Chapter 26 Gun Powder and Death
Gun Powder and Death
Keeping the car door securely placed in front of me, I moved to place myself between my assailants and the engine of my now shot-to-shit car. Scott was already in the same position, firing from behind the safety of the engine of his SUV.
Crouching in place, I aimed my pistol and fired off two shots, one entering the skull of the driver and the other at the calf of his passenger. Scott clipped the third one behind the driver, which left only one of them without a bullet. Maybe two was better than one.
Throwing my shoulder to the ground, I aimed around the grill of my mangled Ferrari and fired off a round of shots into the legs of the last man standing. When he went down, Scott and I moved quickly before he could reposition his gun.
“Hands!” Scott shouted at the two men now struggling through their injuries. Kicking away the rifle nearest to me, I knelt and pressed my gun to the bullet wound on the man’s leg.
“Talk fast and I’ll make it quick,” I offered.
His heavy breathing and silent tongue made me hope he was considering his options, the both of which were bleak.
“Miguel Spade sends his regards,” he mumbled out. “And he’s coming for you.”
“Good boy,” I said with a smile and fired a bullet into his head.
Standing, I walked around the vehicle to find Scott interrogating the other gunman.
“That one confirmed our suspicions,” I said, tilting my chin at the now dead body, and holstered my gun at the small of my back.
“Yeah, but this one knows where he is,” Scott replied as he twisted a knife he’d buried into the man’s shoulder, causing him to cry out.
I crouched down beside them, my interest now piquing at the potential information he might have.
“You can either tell us where he is while you’re whole or in pieces. Which one do you prefer?” I told him.
“If I were you, I’d choose the one that serves your best self-interest,” Scott added. “Not Miguel’s.”
Aside from his annoying panting, the man remained silent, his eyes moving back and forth from me to Scott. As if he really needed to consider his options like the last one.
“T-tijuana,” he mumbled out, his voice shaking hysterically.
“How did you find us?” I asked pointedly.
“You were spotted. In the traffic.”
Son of a motherfucking bitch.
“How many more of you are there on this side of the border?”
He shook his head, shrugging his shoulder, and then immediately cringed.
“Guess,” I pushed him.
“A-at least two dozen.”
Good. More men to slake my bloodlust.
“And where are they?” Scott continued.
“S-san Diego.”
Well, at least I wouldn’t have to travel far.
“There’s a good boy,” Scott said before putting a bullet between his eyes.
“He’s closer than I thought he would be,” I said, standing back to my full height.
“Keeping it just close enough to the border where we can’t touch him.”
“We’ll just have to find a way to convince him to come visit us himself. Maybe it’s time we send him a personal invitation.”
“Sounds like a party. I’ll notify the cleanup crew. The twins are almost back to the estate.”
“Good. I want all of this at the warehouse within the next hour,” I said, waving at the wrecked cars and bodies. “You and I are going to be in for a long night.”
After spending the last three hours dissecting the SUVs and any equipment found on the bodies, I was fucking exhausted but wholly vindicated. All of the phones of Miguel’s cronies eventually traced back to several locations around the city, all within ten miles of each other.
One had been so close that Scott and I decided to infiltrate it ourselves, capturing two of Miguel’s men and killing the other four.
What was left of their disfigured bodies after we’d tortured enough info out of them had been burned to a crisp with the others after we’d set their little outpost on fire.
Plans were then put in place to attack the rest of the locations at the same time within the next two hours.
The phones and computers we confiscated also listed the contacts of their suppliers and dealers, but the text messages found were the most damning part. Conversations between Miguel and his men revealed just enough info to ensure a successful attack when the time was right.
At this point, he was just a dead sitting duck and didn’t even know it. Hopefully, the attacks would drain him enough to get him to do something desperate and stupid. At least then I’d finally be able to knock one war off my list.
Stepping into the elevator of my favorite warehouse, I pushed for the first floor, deciding to take a little walk down memory lane.
Making my way through the halls, I stopped just before the door that opened to the supply hall, my eyes peering through the window cutout for observation.
Ten perfect girls slept soundly in their cages, awaiting their turn for the monthly auction that would change their lives entirely.
I thought back to how Jaden had changed my life. How I never knew of such a burning passion that could punish so vigorously until I met her. My world was not the same as it was so many years ago.
Jaden had taken up so much space in my head, there were days it was difficult to see past her. And those were the days I hated her the most. The control she had over me—the power. It was too much for me to ever admit to her, but she was the only thing that consumed me now.
Goddamn her.
By the time I made it back to the estate, it was nearly four in the morning. Jaden was actually asleep in our bed for once, her lush red hair cascading over the pillows. I stripped off my clothes and joined her in bed, not giving a shit about showering at this point.
Clutching her small frame, I pulled her into me, the warmth of her skin against mine bringing me back to earth—where I was needed as more than just a killing machine.
With her, I would always be so much more.
A protector.
A tormentor.
A provider.
A jailer.
A teacher.
A husband.
A father to our children.
The picture of Jaden’s belly swelling with my child brought on such a strong feeling of pride, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could contain it.
Her body wasn’t ready yet, but mine sure as hell was. It had been six months since she’d been shot, and I really couldn’t deny that she’d fully recovered months ago. She wasn’t quite back in fighting shape yet, but she’d get there in time if I actually allowed her to.
After tonight, she’d shown me she could still handle herself in dangerous situations, that she was actually capable of following orders. And I was pleasantly surprised that she could overcome a little psychological torture when she was feeling spiteful enough.
While I enjoyed my time with her, I was livid over the fact that the first time I finally let her out of the house, we were attacked. And on our own damn wedding anniversary. And while she was the one driving, no less!
