19. Cian
Cian
M y heart raced, sweat breaking out on the back of my neck as I struggled to remain calm. Buy some time. I needed Sean here. Even if I killed either Rex or Orson, the other would take me out, and they would kill not only Sean, but Skylar too. She had to come out of this alive. She had to.
Leaning back in the chair, I crossed my ankle over my knee, praying my trembling limbs wouldn’t give me away.
“A new trophy, Orson? Your room must be getting pretty full with all the people pissing you off.” Casually, I threw my knife on the desk with a smirk.
“Here’s mine. Save you the trouble later. ”
He bent forward, pulling the knife toward him. I had made a big deal of always playing with it in front of him, making him think it was special to me. It was a piece of shit—a prop—but he didn’t know that. I only wanted to distract him.
“Do you think that’s what I want?” he murmured, running his fingers over the handle of the knife.
I sighed, trying to sound bored. “I don’t know what you want, Orson.”
He stood. “I want to show you my new trophy.”
I clenched my hands tight at my sides. I didn’t want to see his damned trophy. I wanted to know where Skylar was.
He walked over to the door, my knife still in his hand. Rex stood stoic, a silent sentinel in the corner, his expression blank.
Orson pushed open the door, indicating I should follow.
What I saw caused me to stop, clutching the doorframe hard.
Skylar—curled in a defensive ball against the wall, clutching her knapsack so hard her knuckles were white. Bruises covered one side of her face, and her lip was split. Her red-rimmed eyes were wide with fear as she stared at me.
My knees almost sagged, but somehow, I remained upright. I met her frightened gaze with what I hoped was a look of reassurance, the whole time my thoughts frantic.
How the fuck did he get her? Why was she here?
It took everything in me not to lunge forward and drag her into my arms. Instead, I turned and glared at Orson. “What the fuck are you trying to prove?”
He laughed, the sound low and menacing in his throat.
Rex was suddenly beside me, his gun digging into my side.
Orson pushed past me, walking over to Skylar, dragging her to her feet, and holding the knife— my knife —to her throat.
I was frozen with fear, desperately trying to reassure her with my eyes everything was going to be okay.
Her eyes said what my brain knew. I was lying.
“Who is she, Anthony?” Orson sneered. “It didn’t take you long to get a new play toy after dumping the warehouse girl, did it?”
I blinked. Rex knew who she was. He’d seen her at the warehouse. Why wouldn’t he have told Orson? Blown my cover?
My mind started to race with possibilities.
I looked at Skylar, my brow furrowed. Her head moved—barely a flicker, but I saw it.
I breathed out Sean’s name, covering it up as a heavy sigh. I needed him now.
She hadn’t said anything—neither had Rex. It could only mean one thing.
I sighed, shaking my head slowly, indicating Orson had it all wrong. “Who said she was new?”
“Why were you hiding her?”
I shrugged. “Who I fuck isn’t your concern, Orson. Now you’re just wasting my fucking time and pissing me off. Let her go, and then I’ll deal with this shit.”
He tightened his grip on her. “No.”
I glared at him. “You bruised her.”
Orson flicked his hand dismissively. “I was trying to loosen her tongue.”
I curled my fingers into fists, trying to rein in my fury until I could figure out my next step. “I don’t like my possessions touched.”
“Who. Is. She.”
Where the hell was Sean?
I needed time. I had to get her away from him; I had to give Sean a chance to get here. I tried bluffing. “She’s no one, Orson. A body—a mouth—a vessel I can use, but nonetheless, she is still mine. But hardly what I would call your greatest trophy.”
“I disagree. She must mean something to the powerful Anthony Malone for you to keep her a secret.”
“She’s a means to an end.” I shrugged again and flicked my hand toward Skylar. “I just happen to like her means.” Ignoring the gun pressing into my side, I narrowed my eyes at Orson. “How did you find her?”
“It’s a small world, Anthony. Imagine my shock when one of my men saw you miles away from the strip club, buying soup.
How clever you are, figuring out your gifts were trackable and leaving them behind, thinking I would never know.
Of course, not clever enough. Larry followed you.
” Orson smiled menacingly. “I sent Rex to pick her up. She wasn’t very happy to see him. ”
I knew she would remember who Rex was. She would never have gone anywhere with him—unless he wasn’t a threat to her.
Unless she knew he wasn’t a threat to me. Somehow, in the scheme of everything, I had overlooked something. I knew it now—Rex was the other mole.
I drew in a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.
As much as I wanted to rush forward and get her away from him, I knew I had to be smarter—remain cool and figure out how to beat him.
“This is one trophy you can’t have, Orson.
When I’m done with her, it’s my decision what happens to her, not yours. ”
“I don’t think so.” His voice became ominous.
“I do.”
His hand gripped my knife, his fingers stroking the handle fast. “I would hate to add your knife to my collection, Anthony.”
“Carlo will kill you where you stand.”
“Carlo has already been eliminated. Larry never liked him, so as his reward for his good work last night, I let him put a bullet between Sean’s eyes after you left the room.”
