47. Chapter 47
AHREN
"I don't fucking think so," Tierney growled. "We stick together, remember? Until the bitch is in the ground, remember?"
"You can protect Connor. For fuck's sake, you'll be down in the truck, not across town." I argued, not sure why this was such a big deal.
"Two things. First, Larissa isn't the only one that needs back-up. I am going so I can watch your ass. End of discussion."
"End of discussion?" I asked, my lips turned up in amusement.
She nodded, raising her chin defiantly.
"If that's the end, what's number two?"
Her stiff posture faltered. "Ok, so two is that you're planning to show up three hours early. What the fuck are Larissa and I supposed to do, play cards in the truck? I am not a card girl, Ahren. I'm a blow-things-up-and-shoot-people girl with a deep love of sharp things."
That earned her a laugh. "Fine. Come. Maybe I'll let you shoot Richardson if you're a good girl."
"I don't work for free." She said, tossing my signature line back at me, flicking her braid over her shoulder. “And I can be a very good girl.”
"She sounds just like you," Connor chuckled.
"Get your weapons. We leave in twenty." I barked out, turning away before either of these pains in my ass could notice the broad smile spreading across my lips.
Shoes scuffing against the concrete steps echoed throughout the seven story stairwell.
Tierney insisted we take the stairs, saying it was a more defensible position—that we were sitting ducks in an elevator.
She still wasn't sold on the idea that Scott Richardson wasn't a criminal mastermind.
She would understand after meeting him, of that I was certain.
We were most definitely taking the elevator back down.
"Remind me not to do that again." I mumbled under my breath as my boots finally kissed the landing at the roof level.
"You two agreed to wait in the doorway, remember?"
Tierney pulled the pistol from her waistband and nodded.
"Don't go where I can't have eyes on you or the deal is off." The hard set of her eyes and her tone held no room for argument .
Sunlight flooded the darkened stairwell as the door swung open, momentarily blinding me. I blinked a few times to let my eyes adjust and stepped onto the roof.
A stocky man with dark hair stood near the roof's edge, facing away from me. Even without seeing his face, I could tell it was Richardson.
"You're a little early, aren't you, Scotty?" I called out.
He turned to face me, a red dot immediately appearing on his forehead. "I could say the same for you," he stuttered.
I spun around searching for the gunman, finding Tierney already on one knee, her weapon pointed skyward as she searched for the threat. The bright midday sun glinted off every surface downtown, obscuring the obvious perches.
"The transfer is already done. Has been for two weeks. The crazy bitch paid me to hold them." he laughed mirthlessly. “Of course, I didn't know this was the goal.”
This didn't feel right. That familiar tightness along my spine, the instinct that kept me alive, flared to life. Something here was off. Fuck. "Tierney, back to the doorway." I commanded, keeping my eyes on him, hoping she obeyed.
"So that's where you fucked up," he said, shaking his head. "Man, you're not supposed to mix ex and next. Not that I can blame you. This one’s fine as fuck."
Not that it was his business, but I wanted to argue he was wrong. But was he? I fucked Lucia long ago, and she was taking her wrath out on my new girl. It was a bit more complicated than that, but he didn't need to know that.
Instead, I just shrugged. He wasn't worth the explanation, anyway. "Fuck off."
He took one step toward me and stopped .
I held my ground. There was still a good bit of distance between us, and I hated the thought of him seeing my retreat.
His fingers shook as they fumbled with the bottom buttons on his deep emerald green oxford shirt. The third button came undone, and he lifted the hem of his shirt, baring his stomach.
Fear sank into me like a stone in a lake. "Get back. Get downstairs!"
"Ahren—"
"Now!" I backed away from him, angling my body so the door might block me from taking a direct hit.
"Don't leave me." his voice shook. If she had chosen better, I might have hesitated, but I had no issue abandoning the smarmy bastard to his death. The only regret I could muster was that I wouldn't be the one to pull the trigger.
I dove into the stairwell, the door barely swinging shut behind me when a deep thunderous roar rent the air and the steel reinforced concrete walls shook.
"What the fuck?" Tierney yelled from two floors below.
Grabbing on to the railing, I pulled myself up. Tierney and Connor started back up the stairs. "No. Down. I'm coming. Just—got my dick knocked in the dirt. But I'm ok."
They halted, but didn't continue until I stepped onto the fifth floor landing. Connor grabbed my face and checked my eyes, running her hands over my scalp. My fingers closed around her hand, halting her frantic movements. "I'm fine, Connor. Really."
She didn't look convinced, but after some back and forth, I agreed to let her look me over once we got home. That seemed to satisfy her, at least for the moment.
"This stairwell was built to withstand a fire or a blast like that one. It stands independent from the rest of the building. We're safe. As long as the door isn't blocked at the bottom, we will be fine. "
"Told you the elevator was a bad idea." Tierney scoffed, rolling her eyes, but I caught the way her fingers trembled as they gripped the railing.
I pulled her into my arms. We needed to get out of here before fire and rescue arrived, but I could take a moment to comfort my woman. I pressed my lips to her forehead. "Thank you."
She looked up at me, unshed tears lining her eyes. "I'm definitely going to need that first strike back."
I nodded, offering a half smile as we continued down the stairs.
Mercifully, the door opened enough for us to scoot through.
Fourteen steps and we entered the alley that led to eighth street where the truck was parked.
We had debated just parking in the garage, but experience taught me having my car too close could bite me in the ass.
I was glad I'd listened to my intuition this time around.
Our footsteps quickened, racing for the truck as the sirens grew closer.
The door clicked shut, sealing away the chaos of the street.
My heart hammered in my chest, and I allowed myself a moment to take a deep breath before moving.
The engine roared to life with the press of a button.
I pulled onto Main just as the fire trucks rounded the corner four blocks in the opposite direction.
"Magma." I said, finally finding my voice again. "Richardson had the word 'magma' cut into his stomach. That's how I knew he was a goner."
"I figured she'd shoot him." Tierney replied.
I nodded. "Same. The red light was just a distraction, though."
"Unless he broke the rules, too."
My eyes swung to Connor. “We found that out. She doesn't like rule breakers. Maybe he was supposed to be shot but showing you the message-”
"Who knows?" I said, turning my attention back to the road.