Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
LEON
Gunshots echo through the estate grounds and my adrenaline ramps up. Three rapid shots, then nothing but the sound of our shaky breaths.
“What the hell was that?” I ask, afraid to know the answer. We’re not the only ones here, I knew that from the footsteps earlier. But who?
Bailey’s face has gone pale, and she’s still clutching the phone like her life depends on it. “Falin said they were at the gates, then the line went dead right before—”
“They got ambushed,” I finish, my mind racing. If those were gunshots, it means the others ran into trouble. Maybe his guards, maybe Brotherhood—whoever it is, they’re not our friends. “We need to get you both somewhere safe.”
Mum looks between Bailey and I, confusion and fear warring in her expression. “Leon, what’s happening? Who’s shooting?”
There’s no time to explain.
I move to the kitchen window, trying to see anything through the darkness. The massive estate grounds stretch out like a black void, hiding whatever’s going on in the dark. But somewhere out there, my family might be hurt. Or worse.
“Mum, I need you to listen to me carefully,” I say, keeping my voice steady even though my heart is hammering. “There are some very bad people here tonight. People who want to hurt us all. I need to go help my friends, but first I need to make sure you’re both protected.”
Her brows raise. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“Neither do I,” Bailey agrees.
Before I can argue, the lights in the kitchen flicker once, then go out completely.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “Bailey, can you turn on my phone light?”
She nods, and switches on the single beam. It barely illuminates the space in front of us.
The silence that follows is deafening as they huddle closer to me. There’s no hum of electricity, no distant sounds of the others fighting their way inside. Only our breathing and the thundering of my pulse in my ears.
“Should we go out there?” Bailey asks. “Or try to find out what happened to the power?”
“It’s probably been cut,” I tell them. “It’s not safe for either of you.”
“Leon,” Bailey whispers, pointing toward the kitchen doorway.
A shadow moves under the crack in the door that leads back to the dining room. I know instantly it’s not Jasper or Damon. The gait is completely wrong.
I raise my weapon, motioning for Bailey and Mum to get behind me. The shadow pauses, as if sensing that he’s been spotted.
“Come out, son. It’s over.” Dread settles in my chest. Alfred. But how? He was locked in that cell, unconscious, with the door completely sealed.
“I know you’re there,” Alfred continues, his voice a crazed calm. “Why don’t you come out? We still have so much to discuss.”
I press my back against the kitchen counter, with Bailey and Mum to my sides. My mind races through options. The kitchen has one entrance, which means we’re trapped if he decides to come in. But it also means he can’t surprise us.
“What do you want, Alfred?” I call out.
“You know what I want. What I’ve always wanted.” His footsteps sound closer as the shadow grows. “You may have complicated things, but we can work through it.”
“Who is shooting outside?”
He pauses, then chuckles, and the sound makes my stomach churn. “Your friends encountered some of my security staff. I’m sure they put up quite a fight.”
How would he know that? The bastard’s playing games with me, trying to get under my skin. I hate that it’s working.
“Leon,” Bailey whispers so quietly I barely hear her. “There’s a service door behind the pantry. It leads to the back gardens.”
I glance at her, then at Mum. “Go, please.”
“Not without you,” she whispers back.
I can’t just leave now. Not with Alfred still standing. Not while the others are in danger.
“I have a proposition for you,” Alfred calls out. He must be right outside the kitchen now. “Your friends’ lives for a simple conversation. Five minutes of your time, and I’ll tell my staff to let them go.”
“Don’t trust him,” Mum says urgently. “Leon, he’s lying. He’s always lying.”
“Ah, Ada, dear, I hear you in there. Tell our son to be reasonable.”
She wraps her arms around her chest, holding her head high. “He’s not your son, you lying, manipulative, violent piece of—”
“Manners, Ada! That’s not how I trained you.”
I rest a hand on Mum’s arm and it helps to calm her. “I’ll meet you outside. Please… go.” In the darkness, I can’t see their expressions, not clearly, but by the set of Bailey’s jaw and the stiffness of her back, I know she’s not backing down, even with me begging like our lives depend on it.
“Fine,” Alfred’s voice cuts through our whispered argument. “If you won’t come out, I’ll come in.”
The door handle turns slowly, and every terrible possibility flashes through my mind. He’s armed, I’m sure of it. And with Bailey and Mum right here...
“Stay back,” I whisper to them, then make a split-second decision. I rush toward the door, throwing it open before Alfred can enter. This is between him and me. Better to face him in the dining room than let him corner us all in the kitchen where Bailey and Mum could get caught in crossfire.
