50. Skylar
CHAPTER 50
SKYLAR
I hope Bones is okay, but I have to trust him to handle this. That boy broke his heart, and he never had the chance to confront him about it. I hope he’s doing the right thing, but even if he isn’t and comes home hurt, I will be here to cheer him up.
“Thank you.” I hand over the cash and wait as the florist prepares the sunflowers. I thought they might make him happy, and every time I give him flowers, the gleam in his eye reminds me that his man has never had anyone think of buying him something as simple as flowers just to see him smile.
My phone vibrates and I pull it out, scanning the text from him. A smile curves my lips just from seeing his name.
Angel: I’m done. I don’t want to go home yet. Let’s meet here instead and just enjoy the water.
I put my phone away when the florist reappears and take the bouquet. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I hope they like them.”
I wave as I head back to my car. After putting the flowers in my passenger seat, I put in the location and drive over.
It’s near a bridge not too far from here. Kids go there during the day to skate and hang out, but it’s quiet at night, peaceful. Maybe he needed that. Parking a little ways down, since it’s mostly a pedestrian area, I walk along the riverside, searching for him, holding the flowers in my hand.
“Angel?” I call, pulling my phone out. I dial, but it doesn’t connect. Frowning, I glance down. Did he forget to charge it again? I scan the area and walk farther down.
He said he would be here, so he will. Maybe he’s late?
Pursing my lips, I wander as I wait, the bridge blocking the wind. The water is peaceful tonight with the moon reflecting on it, and I eye the graffiti and tags with a smile, remembering when I used to do the same.
A crunch of gravel under what sounds like a foot makes me frown and step back. I strain my eyes as I search the darkness beyond. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, and old instincts come roaring back.
“Who’s there?” I demand, dropping the flowers to my side as I debate if I should go or not, but if Bones comes and doesn’t see me, he might get worried.
Conall steps out from the darkness, a shadow emerging from the rigid structure. “Hello, Skylar.” He lifts his arm, and I freeze when I see the gun flash in the moonlight. “Let’s talk.”
“What do you want?” I snap, refusing to be intimidated, but I keep my gaze on the gun.
“You know what I want. Let’s not fuck around.” He gestures for me to walk deeper into the shadows. I take two steps and stop as he wags his finger. “Close enough.”
“I thought you were in jail,” I scoff.
“I got out early. You aren’t the only one with a good lawyer.” His eyes are wild, and he has the look of a man who’s been pushed too far. I’ve seen it before on the streets. He has nothing left to lose, and it makes him more dangerous than anybody else.
“If you fire that gun, your career is over?—”
“It’s already over.” He laughs. “They’ll find the evidence soon enough. That stupid fuck wasn’t sly enough?—”
“Who?” I ask. If he wasn’t acting alone, I need to know who else was involved.
“Some blond-haired freak. He approached me. I think his name was Aro. We made a deal. It seems he wants your boy, and I wanted you gone. Two birds, one car, you see? We fucked with their car so you’d crash and die. He’d get your boy, and I’d get the title.”
“All this for a championship?” I shake my head, stepping forward with my hands held out. “Was it worth it?”
“I’m the champion!” he shouts, his chest heaving. “I’m nothing without it. If you win, I’ll lose it all. Why couldn’t you stop? I just wanted to scare you, but now . . . now I’m going to kill you.” His hand shakes.
Despite the anger flowing through him, he’s never killed before, never pulled a trigger, and he’s hesitating. I use it to my advantage, stepping forward again.
“Stop fucking moving!”
I can smell the alcohol on him from here.
“Your boy is safe. I don’t have any issues with him. He’s with his ex right now. I just needed to lure you here.”
“So you’re really going to kill me?” I refuse to cower, and my voice comes out strong. It’s not the first time I’ve faced a gun. “Then what? It isn’t too late to change your mind. You’ll get some time for what you’ve done, but there’s a difference between trying to fix a race and murder. You aren’t a killer, Conall.” I step forward again and see his arm wavering.
“Racing is all I have. It’s all I am,” he whispers. “It’s the only thing I have!” he yells. “I can’t let you take that away. Not some street thug.”
“Conall,” I say slowly as I step forward again, glancing from his face to the gun. If I can get it away from him, it’s over. “Drop the gun and let’s talk about this. We can figure this out. There’s a place for both of us. My success does not negate yours—” I lunge for the gun, and he reacts.
I dodge left and then right before sprinting toward him. His eyes widen, and his finger flexes on the trigger. I hear it before I feel it.
I jerk from the force of the bullet. It spins me around, and I hit the ground. The flowers fall from my useless arm as it goes numb, and Conall steps toward me, aiming the gun at my head. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Skylar.”
I lift my head, staring at his face, and I know this is the end. I’m going to die here on the streets where I always belonged, so close to ultimate happiness I can taste it. I don’t close my eyes. If he’s going to shoot me, he’ll look me in the eye as he does it. I accept it, sending my love to my boy, hoping he knows he was the greatest thing I ever won. No race or championship could compare to his heart, and no matter how short our time was together, I was happy being his.
A roar fills the air and a blur flies past me, tackling Conall to the ground. The gun skids away as they tumble before getting to their feet, and I realize who it is.
