Chapter 26
Lucas
Everyone piles in around us. All three of Quinn’s brothers, their wives, Dylan, Hunter...
Hugo lingers on the other side of the dancing crowd, flanked by two of his men, and every one of them is keeping an eye on me. He’d arrived fifteen minutes ago, and I’d been trying to get Quinn out of here since—behind a locked door on a property with security.
And then I’m going to Jax. He has access to the town’s cameras and a good relationship with the police. I’ll be able to see if Drew is in the area before I make a move.
“Shouldn’t you be suiting up?” Jared barks at Noah.
But Quinn answers for him. “He’s busy.”
She gives him one of her smiles, and I drop my eyes to their stomachs. Touching.
Well, their shirts are touching, but he can certainly feel her body.
“He’s about to be fired if he doesn’t stop touching you,” Jared growls.
Damn straight.
But Tate chimes in. “Like that empty threat would’ve gotten you off me back in the day.”
He snarls at his wife. “It wouldn’t have stopped me this morning! What are you trying to say?”
“That this whole “Do as I say and not as I do” act was kind of a turn on for a while, but now you just seem…” She ponders. “What’s the word?”
“Misogynistic?” Dylan offers.
“Judgmental?” Fallon spits out.
“Patriarchal,” Tate finally adds. “Like you’re a teacher or a principal or something. Elderly.”
Jared’s eyes bug out, his teeth baring.
Madoc snorts, but his wife quickly taps in. “Oh, don’t you dare!” she scolds his amusement. “It’s spot on. Quinn’s an angel compared to you three at that age.”
“Let her make some mistakes,” Juliet chides.
“You want her to go through everything we went through?” he argues.
“It’s her choice.”
Fuck this.
I step up. “Actually, it’s not.” Snapping my fingers, I give Farrow an order he doesn’t need explained in words. “Mr. Kelly?”
And I point at Noah.
Everyone quiets, Farrow grins, and he immediately cracks his knuckles. “Absolutely, boss.” He locks eyes with Noah Van der Berg. “I’ve been dying to get my hands on you.”
Farrow belts out a whistle, and his crew mobilizes.
He grabs Noah, I wrangle Quinn, and there’s a commotion that I don’t see as I sweep her into my arms and carry her away.
Screams hit my ears.
“Oh, shit!”
“Don’t touch him!”
“Fuck!”
Quinn thrashes in my hold. “Oh my God,” she growls over my shoulder. “Farrow, stop!”
Stealing her away, I ignore her struggling, slipping through the trees to the overflow parking lot and people drinking on their tailgates.
“Let me go!” she bellows. “This isn’t fair!”
I spot her Jeep ahead, praying I can keep hold of her long enough to stick her inside.
She snaps in my face, “Maybe I should let them know that Noah has always acted like a gentleman and you were the one pumping their little sister last night. Three times.”
“Maybe you should.” I plant her on the damn ground next to her car door. “They’ll keep us apart.”
And she doesn’t want that. I fucking dare her.
But she just sneers. “Yeah, anything to not have to tell me your big secret.”
I jut out my hand. “Give me your keys.”
“Screw you.”
Oooh, big words.
Ripping open her bag, I find the keys and draw them out. I stuff them in her hand. “Don’t go to Weston.”
“I’ll go where I want.”
To my surprise, though, she doesn’t demand to stay and climbs in her car.
Without another glance in my direction, she drives out of the lot and back on to the road, disappearing around the trees.
She may go to Weston, purposely provoking me to follow, but…
She better head to Madoc’s. She knows better than to risk her safety to prove a point.
Plus, I’d have to leave her alone at her brother’s house. Which she appears to want. For now.
Hugo and his guys appear in the lot, eyes zoning in on me, and I move my ass, leading them away from everyone I care about. Jumping into Jared’s old Mustang, I race out of the lot, seeing them hurry for their car, as well.
I think I catch sight of Madoc in my rearview mirror, noticing me leave, but I’m gone before I can look twice.
Pedal to the metal, I fly down the road, rushing onto the highway. Cutting a left, I head for Weston and keep an eye behind me, making sure they follow.
But Hugo barrels through the Stop sign and pivots right instead. The same way Quinn drove.
I release the gas. Shit.
Jerking the wheel, I swing around, probably leaving a hundred dollars’ worth of tire on the asphalt. Kicking the stick shift up a notch, I chase Green Street back into the Falls, riding their ass to make sure I don’t lose them.
My phone sits in the holder, hooked up to the charger. I dial Quinn.
I arch my neck, trying to see around Hugo’s ride and catch her taillights. “Come on, pick up,” I beg under my breath.
The call goes to voicemail, and I hang up. Quickly tapping, I send her a text.
Go back to the Loop.
No one calls it that anymore, but Loop was shorter to type than Fallstown.