“Leon!” Bailey calls out behind me, but it’s too late, I’m already out the door.
Alfred’s right there, and in the dim spill of phone light from the kitchen, I can see the gleam of metal in his hand. He looks absolutely crazed with his disheveled hair and bloodied shirt, but his eyes are still as sharp and calculating as ever.
“There’s my boy,” he says with that cold smile. “Finally ready to face me like a man.”
I keep my gun raised, aiming it at his chest. “Let’s keep this between us. They don’t need to be involved.”
“Oh, but they’re already involved, aren’t they? This whole mess started because you think she’s worth more than your legacy.” His gaze shifts toward the kitchen doorway behind me. “Bailey, darling, are you listening? Come join us.”
“Stay where you are,” I call back to her, not letting my eyes stray from Alfred.
“Such a hero. I suppose I should be proud. Though I wish you had more self-preservation.”
“I’m here. You want to talk, so talk,” I say. I need to keep him occupied so they can get out. My life doesn’t matter… I only care about them.
“Straight to business then. Very well.” Alfred adjusts his stance, gun still trained on me. “Do you have any idea what you’ve cost me? What this little rescue mission has destroyed? The ties I’ve worked years to build severed because of your petulant ways?”
“I’m glad. I want to hit you where it hurts.”
“You reap what you sow, boy. Your friends will be the fodder in our little battle of wits.”
He’s trying to get to me. “You’re lying.”
“Am I? Where are they, Leon? You heard the gunshots. You know they came through those gates. So where are your loyal friends now?”
I force myself not to let doubt creep in, but it’s too quiet. It’s not like them. If they were out there, fighting, I’d hear what was going on. They’d call for backup, or retaliate. Please let them be alive.
“Well then,” I say, forcing my voice to steady, “that only makes me more angry. You’re going to pay double for what you’ve done.”
“To whom? Bailey?” Alfred takes a step closer, and I tighten my grip on my weapon. “She’ll get over it. Girls like her always do. She’ll find some new protector, some new life to ruin. It’s sad, all that work I put in, amounting to nothing.”
“Don’t talk about her like that.”
“Like the whore she is?” Alfred’s voice turns vicious. “That’s all she’s ever been, Leon. A commodity. Something to be bought and sold and used up. Nothing more than a pretty accessory.”
Rage flares in my chest, hot and consuming. “Shut up.”
“The truth hurts, doesn’t it? All this death and destruction for a girl who was broken long before you ever met her.”
He has no idea about our past. About how much I love her. I’ll keep it that way. My finger tightens on the trigger. One squeeze, and this nightmare ends. One bullet, and Bailey never has to hear his voice again.
“Do it. Pull the trigger. Become the killer I always knew you could be.”
My hand shakes.
Is this who I am? Killing a man. My father. Point blank.
“You hesitate. That’s always been your weakness, Leon. Too much conscience. Too much... sentiment. Not enough action.”
Please let them escape.
I lower my weapon, fucking hating myself. I know I should kill him. I want to. But my fingers refuse to pull the trigger.
Alfred releases a breath that turns into a laugh. My eyes are cast downward, but I hear his footsteps coming closer before he presses his gun against my temple. “Don’t try anything. I don’t want to shoot, but I won’t hesitate if it comes to that.”
The cold metal pressed against my temple feels final. Like this is it. This is where the Colter bloodline ends, in violence and darkness, just like everything Alfred touches.
“Bailey,” I call out without moving my head, hoping she’s left already, but in case she hasn’t… “Take Mum and go. I’m begging you.”
“Leon, no—”
“GO!” I roar, putting everything I have into that single word. “Please. Just go.”
I close my eyes, thinking of her laugh, her smile, her touch. At least she’ll live. At least she’ll be free. That’s all I ever wanted.
“This is so touching,” Alfred says, yanking my weapon from my hand. “Too bad they won’t make it two steps outside this building. They’ll end up joining your friends.”
“You have me. Let them go,” I plead, hoping he’ll keep his word and they’ll all stay safe.
“Move,” he says, pressing the gun harder against my skull. “We’re going downstairs. I need you secure so I can deal with this mess.”
I could try to overpower him. Knock the gun out of his hand, wrestle him to the ground. But this is easier. I already know I won’t take the killing shot. And maybe he’s telling the truth—if I cooperate, he won’t kill them.
With his weapon against my head, I walk where he directs me, through the dining room and down the familiar corridors. Every step feels like a slow march toward my execution.
Bailey and Mum had time to get out. They’re safe. Focus on that.