My stomach rolled and my chest tightened, but I hid my fear. If it was true, I had to see this through for Sean. I would avenge his death as well as my father’s.
“You’ll regret that, Orson,” I spat.
“Not as much as you’ll regret trying to double-cross me, Anthony. You think I haven’t figured it out?” he snarled.
“Figured what out?”
“Figured out you’re trying to take over my business? Buy off my distributors and take control? You think I’m really going to stand by and watch you? You think I don’t know what the fuck is going on?”
I almost started to laugh. That’s what he thought was happening?
I shook my head. “You are so stupid , Orson. Your incredible lack of vision is beyond belief.”
I flinched as he pressed the knife to Skylar’s throat, a thin red line appearing. “You think I’m stupid, Anthony? I’m not the one with a gun pointed at me and my whore about to die in front of me.” His voice lowered. “Except, she isn’t your whore, is she?”
It was time. This was going to end in the next few minutes, one way or another.
“No, she isn’t.”
“Who is she?”
I shook my head. I wasn’t telling him who she was or how important she was to me. Fuck him.
“The more important question right now is who am I, Orson. That ’s what you should be asking yourself.”
“What?”
I stepped forward, not surprised when Rex moved with me, but I noticed his gun didn’t press as hard.
“My name is Cian Cooper. Does that ring a bell?”
He frowned. “Should it?”
“You killed my father years ago. He was a cop, going to testify and put you away. You hired Anthony Malone to kill him.” I grinned, letting all my hate soak into the twisted smile. “And he hired me to make sure you suffered the same fate he did.”
“Which was?”
“You took away the one thing in his life that mattered. The only thing he cared about.”
Orson’s expression was one of disbelief. “Which was?”
“His sister.”
“ His sister?”
“Her name was Gina Rawlins. Ringing any bells now?”
His gaze snapped to the wall where I knew her pendant sat, his face shocked, realization slowly dawning as he put the pieces together.
“Where’s Anthony?”
“Dead.”
“ He killed your father.”
“On your orders. I know everything, Orson. I have control of all of it now. Everything you’ve worked for—everything you’ve killed for—it’s gone, Orson. Your life is over.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
“Your worst nightmare,” I growled.
Orson’s hand moved, more blood appearing on Skylar’s throat. She gasped as I cried out her name and lunged forward, Rex letting me go easily.
Skylar’s elbow came up, smashing into Orson’s face. He stumbled back as I grabbed her, spinning her away, and I drew my gun, pointing it at him.
From the other room, the sounds of constant pings began from the computer, echoing in the empty room.
Orson’s phone kept chirping, message after message beginning to chime.
Rex’s phone echoed from the corner, but he didn’t move.
I smirked. Somehow, no matter what else had happened, Sean had done it—he’d ended Orson’s empire.
“Listen to those sounds, Orson. They’re telling you it’s all gone,” I taunted him.
“The cops have it all. And whether I walk out of here or not, I know you’ll be going to prison.
I know you won’t survive more than a day before someone shanks you and ends your miserable excuse for a life. It’s over.”
“It hasn’t even begun,” he spat.
I laughed. “You don’t believe me? Check your computer, Orson. It’s gone. It’s all gone. The shipments, the contacts, your accounts.” I grinned, wide and angry. “The best part, though, is your life. It’s over. Completely over. You’re dead, Orson. You just don’t know it yet.”
He had the audacity to laugh, although the sound was strangled. His eyes were bright with fury. “Kill them, Rex.”
Rex didn’t move, his gun never wavering. Orson was so enraged he didn’t even realize what direction the gun was pointing.
“Kill them!” Orson screamed.
“I’ll kill you first,” I threatened, moving so Skylar was completely protected.
Orson shook his head, holding out his hand. In it was a small remote. “I’m not leaving here alive.” His chuckle was evil. “Neither are you.”
It happened all at once.
Chaos broke out behind us.
Gunshots rang out, even as I pushed Skylar out of the way and dove for the floor.
Rex’s gun exploded, and Orson stumbled back, blood covering his chest. There was screaming, yelling, and the sound of thundering feet.
I pushed off the floor, desperate to get the remote away from Orson before he blew up the room, taking us all with him.
He struggled, both of us cursing, as I tried to pry it away from him.
A twisted smile curved his ugly mouth, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Falling back, I looked down at the knife sticking out of me, blood beginning to pool around it.
Skylar was screaming, Rex was yelling, and Orson lifted both his shaking hands, the remote clutched in one, my gun in the other—and it was aimed at Skylar. Darkness started to descend, but I fought against it.
I needed to get to Skylar. I needed to tell her I was sorry—how much I loved her. I wanted to feel her lips on mine one more time before we died.
“Stop him,” I tried to scream, but the words were only a whisper.
I lunged, his fingers moved, and a gunshot rang out, pain tearing through my body, hot and fast.
Skylar cried out my name as I fell into emptiness, and my world went black.