Chapter 37
SHELBY
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Roger steps outside to take a call. “Yes, Uncle?”
I lean forward. “Nick, are you awake?”
He moans.
“Nick, I need you to wake up,” I say louder.
His eyelids flutter, then he lets out a loud groan. “Fuck.” He snaps to attention, his gaze searching the area. “Where is he?”
“Out talking to his uncle.”
Nick scrunches his eyes close. “Fuck. I knew that’s where his money came from, but I couldn’t prove it.”
“How bad of shape are you in? Can you fight?” I don’t take my eyes off Roger.
“I’ll do what I have to do.” He moans and stretches his neck.
I wiggle around. “Beau didn’t tie me too tightly, so I should be able to loosen these enough to free myself.”
“Beau?” His eyes fly open. He tilts his head back. “He’s the missing piece?”
“Shit, he’s coming back in.” I almost have the ropes untied, and I grab them in my hand so they look tight.
“Oh, I have a surprise for you. Someone wants to meet the person who killed his son.” Roger walks past us and out the front door.
I finish the last knot, and the rope drops to the floor. I run to the kitchen, grab a knife, and head toward Nick. When I pass the coffee table, I run my hand under it to find the gun.
“Run, Shelby.” Nick wiggles around. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Right.” I start cutting the rope that binds Nick to the chair.
A car pulls up. “We need to go, now.”
I cut the last rope and helped Nick up. I have one arm around his waist, and we reach the back door. We don’t make it far.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Roger asks.
A shot cracks through the air, and Nick crumples.
“No!” I scream.
I turn around and fire and miss both, but I didn’t expect to hit them because I didn’t aim. I dive behind the couch. Nick lies on the floor, blood spreading on his shirt.
This can’t happen. I can’t lose another person I love.
I peek over the couch. Roger is behind one of our pillars with a well-dressed man.
“I thought you said you had her tied up?” the older man says.
“I did,” Roger sneers.
“You’re a worse failure than your father,” he spits out.
Roger turns and shoots his uncle. “Don’t talk to me about my father.” He shoots at every word. “Monkey, how did you free yourself from the ropes?”
He keeps shooting, and my only option is to shoot him or get him to run out of bullets.
The gun clicks, but no bullets are fired. Now’s my chance.
I stand and point the gun at him. “What are you going to do, Roger?” I make my way in front of the couch and coffee table. “Not smart of you.”
He charges me, and my gun jams when I fire. As we crash onto the coffee table, breaking it into millions of pieces, my gun flies from my hand.
He straddles me and alternates hitting me with both fists. “You stupid bitch. You made me kill my uncle.”
Something off to the right catches his eye. When he leans for it, I flip him off me. He reaches for the knife I dropped when I freed Nick, but I won’t let him grab that.
I knee him in the nuts, then dive over him. I grab the knife, cutting myself.
I swing around to stab him, but he catches the blade between his hands. I aim for his heart, but he moves the blade left. I push down, and the blade sinks into his shoulder.
He screams, and the next thing I know, I’m flying across the room, and the knife skids across the carpet.
“You bitch!” he roars. “You stabbed me!”
“I wanted to kill you but missed.”
He growls and once again dives for me, but I’m ready for him this time. My karate moves flow. He might not know karate, but he’s been on the streets long enough to know how to defend himself.
He pulls a knife out of his pocket. I scan around me to find the knife I dropped, but I can’t find it.
Roger attacks, and I defend myself as best as I can. He stabs my left leg as I kick him. When I punch him, he slashes my arm. Pain radiates through me, and I grab my arm. He swings around and stabs my side.
“I’m killing you right now.” His lips pull back in a snarl.
Once again, I find myself on my back with him over me. The knife is poised over my heart. I struggle to keep it from going in, but he’s stronger than I am. I take a risk and move my right hand away from holding the knife. I sock him across the jaw, and it’s enough to move the blade before he stabs me.
I let out a blood-curdling scream as someone kicks in the door. From where I’m lying, I can’t see who it is.
A shot splits the air, and Roger falls on me.
My breath whooshes out, and my vision fades around the edges. Multiple people call my name as someone tosses Roger to the side.
Everything goes black.
An annoying beep wakes me. I try to open my eyes to discover what’s making that noise, but they’re so heavy. I open one of them, and a blank, white wall stretches before me. I turn to the left and swear when I find the culprit.
I’m in the hospital.
“Shelby, are you waking up?” a low voice asks.
I try to speak, but my mouth is so dry, so I only make strange sounds.
“Here, baby, take a slow drink.” A straw touches my lips, and I take a couple of sips.
“Nick,” I croak out.
“I’m right here beside you.”
I turn my head, and the people move. Nick lies in a bed beside me.
“Roger?”
“Don’t need to worry about him. Get yourself better,” the voice says.
I fall right off to sleep.
The next time I wake up, Nick’s gone, and Luke sits in a chair beside me with his head on my bed.
I reach out and touch his hair, and his head snaps up. “Gorgeous.”
“Hi.”
“It’s good to see you waking up. You worried us.”
I smack my lips, and Luke reaches for the water.
“Where is everyone?”
“They went home to shower.”
“How long have I been out?” I try to sit, but Luke places a hand on my shoulder.
“The first time? Two days. The last time? Three.”
“Five days? I wasn’t that hurt, was I?”
“You had three stab wounds, but no internal damage. You lost a lot of blood. That’s what worried us.”
“Where’s Nick?”
“He was released yesterday and is now with your dad. Roger sucks at aiming. He missed Nick’s heart, but like you, he lost a lot of blood. He’s got a long recovery. He also has two broken ribs, but he’ll be fine.”
“You’re awake,” Dom says as he and my other guys walk in.
“It’s good to see you up, princess.” Mav wipes tears from his eyes.
“I missed you.” I gingerly draw him in for a hug.
Each of the guys checks me over, doting on me when I grunt in pain. Then, I turn to Frank.
He leans against the door. “Thanks for saving my life, Frank.”
“I’m sorry you were hurt. I wish I could have stopped him.” He hangs his head. “It’s my fault for not checking Beau out better.”
I tuck some hair behind my ear. “No worries. Roger was in too many places. It’s what he does.”
Dom’s head nods back toward the door. “The police need to speak to you. About everything.”
“Okay.” Tears fill my eyes. “It’s over?”
“Yes, beautiful. It’s over,” Cam says.