Chapter 36 Malice #2
“I can’t believe you’re really not going to let me come with you,” she says. “A job this big, and you really expect me to just sit here and wait for you to get back?”
Jonah closes his eyes and sighs. “That’s exactly what I expect you to do, Quinn.
We’ve already been over this. I’m not letting you get wrapped up in this shit.
And besides, I need you here. With half of the Enigma crew being sent out to serve as a diversion and keep the road clear, we’ll have fewer people protecting our territory.
I need you in charge of the men who stay behind. ”
She scowls at him darkly, looking a whole lot like Willow in her stubborn defiance. She and her father have a silent standoff that goes on for at least a minute, a whole debate being played out without words.
Finally, Quinn gives in, breaking eye contact. “Fine. But you’d better bring your ass back here in one piece, old man. Or you’ll hear about it from me.”
He snorts under his breath and pulls her into a one armed hug, squeezing her for a second before letting her go. “Get out of here. You have work to do.”
She glances at the rest of us and then goes, heading into the tattoo parlor.
Once she’s gone, Jonah turns his attention to us, his demeanor hardening. “I’m ready. Let’s bring this bitch down.”
From there, we split up into two teams. Willow, Ransom, and Jonah go in one car, and Vic and I go in the other.
I get behind the wheel, leaving Vic free to coordinate and check things, planning any recalibrations to the plan as needed.
If Olivia’s car makes a detour or doesn’t leave on time, he’ll know about it.
Several members of Jonah’s crew are spread out around Detroit as well, ready to distract and delay the other wealthy society members who were invited to the art showing tonight.
We can’t have any of them driving the same route Olivia will be taking and witnessing what goes down.
We need her completely isolated and alone.
The car Jonah, Ransom, and Willow are in will tail her backup vehicle at a distance, waiting for their moment to take that car out. Vic and I will speed ahead to get into position on the stretch of road that we’ve determined will be best for the attack.
We’ll lie in wait for her, and once her backup guards are out of the picture, Vic and I will move in on her.
We keep in touch via earpieces, the kind of expensive shit we could never afford before, checking in every so often to make sure things are going according to plan.
This really is the perfect area for something like this. Forty-five minutes or so outside the city, we’re on long stretches of two lane roads where there’s almost no traffic. No one comes out here without a reason, so there’s not much chance of interference.
The drive would be peaceful if it wasn’t for the clattering of my nerves in my head and the adrenaline pumping through me. It ratchets up a notch the closer we get to where we need to be, and once we’re in place, I’m barely sitting still at all.
Vic glances over at me from his laptop, raising an eyebrow. He doesn’t say anything, but I don’t really need him to.
I just shake my head, curling my fingers around the steering wheel as I pull over and position us just off the road, partially obscured behind the brush. There’s too much to say, and it feels like saying this shit out loud might jinx it and make all my worst fears come to life.
I glance at the clock. We’re coming up on the time when Olivia should be getting close.
There’s no time to be anything but ruthless and focused now. We have to be ready.
“We’re trailing her backup vehicle.” Ransom’s voice comes through in my ear. “They’re getting close now. Almost go time.”
“Wait for the right moment,” Vic advises. “We’re only going to get one shot at this.”
“Got it.”
The atmosphere grows even more tense as we wait. I can hear some murmured conversation from the other car, Ransom and Jonah discussing something, and Willow adding her input.
Just hearing her voice makes me feel a bit better. I know that no matter what happens, Ransom will do his damnedest to keep her safe.
“Now!” Ransom says suddenly, and I can hear tires screech in the background as the car they’re in accelerates.
The sound of gunshots rings through my earpiece, but I can’t focus on that anymore. I have to assume Ransom and Jonah are doing what they need to do, because less than a minute later, the car carrying Olivia in it comes zooming up ahead, right toward where we’re waiting.
“Let’s go,” Vic says.
He stows his laptop and grabs his gun, and I roll down the window, moving almost on instinct. Before the sleek black SUV can get too far past us, I shoot out the two back tires, sending it into a tailspin, weaving across the road.
It does a complete three-sixty before it screeches to a halt, and almost as soon as it stops, the doors of the car burst open. Two men in suits emerge from the front of the car, armed and shooting right at us.
Vic opens the door on his side of the car and uses it for cover, popping up at strategic moments to fire back at the guards. I do the same on my side, using the anticipation burning through my veins to keep moving.
I clip one of the guards in the leg, and he goes down, only to be shot through the head by Vic a second later.
The back passenger door of the car opens, and Olivia’s third guard pokes an arm out, shooting toward us and giving cover to his partner. That man takes advantage of the cover and rushes toward us, clearly trying to reach us so he can take us out at close range.
He barrels into the car door Vic is hiding behind, shoving my twin backward. Vic grunts, shooting toward him again. He clips the guard, who grunts and launches himself at my brother. More bullets fly from the guard inside the car, and I curse under my breath.
Fuck. I’ve got to take that one down.
Steadying my hand as Vic grapples with the guard who went after him, I wait for the other guard’s arm to emerge around the SUV’s door again, and the moment it does, I take my shot.
My bullet connects with the man’s forearm, making him drop the gun clutched in his grip.
He pitches sideways a little, giving me just the barest glimpse of his face, but that’s all I need.
I squeeze the trigger again, and blood sprays as I hit the side of his head. I’m not sure it’s enough to take him down at first, but then he topples from the car and lies next to the half open door, going still.
Beside me, two muffled gunshots ring out, and I hear the sound of heavy breathing.
A second later, Vic stands up. Blood spatter crosses his face, making him look unhinged and dangerous, but I don’t bother pointing it out.
I’m sure he’s aware of it, but he has a more important mission right now than getting cleaned up.
The two of us share a quick nod and then move as one, crossing the road with our weapons drawn and pointed at the car.
“Go around to the other side,” Vic tells me. “We’ll box her in so she can’t run.”
I nod, crossing around the car to the other passenger door. At the same exact moment, we both yank our doors open.
I raise my gun, ready to put a fucking bullet in Olivia’s skull—
But the back seat of the car is empty.
“What the fuck?” I snarl.
“Check for any possible hiding compartments,” Vic directs quickly. “Maybe she got spooked and hid.”
My heart is beating in overtime as we search the car, but there’s no goddamned sign of her. Slamming my fist against the metal siding of the SUV, I step away from it, my gun gripped tightly in my hand.
“Ransom. Jonah. Abort,” I bite out. “Get Willow the fuck out of here. Olivia isn’t in this car. I don’t know where the fuck she is, but she’s not—”
A screech of tires from my right cuts me off. I don’t even have time to look up before the sound of more gunshots are echoing through the trees around me. Something punches my chest, two bullets slamming into my vest and knocking all the air out of my lungs.
For a second, I can’t breathe at all, my entire chest seizing up from the force of the blow. Then something hits the back of my head, and I go down hard, hitting the asphalt with a heavy thud.
The last thing I see before I black out is Vic hitting the ground beside me.