“Bones!” I yell, but he doesn’t spare me a look. He grabs Conall’s hand and snaps it before throwing him over his shoulder. Conall hits the ground hard, and Bones rushes over to me. His eyes are filled with tears as his hands flutter over me, unsure how to stop the bleeding, before he helps me into a sitting position. I lean into him as he staunches the blood.
“I came as soon as I realized what he did. Babe, your shoulder?—”
“It’s fine. It’s a through and through,” I rasp. “Just a flesh wound. Angel, go get the gun.”
He glances over, searching for it, but it’s hidden in the darkness. Conall is groaning on the ground, holding his broken hand to his chest with a whine.
I scan the area before my gaze lands on a flash of brightness in the shadows. For some reason, I focus on the half-crushed sunflowers, my blood now covering the petals as Bones worries next to me.
There’s a scrambling noise, and I look back to see Conall reaching for the gun, which was hidden under some trash. He lifts it and swings it our way with his other hand, aiming at Bones, whose eyes widen.
Leaping to my feet, I run right at Conall. His eyes widen as I tackle him back to the ground. The gun goes flying again as it shoots, but I don’t feel it hit me anywhere as I slam my fists into his face. Blood sprays me as he screams, trying to block the blows, but all I feel is rage.
He aimed the gun at my boy.
“Nobody touches him!” I yell as I slam my hands into his face over and over. Bones break, and he stops fighting, but I keep hitting him until hands touch me.
“Sky, please, your shoulder.”
Panting, I spit on Conall’s face and stumble to my feet, letting Bones catch me and start to lead me away as I lean on him.
Conall sputters, choking on his own blood, so I let my boy pull me away, knowing he’s done.
The sounds of engines reach us, more than I’ve ever heard before, and Bones and I turn. Lights shine over us as people climb from cars with their cameras out, Sanjay at the front.
“Sanjay?” I ask.
“Saw this shitbag buying a piece off the street and thought I’d follow him. I had a feeling he was the one fucking with you.” I frown, and he grins. “You might have left the streets, Sky, but we never left you. You’re family.”
I smile in gratitude and let Bones help me to my feet. “It’s over,” I tell Conall, who pushes to his knees, his face covered in blood.
“No, I have nothing else to lose, but you do. You took what I love most. I’ll do the same to you!” He grabs the gun before I can. I don’t have enough time to react, but I push Bones to the side as he aims. Suddenly, Conall is hit from the side.
He smacks against the ground hard, and the gun is snatched from him and pointed at his head.
My eyes widen as Alek glances at me and nods. “Bones texted us. Figured you would need some backup. Sorry we’re late.”
“Police are on their way,” Evan calls as he jogs over, looking us over. “Are you okay?”
“Peachy,” I joke as Bones slaps my side.
Sirens fill the air just then, and I groan as I look at Bones. “Do you think we’ll ever have a moment of peace?”
“Probably not.” He smiles as he kisses me. “Come on, babe, let’s get you looked over . . . again. Maybe after this we could go a week without injuries?”
“No promises.” I grin as I scoop up his flowers. “These were for you. Sorry they are bloody.”
“They are perfect,” he replies.
We sit in the back of the ambulance, where Bones wraps his blanket around me. I’ll be going to the hospital for the gunshot, but I was right. It went through and should heal pretty fast. I was lucky.
We watch as Conall is led away and put in a police car. They’ll have questions, and I have no doubt camera crews will be here before long, so I nod at Sanjay who recorded the entire thing. “Better bounce. It wouldn’t be good for you to end up on the news.”
“You got it, my man. See you soon. Win us that title, yeah? We’re all rooting for you.” He slaps my good arm, nods at Bones, and rolls out. They came because they thought I was in trouble. It isn’t something I ever thought I would see or that the police would just let them go, but I guess they have bigger fish to fry right now.
“Sir, I need to confirm some things,” an officer says to Bones, who nods and looks at me.
“I’ll be right back, okay?” I nod and watch Bones join the police officer, while Alek sits at my side. He nudges my uninjured shoulder, and I smile.
“Thanks for coming, brother,” I murmur.
“Eh, I figured my life would be boring without you. Plus, training a new racer? No thanks.” He winks.
I smile, but it fades as I stare into his face. Alek and I were always friends, bonded by trauma and engines, but over the last year, we have become extremely close.
“I mean it. Thank you, brother. We might not be brothers by blood, but by actions. You’re always in my corner, ready to help or lend a hand. If I could choose anyone in this world to be my family, to be my brother, it would be you. You might not show it, but I know you feel the same way. You have Evan, and I have Bones, but we’ll always have each other too.”
He smiles softly and rubs my head. “You’ve always been my brother, Sky, and nobody messes with our family—not a serial killer or a fucked-up racer with a god complex.”
“I’d really like some downtime without being stabbed or shot though,” I admit.
“I mean, who lets themselves get shot?” Evan jokes as he heads over, Bones at his side.
“You guys almost have matching wounds now.” Bones grins. “But don’t go getting shot all the time, you hear me?” He points at me, his smile gone.
“Yes, angel, sorry.” I wince.
He grumbles but relaxes as he looks around. “So, it’s really over? He was behind it all?”
“Not all,” I admit, and he looks at me with a frown. I wish I could spare him this too, but it seems all truths are coming out in Pine Valley tonight.