Chapter 32
IVY
“You’re not bulletproof,” Callen grunts.
I gasp at the sight of Hale sprawled on the floor. Callen’s hands are caked in his blood, while Daisy kneels next to them. From our position, I can’t see past them.
Daisy’s voice breaks. “Please help him,” she begs.
Ahead, bodies move in a blur. Seb and Freddie. They leap at Alaric, thrashing and wrestling him to the floor.
“We need to get Hale to the medical room,” I say, joining the others and trying to stay calm, despite Daisy’s growing hysteria. “It’s at the end of the corridor. The second room on the left. It’ll have everything you need.”
“I can’t lift the heavy fucker myself,” Callen retorts.
“Help him, Bram,” I ask. Bram’s hesitant expression makes it clear he doesn’t want to leave me, but he has no choice. He has to or Hale will die. “Go!”
Between them, they heave Hale to his feet and drag him away.
“Hale saved my life,” Daisy mumbles, her entire body overcome by erratic shakes. “He?—”
She’s in shock. If you lose control, you lose everything. She needs to hold her nerve, which leaves me with no choice. I strike her hard across the face to pull her out of it and bring her back to the present.
“What the…” She rubs her cheek. Her shock gives way to anger. “What the fuck was that?”
“Get your shit together,” I say as a smash comes from the other side of the room. “It’s not over yet.”
Alaric struggles onto his feet to fight hand-to-hand with Freddie. A blur of fists and blood. Daisy watches on and takes a deep breath, collecting herself and remembering her training. A new calmness washes over her.
“Let’s end this,” I say.
We head for the fight, ready to kill. Freddie and Seb, both on their feet again, manage to regain control over Alaric. They grab hold of him, yank his arms and force them behind his back.
Alaric grins when he sees us approaching. I point my gun at his forehead, not returning his smug smile.
“So you learned the truth,” Alaric says. He spits out a loose tooth that lands at my feet. “Isn’t this a nice family reunion?”
“You’re going to die for what you did,” I hiss through gritted teeth.
Keeping us apart was unforgivable.
“Before you kill me,” Alaric says, “you should call Maria.”
Daisy pales. “What’re you talking about?”
“Did you think I didn’t know about your secret plan?” He laughs coldly. “Stephanie tried to hide it from me, but she wasn’t as good at keeping secrets as she thought she was. It’s a shame, though…” His eyes stray to her dismembered head, and my stomach rolls. “She had such a pretty face.”
“Ignore him, Daisy,” I say. “He’s lying. Ivy’s safe. You made sure of that. He needs to die.”
Daisy fidgets. Her eyes dart around, doubting herself.
“Do it,” Freddie urges. “Kill him.”
“No!” Daisy objects, fumbling around in her pocket for her phone. “I need to check on Ivy first.”
I cock my gun. “If you’ve hurt one hair on that little girl’s head, then I swear I’ll cut you open and remove one organ at a time.”
“Oh, Ivy.” Alaric chuckles. “You had such potential. If you knew your sister was alive, do you think you’d have become so powerful? I made you strong.”
“You destroyed me,” I say, pushing the barrel of my gun into him. “You ruined my life.”
“I gave you a better life,” he says.
He’s insane. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. He’s like a psychotic cult leader who draws vulnerable people under his spell.
“Maria?” Daisy speaks into her phone. “Are you okay? Where’s Ivy?” She listens for a few seconds, getting the confirmation she needs before hanging up and turning on Alaric. “You’re a liar.”
“What did you expect?” He smiles deviously. “I needed to buy more time.”
Bang!
Daisy drops as a bullet hits her from behind.
“No!” I scream.
I spin to see Penelope standing in the doorway with a shaking hand. Penelope’s supposed to be our geeky tech girl, not a killer! I don’t think twice before firing at Penelope. The bullet shatters her skull, killing her instantly. She falls as I sink to my knees at Daisy’s side.
“I know everything that happens here,” Alaric says. “Penelope has always been my most valuable tool, and even if you kill me now, I’ll die knowing I killed the person you loved most.”
He manipulated Penelope, just like he manipulated the rest of us. The last time the Dukes broke into HQ, Penelope didn’t know how to defend herself, but he must have trained her since then.
“Kill him,” I hiss at Freddie and Seb.
Usually, I’d want to be the one to do it, but with a pool of blood growing around Daisy, all of my killer instincts are gone. She has to be okay. I can’t lose her again!
I don’t watch when they snap his neck, but I hear the crack of his bones before they throw him to the floor like a piece of rubbish.
“Daisy.” I pull her head onto my lap. Her breathing comes in fast rasps as tears run down my face and onto her cheeks. “Stay with me.”
“I’m sorry,” she gasps, her eyes flickering closed. “Look after… Ivy…”
“No!” I yell. “You’re not going anywhere!”
I couldn’t protect her before, but now…
“Dove?” Hale’s roar echoes around the room. “Dove!”
He races towards us. He’s topless, with a roughly dressed wound, and seems to have completely forgotten about his own pain. Callen follows, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Penelope shot her in the back,” Freddie says. “None of us saw her coming.”
“Baby…” Hale strokes Daisy’s hair as her blood soaks through my trousers. “You’re going to be okay.”
“Callen.” I look up at him. He’s our only hope. “You have to save her.”
“She’s lost a lot of blood,” Callen says, kneeling to take her pulse. “Her pulse is slowing.” His voice is tense, on edge, unlike him. “We’re losing her.”
“She’s survived worse than this,” Hale says. “She’s strong.”
“Come on, Dais,” I whisper. “We need you. I need you. Stay with us a little longer. Please.”