38. Chapter Thirty-Six
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
ECHO
E cho held her breath as Rick pushed the cold metal of the gun against her temple. Her mind went blank as she stared at Daddy with wide eyes. Her skin started to crawl as Rick continued to hold her
Rick had a gun pointed at her head.
A gun was pointed at her head.
She was going to die.
“You’re okay,” Daddy told her. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Rick shouted. “You are going to back away and let us leave.”
“Over my dead body,” Daddy growled.
“That can be arranged.”
She saw the gun being pointed at Daddy and whimpered. She didn’t want Daddy to die.
“Please, no,” she begged.
“Bitch, shut up.” His grip tightened around her.
Daddy roared and took a step forward.
“Take another fucking step and I’m going to shoot you,” Rick bellowed.
Echo looked around the café. There were several customers cowering in the corner. Please don’t let any of them get hurt.
“We’re going to leave, and you aren’t going to follow us.” Rick pointed the gun at Echo’s head again. “Do you understand?”
Daddy didn’t say anything. Fear coursed through her body as she stared at Daddy. She knew he wasn’t going to let Rick take her, but she didn’t want him to die.
“Please, Daddy. Don’t die,” she begged.
“Do you hear that? Echo doesn’t want you to die. Doesn’t want Daddy to die,” he mocked. “Fucking disgusting calling him Daddy. But that’s okay. Once we’re together, I’ll teach you it’s not okay.”
Nausea bubbled inside of her, and she leaned her head to the side, waiting to puke.
“Don’t fucking move, bitch,” Echo cried out as the gun was pushed harder into her.
“Don’t fucking hurt her!” Daddy yelled.
“You aren’t in any position to demand things,” Rick chuckled. “I am. So why don’t you fucking stay where you are and we’ll be on our way.”
She looked at Daddy, pleading with him wordlessly not to let Rick take her. She knew what twisted things Rick was going to do to her if he had her all to himself. Her skin crawled even worse as she thought about it.
She would surely die a painful death.
“You’re not leaving,” Daddy calmly informed him.
How was he going to get her out of this? She knew Daddy had a gun, but he wouldn’t be able to draw it and shoot Rick first.
Rick chuckled. He had the high ground, and with each passing second, more dread filled Echo. Daddy or she was going to die today. If Daddy died, she would soon follow after everything Rick had planned.
“Drop the gun and let her go or I’ll shoot your brains out,” Levi growled from behind them.
Echo didn’t know what was happening but she ever so slightly relaxed from hearing his voice. Daddy was still standing in front of her with his hands raised.
“You’re okay,” Daddy gently said.
“Shut the fuck up!” Rick bellowed.
“I said fucking drop the gun and let her go or I’ll shoot your brains out,” Levi roared.
Rick laughed. “Not if I kill her first.”
Fear rolled through Echo as she waited. What was going to happen? Was she going to make it out alive?
Tears rolled down her face as she looked at Daddy. Was this the last time she was going to see him?
“I love you,” she barely whispered.
Echo needed him to know that she loved him in case either of them died. She couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t tell him and he didn’t survive. Daddy’s eyes went wide as he stared at her. But he didn’t say it back. Her heart broke a little as they held each other's stare.
This was going to be the last time she saw Daddy; she just knew it.
“I love—” Daddy mouthed right as a gunshot went off.
Echo screamed; Rick howled in pain, immediately letting her go. She fell forward, her knees banging on the ground.
“Echo!” Daddy yelled.
Arms enveloped her. Daddy’s arms. She shuddered as tears streamed down her face. She could have died. Pushing away from Daddy, Echo looked him over, making sure he wasn’t hit.
“Daddy,” she whispered .
“I’m okay. I’m not hit. You’re not hurt.” He pulled her back into him.
Neither of them was hit. Then who was?
Echo pushed against his chest again, growling in frustration when Daddy held her tightly.
“Let me go! I need to see!” she yelled, pushing against him again.
Daddy held her close. “No. You don’t need to see anything.”
“Need to see if anyone is hurt. Daddy!”
She carried on pushing against him, and finally, Daddy turned her around but kept his arm around her. Her eyes scanned the room as she tried to see if anyone was hurt. Levi had Rick on the ground, his arms bound.
Blood .
There was blood everywhere on the ground.
“Levi wasn’t hit; Rick was,” Daddy explained.
“Who?” she whispered.
Who had shot Rick? The gunshot wasn’t from close enough for it to be Levi.
“Flemming,” Levi exclaimed as he stood to his full height.
Her mouth fell open as she looked over to the front counter. Flemming was still holding the gun, her eyes huge as she stared at the scene in front of her.
Flemming had shot Rick?
“Daddy!” Echo pushed against his embrace.
Echo needed to make sure Flemming was okay.
“Stay still,” Daddy commanded.
“No, Daddy. I need to go to Flemming.”
“Let Levi.”
But they didn’t like each other.
“No, Daddy!”
“Echo, watch.”
She watched Levi slowly walk up to Flemming, whispering something she couldn’t make out. Was Flemming okay?
Levi took the gun from Flemming and placed it in his back pocket before bringing her into his chest. She watched as Flemming’s shoulders shook, her fingers gripping Levi’s shirt.
“See, Levi has it under control,” Daddy gently said, turning her.
Echo tried to look at Rick again.
“Ah, no looking.” Daddy’s voice was firm, as he pulled her face toward him again. “No looking there. Some of my guys are coming to pick him up and clean the floor.”
“But—”
“No buts, Echo. Daddy doesn’t want you to see it. Be a good girl for me and just look at me while we wait for them. Shouldn’t have let you the first time.”
She could remember Rick laying on the ground, his hands behind his back as blood seeped onto the ground. She shuddered and looked into Daddy’s eyes.
“You’re okay,” he whispered. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“Baxter and some of his deputies should be here soon,” someone said from behind Daddy.
“We’re going to wait until they get here and give our statements. Then, I’m taking you home and taking care of you,” he gently murmured.
That sounded like heaven.
“Wh-what’s going to happen to him?” she asked.
She didn’t want him to be let go and out on the streets, but she also knew she didn’t want to have to testify. There was no proof he and Ken had assaulted her. He had held her at gunpoint in front of a lot of people. Was that enough to put him behind bars for the rest of his life?
“I’m going to make sure he never sees the light of day again,” Daddy slowly said.
Echo should have been afraid about how he was talking, but she wasn't. If anything, she felt herself relaxing into his arms. Maybe that should scare her, but she wouldn’t let it.
Daddy was going to take care of everything.
“Deccan,” Baxter said.
She pushed herself away from Daddy and looked over. Baxter and his deputies were standing next to them while some other Springfield Sinners walked in.
“What do you want us to do with him, Prez?” Xavier asked.
“You will not be taking him anywhere,” Baxter stated.
Her body was growing tense as he spoke. She knew if Rick went with Daddy’s men, he wouldn’t make it out alive. But she knew if Rick went with Baxter he would eventually be free.
“We will be taking him with us and taking care of him. You won’t have enough to hold him, especially for what he did to my girl,” Daddy explained, standing to his full height.
Echo wrapped her legs around his waist, his hand going under her bottom to hold her.
“Deccan,” Baxter growled.
Daddy’s voice got lower. “No. He deserves what he has coming. I suggest you look the other way this time.”
“You can’t fucking say that to the sheriff,” a deputy said.
“I just fucking did. You take Rick in and I’ll break him out. You decide. No one is going to stand in my way.”