This time of night, I’m not sure what businesses are still open, and I know Madoc is having people over after the races, so there will be staff at his place, but I don’t want to risk her going there. All the estates in that neighborhood are partially secluded.
And fuck me if she tries to go to Weston. That’s not my turf anymore, and Farrow isn’t there to back me up right now.
Farrow…
Reaching over, I dial him.
Headlights shine in my rearview. I squint, shielding my eyes, but before I can dim my mirror, Hugo’s car suddenly halts in front of me.
“Fuck!” I press my brakes and swerve, but not fast enough. I slice the bumper of Hugo’s car with Jared’s, careen over the side of the road as Hugo’s vehicle rolls, tumbling after me. I spot another car ahead of him, but it’s not Quinn. A Traverse?
My head hits the roof as the Mustang bounces over bumps into the brush, over rocks and protruding tree roots. Something hits my shoulder, a searing pain penetrating down to my bone.
The car rocks right, then settles left, and I finally exhale as the world falls still. “Son of a bitch.”
I’m right side up. I didn’t roll, but I look around me, finding Hugo’s car. It rests upside down, at least one figure inside scrambling to get out.
What the hell happened?
Unwrapping my fingers from the wheel, I grab my phone and open the door, climbing out. Walking over, I lean down to check Axel’s pulse, but in a moment, I’m being slammed to the ground instead. My phone flies out of my hand as a weight lands on my back, crushing me into the wet earth.
Hugo still hangs upside down inside of his car, inches from me, his hooded eyes finally noticing me as he fumbles with the seatbelt.
All three guys are still in the car, in fact.
Chills rise on the back of my neck. Who’s behind me?
“You been working out,” a familiar voice pants in my ear.
I freeze, Drew Reeves pressing his forearms across my shoulder blades and pinning me to the dirt.
He was in the car ahead of Hugo that stopped him short and drove us off the road.
“I’m bigger, too,” he taunts.
I heave myself off the ground, scrambling for my phone and checking to make sure Quinn isn’t here. Hopefully, she’s long gone.
Drew grips the back of my neck, shoving me into last year’s fallen leaves. He grinds my head into the open window frame of Hugo’s car, my eyes locked on the current leader of Green Street as he tries to reach his gun lodged between the dashboard and the windshield.
“Kill him,” Drew whispers to me.
Hugo breathes hard. “Piece of shit…”
“Kill him,” my old friend begs me, that smooth edge in his voice still so in control. “Who will stop him if I send you to jail? Who will protect Shelburne Falls if you go back to Dubai?”
Hugo pulls at the seatbelt, growling at how utterly helpless he is. “Axel!” he bellows, trying to wake up his guy. “Nick!”
A moan comes from the back seat.
“He knows about her,” Drew eggs me on. “I know about her.”
I growl, trying to push myself up despite the weight on my back.
Hugo’s seatbelt releases, and he drops to the roof.
“Who will stop him from hurting her if he kills you?” Drew goes on.
No one’s going to kill me.
Hugo swipes up his pistol, and I scurry.
“Kill him and end it,” Drew breathes in my ear.
His weight comes off me, Hugo points the gun, and I yank his ankles, dragging him out of the car. I twist my neck around, ready for Drew.
But Hugo’s firing.
He pulls the trigger, and my heart damn near stops.
There’s no shot.
He scrambles to switch off the safety, but I fall on him, shoving his hands above his head as I try to pry the weapon from his grasp.
Where the fuck is Drew? The back of my scalp turns hot, already anticipating his bullet.
Hugo twists to the side, kneeing me in the ribs. Pain shoots through my body as I hear the crack.
I flinch. Fuck.
I slam his goddamn hands down on the ground, pounding once, twice, and then three times until a cry escapes him and the gun drops away.
Giving him no time to recover, I rear my fist back and hit him so hard his teeth cut my hand.
And I keep swinging.
I can die. I can be arrested and incarcerated for the rest of my life, but as long as they’re here, she isn’t safe. This will never end.
I have to do it.
“Axel!” he cries for his crew. “Nicholas!”
I grip the hair on top of his head, hitting him again and again until my arm is on fire with exhaustion.
This will never end. Even if I can get them sent away for twenty years, it’s not over forever. They’re just leaving others in charge.
I didn’t kill David Miller.
And I don’t want any of this.
But they’re going to hurt people, and I’m doing what I have to do.
Hands bloodied, I grab his neck and squeeze.
I dig my fingers in, flex every muscle in my arms, and cut off every sputter and every gasp coming out of him.
His face contorts, his skin grays, and I’m kneeling over him, looking down into the dead eyes of another man who’s here simply because of choices I made years ago.
My chest caves, agony filling my head as I unclench my fingers.
One is a mistake. Two leaves no doubt on whether or not I’m a murderer.