Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Daisy
Lu sits up with a groan and looks around.
‘What the fuck?’ she snarls. ‘Where are we?’
‘Some kind of tiny airport, I think,’ I mutter, getting to my feet and keeping my eyes on Andy as he stares outside again. He’s waiting for someone. He must be, but who? Marcus? Why bring me here? I glance at the planes around us, and I swallow hard.
The guys must know that I’m gone by now, I reason. They have to be looking for me.
But why would they ever come to this random place? And why would they ever suspect Andy? His vibe screams rich asshole, not sociopathic killer.
‘Where is this place?’ I wonder aloud to my friend.
‘It’s Batten Airfield,’ Lu answers, looking around. ‘Just outside of town. Garretts aren’t allowed here, so I can’t be sure, but it’s totally gotta be.’
‘What do you mean?’ I ask quietly, curiosity getting the better of me even though I’m very much starting to freak out now.
‘PopPop has an agreement with the…people who fly in here…from the south. We stay away.’
‘Florida?’ I ask, wondering what this has to do with anything.
‘Uh, further south.’
My eyes narrow. ‘Like Colombia?’
Lu nods and then frowns as she belatedly notices Andy by the hanger door.
‘Who’s that asshole?’ she asks.
‘Shade’s brother.’
‘Oh, shit,’ she snorts. ‘I guess big bro really did get smacked with the fugly stick and Shade got all the good genes, huh?’
Though I’m scared, I can’t help my snicker, and I’m sort of glad Lu’s here because she’s making me feel better.
The thought makes me feel ashamed. She’s going to die here and it’s my fault.
‘He took you because of me,’ I say. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know about Andy until tonight.’
But Lu just shrugs. ‘Not the first time I’ve been in danger. Won’t be the last.’
‘Hey, asshole,’ she yells as if to prove she’s not afraid. ‘Do you know who I am? My grandfather’s gonna fucking kill you. He hates it when people mess with his family, and I’m totally his favorite.’
Andy glances back at us and gives Lu a narrow-eyed look but then turns away again and stares out of the door into the darkness beyond.
‘I don’t know why Shade’s ugly brother would bring us here unless it had something to do with the Colombians. The only other planes that use this airfield are crop dusters, and that’s just for appearances.’
She glances at me. ‘We need to get the fuck out of here if that’s who he’s waiting for.’
My mind reels. ‘He told me while you were unconscious that he was the one who had Blake’s father’s debt sold to the cartel. He’s in business with them somehow.’
Lu lets out a long breath. ‘Yeah, we definitely need to be gone, or we’re so fucked, Daisybear.’
Andy turns around to look at us, obviously hearing our whispers. He checks his watch again and shakes his head, clearly annoyed.
And then I hear a voice from outside.
‘Hey, bro.’
Shade!
Andrew swears under his breath. ‘Guess I should’ve bombed the shit out of your club again, huh, Jack? How’d you find me?’
He pulls a gun from his waistband as he speaks.
Shade doesn’t answer his question.
‘I know it was you,’ he shouts from the dark close to the hangar door, it sounds like.
Andy lets out a laugh. ‘You’re gonna need to be more specific, bro.’
‘Larson. You killed him out in the woods behind the school.’
Andy’s brows rise and then he glances at me and winks.
It was Andy? All this time?
My legs suddenly feel like they can’t hold me, and I sit down hard on the floor.
‘You?’ I ask. ‘It was you?’
Shade appears at the door, his hands up, his eyes scanning me quickly to make sure I’m okay before moving away and making Andy the focus of his attention, just the way his brother wants.
‘How’d you do it?’
Andy’s smile is malicious, and it makes me shiver despite the fact that my body is already about as frozen as it’s going to get.
‘I just did it. Sharp branch right through him. How did you know it was me?’
Shade takes a step inside, and Andy takes a step back, the gun trained on his brother, as well as Mav, who’s right behind.
‘You only brought half the gang,’ Andy says with a saccharine smile. ‘Where’s Blake?’
‘Had a job to do for his boss. You know all about them, right?’ Shade looks around the hanger. ‘That’s why we’re here. You made a deal with them since we’re flat broke.’
Andy’s lips tighten. He says nothing.
‘It was the keychain that was found at the scene,’ Shade says after a moment, answering Andy’s previous question. ‘That’s how I knew it was you. Saw a picture of it. I recognized it, of course. Mom left us each the same.’
‘I wondered where that went,’ Andy says, no longer moving back. ‘No closer or I’ll kill the Garrett bitch and use one of you to get our dumb stepsister to do what I want instead.’
‘And then you blamed it on Daisy.’
Andy chuckles. ‘That was the easiest part. I drugged her water bottle while she was running alone on the track that afternoon. Waited until she passed out and dragged her out there. I was actually pretty surprised. No one questioned it.’ He looks over at me.
‘You were so fucking nuts, and you and Mike hated each other. Everyone just believed it was you. It was perfect. Pop was the only one who suspected, but he wasn’t gonna say anything.