But that was the law of my universe—anything that could go wrong typically did. Which was why I always planned shit accordingly. You’d think the universe would have figured that out by now and stopped bothering.
But even in the face of an impromptu assault, I was actually a little relieved at how efficient Jaden and I were as a team. I hadn’t expected that, but we had no choice but to adapt to the situation.
It gave me confidence that the next time we faced another inevitable attack, we could successfully do it together if we had no other choice.
Trusting Jaden’s competence as a decent getaway driver had proven to be well worth the risk, considering it allowed me time to easily handle our assailants without minding the road.
It would have been a hell of a lot more difficult trying to open fire on tails behind us from the driver’s seat. And no way in hell was I letting Jaden stick her hand out the window, let alone her entire arm, just so she could be useful.
Her safety was always my main priority, and I allowed her to risk it all tonight because she was bored. I was fucking furious over the whole thing, furious with myself for giving in, especially after the attitude she’d given me earlier in the week.
But after seeing that gorgeous victory smile light up her face like that, the urge to recreate it was too damn strong to continue fighting.
I ended up spending several hours with Scott mapping out the entire route, making sure all the roads were clear or safe before I even thought about tossing Jaden the keys.
But the smile she rewarded me with made my chest burst with warmth and pride as she drove my car with such adorable confidence, exhibiting a rare and intoxicating display of pure joy.
But even the most calculated plans could be foiled with the most basic of interferences, like a random car accident that wasn’t even on our goddamn track.
From now on, Jaden would need to understand that even if she had “earned” herself a privilege that I’d agreed to honor, that privilege would be postponed indefinitely if it jeopardized her safety. And no amount of whining from her was going to change that.
She would need to figure out new ways to entertain herself before I lost my shit and just beat her into compliance. I’d take a miserable Jaden over a dead Jaden any day. Misery could be mitigated. Death could not.
But the sooner I got her pregnant, the sooner she could start occupying herself with other things—things that would only make me too happy to see her fussing over. Decorating a nursery, picking out clothes and toys, choosing a name…
The reality was closer than she even realized, and I hoped that once she accepted it, she’d prioritize the safety of our child with the same vigor as I did hers.
Maybe then she’d finally stop complaining to leave the house and just stay where she knew she was safest. But that was just wishful thinking.
Stirring in my arms, Jaden grumbled in the adorable way she did when she was tired and turned around to face me. Her eyes squinted open slightly, those beautiful hazels bouncing all over my face. And then she wrinkled her nose.
“You smell like gunpowder and death.”
I chuckled, tightening my arm around her shoulders and pushing her hair back from her face. “The smell of a productive night.”
She grunted in response, knowing better than to ask for details. Running my hands through the softness of her hair, I released a satisfied sigh, knowing Jaden was back where she belonged, where she was safe and contained.
“You owe me a new car.”
Jaden snorted softly, her sleepy eyes peeking up at me. “Sure, baby, what color do you want?”
My lips curled as I tugged playfully on her hair. “I was thinking that black might be more difficult to track at night.”
“Mmm, good idea,” she murmured softly, nuzzling herself into my chest. “We can go pick one out in the morning.”
I hummed my disapproval, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead. “That’s not how buying a Ferrari works, but it’s cute you think I’d let you go anywhere after what happened tonight.”
She closed her eyes and grimaced, groaning dramatically. “I was afraid you were going to say that.” She then tried to turn away in my arms, but I tightened my hold to keep her in place.
“You can pout all you want, but tonight only reinforced my reasoning for keeping you home. I won’t allow that to happen again,” I said sternly.
Her eyes narrowed into little slits, an argument cocked and ready at the tip of her tongue.
Maybe if I’d honored our agreement earlier, we wouldn’t have been spotted.
If I had just given in when I should have, none of what had transpired earlier would have happened.
But instead, Jaden surprised me by taking a completely different approach.
She sighed with contempt, her eyes lowering to my chest. “And here I thought we made such a good team back there.”
I couldn’t help but smirk, finding her disappointment a little endearing. “You did very well,” I praised, running my knuckles gently along her cheekbone. “But that doesn’t mean I want it repeated. You’re back on lockdown until I say otherwise.”
Her entire body deflated in my arms, the look on her face igniting a tiny spark of guilt that I forced myself to snuff out immediately.
Guilt was not an emotion I was looking to become familiar with again.
It had been beaten out of my head and heart decades ago, and I was not about to let it return to wreak havoc on my life now.
But the fact that Jaden was actually making it return was concerning.
I could easily handle her temper tantrums and raging outbursts when she thought to go against me, oftentimes finding them to be incredibly amusing.
Sometimes she’d do it just to appease me when she thought I needed it, the little saint. But seeing that sorrowful look of disappointment on her face when she technically hadn’t done anything wrong was oddly painful to swallow.
I almost wished she’d just lash out so I could fuck her into exhaustion and that would be the end of it. But this reaction lingered in a way I didn’t care for, and I needed to correct it. Right now.
“Don’t give me that look. You know better than that.”
She sighed, refusing to look at me. “I guess I’ll just continue to lounge around the house then.”
My lips tugged into a sneer, remembering the shock and awe on her face when I’d said that. Sometimes Jaden took the bait way too easily.
“There’s my good girl. Now, there’s just one other thing,” I said, pulling the sheet away from her naked body.
Lifting my arm, I smacked my palm hard against her ass, the sound slicing through the silence of the room. Her face immediately tightened into a pained grimace, her body instinctively curling into mine as she sucked in a loud gasp while burrowing her face into my shoulder.
I grinned as she groaned against my skin, grabbing the sheet to pull it back up to her shoulders. Leaning down, I kissed her forehead before tucking her into my side even more than she already was.
“Good night, my little brat.”