and aims at the demon boy. I snap into action and send a shot through the guy’s head.
Demon Boy turns and sends me a nod. I turn my attention back to DJ just as she kicks the guy, sending him flying back onto the hood of a car, his legs hanging off one end and his head hanging from the other.
She moves quickly and pins him down with one arm.
Then, with all her might, she brings her arm down on his head, snapping his neck over the edge of the car.
“Nasty.” I wince and bob my head appreciatively.
Pulling her gun, she takes out another two guys as Demon Boy moves swiftly, taking out another three. Demon Girl is a few cars down from me. She pulls a knife across another guy’s neck.
She then drops to the ground and shoots two of the guys in the ankles. Then finishes them off as they drop to the ground.
“Well, damn. Who the fuck did we hire?” I murmur to myself.
The three might seem like they’re working separately, but they move like a well-oiled machine. The two blonds are vicious as hell. They’ve earned my respect.
DJ moves down a few cars and stealthily climbs up onto a van parked there. Once on top of the van, she crawls as silently as she can to the front.
At the last second, as her weight rocks the van, the five targets she’s after turn and look up, giving the two demon shooters a chance to come up behind them as DJ rises and shoots.
They take out the final group together. DJ then slides down the windshield and lands on her feet in front of the van. The smile on her face says it all.
I pop out as I note the coast is clear. Pulling my phone, I shoot off a text to get a cleanup crew in here. Micheal needs to be involved in this one. Hopefully he and Sim have come up for air.
“Where the hell did that come from and who are you two?” I say to DJ and the other two as I hobble over to them and glare down at one of the dead guys at my feet.
“You said I have secrets; now you know most of them, like you wanted. This is Blair and Callum. Although I’m not sure what they’re doing here,” DJ replies.
“Let’s get ye out of here first. We can talk about the rest later,” the Callum guy says.
“Who were they and what happened to Eddy and Tank?” I ask with a frown as I look around for the guards who came out with us today.
I told them to keep a distance, but this is too much of a distance for my liking. I know they know better. My frown deepens.
“One dead, the other down. Ye might want to get him some help. We watched them pick them off,” Blair answers.
“Um, interesting. Let’s go. You two, SUV with us,” I bark. “I’ll handle the rest.”
Brooklyn
“Where is she?” I bark as I storm into Uri Donati’s home.
When I got the call from Callum that there had been an attack, I thought I was going to lose my mind before I made it here. I just spoke to Uri yesterday and told him I had planned to come for DJ.
After that call, there was nothing that could stop me from coming. Not a text, not a call, nothing.
“First of all, who do you think you are coming up in my home barking out demands?” Val says as she appears with one of her little boys in her arms.
She hands the boy off to another woman and then stands with her hands on her hips. I look around for DJ, wondering why she isn’t with the baby. My frustration grows as my eyes don’t land on her.
“She’s not here. I sent her and those two demons home for the night.”
“Take this as her resignation,” I bite out and turn to leave.
“They weren’t after me, Brooklyn. Uri and Micheal are out making a visit to your problem because she’s my friend.”
I stop in my tracks and spin to face her. I narrow my eyes. Val sighs and rolls her eyes.
“Lynch, the guys were some of his low levels. I say he was testing the waters. Too bad your girl is a bad motherfucker and drowned their asses.”
I knit my brows. “What do you mean?”
“That girl is no joke. I would work with her if the need arose. She has my loyalty for life for protecting me.”
“Aye,” I murmur.
I think I finally understand what Phoebe has guided us to. The fact that she hasn’t texted to stop me from coming here gives me the feeling that the path has been fulfilled and this was the desired outcome.
“Do you? Because I’ve never been afraid of the big bad wolf. If you hurt my friend, I will hunt you down, and I never miss my prey. I put a dog down when I find one.”
“Aye, I know who ya are, and I know who yer husband is, but I’ve never been afraid of death. And if I have noise to make, I’m going to make it with my whole chest and dare a motherfucker to try to hush me.
“Apparently, DJ has told ya about what she thinks I did. She’s wrong, and you would be making me implode this whole alliance over a lie. Everything I do is for DJ.
“The girl isn’t mine. If I told ya who she belongs to, I’d have to kill ya. I think I might like ya and yer husband, so thank ya for being DJ’s friend and tell yer husband I owe him for Lynch. Good night.”
With that, I turn to leave. I have someplace to be. Enough is enough.