He was just glad to finally get rid of you. ’
‘You son of a bitch!’ Mav snarls. ‘You ruined her life!’
‘Why did you kill him?’ Shade asks, looking more and more confused. ‘He was your friend.’
Andy frowns and then laughs a little. ‘You know, I can’t actually remember.’ He gives a faux grimace. ‘That’s crazy, right?’
‘What the hell are you doing?’ Shade asks. ‘Why are we here? Daisy’s not marrying anyone. That was Pop’s idea, and it doesn’t make any fucking sense.’
‘Spare me, Jack,’ Andy scoffs. ‘You already know we need it. Pop ran us into the ground. Marguerite’s money is the only thing that can save us.’
‘She’s not a horse. You can’t just sell her to the highest bidder, you asshole,’ Mav shouts.
Andy laughs. ‘I’m her guardian. I can, and I am. Bro, you’ll thank me, and you can still waste money on all your science shit while I make sure our finances are secure.’
‘I’m not letting you do this.’
‘Jesus, Jack,’ Andy snarls, suddenly losing his semblance of calm. ‘Why do you even care? Pretty girls are a dime a dozen for men like us.’
He lets out a harsh laugh. ‘I mean, if you want a fucked-up one like her, just find one in an institution. There’s a ton out there.’
‘Come over here and say that, asshole,’ Shade sneers. ‘Or are you too scared I’ll hand your ass to you?’
‘Been hitting the gym, bro,’ Andy answers. ‘I’m stronger than you think.’
‘Prove it.’
Andy doesn’t move, and Shade laughs.
‘Admit it. You’ve always been a coward.’
That’s enough to make Andy take two steps forward. Lu and I aren’t in his line of sight anymore, I realize. Shade has slowly moved further and further around so that Andy’s body is now angled away from us.
A hand covers my mouth, and I jump, my heart in my throat as I turn to look. I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see that it’s Blake.
Of course he’s here, too.
He takes his knife and silently cuts the rope around my wrists before moving to Lu’s. I hear Shade still keeping Andy’s attention, using his brother’s inflated ego against him as I untie the rope from my ankles hurriedly.
Almost… We just need to be quiet…
But then Blake stops cutting Lu free. He freezes and I look up.
There's a man behind him who I don’t recognize with a gun to the back of Blake’s skull.
‘We didn’t contact you,’ he says. ‘What are you doing here?’
Blake stands and turns around slowly.
‘I just came on the off chance there was some work. Saw you guys weren’t here and found these two trying to escape. I was trying to stop them.’
‘That’s not what it looks like,’ the man says.
‘Bullshit,’ Andy snarls with a laugh.
I look over to find that there are now several more men in the hangar and Shade and Mav have more than one automatic weapon trained on them.
The man looks down at Lu and me.
‘Which one’s your sister?’ he asks Andy.
‘Step,’ Andy snarls. ‘The one in the dress.’
His eyes move over me. ‘Too bad,’ he murmurs.
He looks over at Lu. ‘But I’m still gonna have some fun with you later. Ready to join the Mile High Club, baby?’
‘Fuck you, asshole.’
He chuckles and hits Lu across the face with the butt of his gun.
I let out a cry, but Lu just sits back up, smiles at him with blood dripping down her chin, and then spits at him.
He starts forward like he’s going to grab her, but an older woman in a long dress enters the hangar.
‘Enough, Eduardo,’ her authoritative voice booms. ‘Business first, pleasure later.’
‘Yes, Senora Reyes.’
Eduardo backs off, but he gives Lu a wink. She bares her bloody teeth at him but stays quiet for now.
Andy comes over and hauls me to my feet. He puts his gun back in his waistband.
‘I brought Marguerite Evans here so you can see I wasn’t lying.’
‘Andrew,’ the woman says with a small smile. ‘Introductions first, no?’
‘Of course, Mariana,’ Andy replies.
I stare at Andy. How the fuck does a rich boy like Andy Novelle know this woman well enough to be on a first-name basis?
I glance back at Blake who’s looking just as surprised. Eduardo still has a gun trained on him.
I need to do something. But what?
‘What the fuck is this, Andy?’ Shade grates out. ‘You in bed with these people?’
‘Mariana, allow me to introduce my brother, Jack. His two friends, Eric Blake, who you know of course, and Mav Shaw, and this is my stepsister, Marguerite, the answer to all of our problems.’
‘And Pop got in bed with these people.’ He sneers at Shade. ‘He borrowed money. I’m just fixing what he broke.’
The cartel queen smiles.
‘And the loan period is up. Very soon.’
‘I’ll have it,’ Andy promises adamantly. ‘That’s why I’m here. I’ve brought Marguerite, so you can see her, so you know I’m telling you the truth.’
He pushes me forward.
‘She’ll be married soon, and her inheritance will come to me.’
‘How soon?’
‘Later today. But the money will take a few days.’