Chapter 18 #3
When I hear voices coming from Ned’s office, I recklessly head toward them.
My stomach is eating itself up as I kick the door open and point my gun right at Audrey’s head.
There are two others in the room, Ned and another man who goes to pull his gun until I warn, “Lift your gun and I’ll shoot her in the head. ”
“You’re not going to shoot me,” Audrey says, sounding determined, and there’s something about hearing her voice that makes me hurt.
I trusted her. She was a part of our team.
She was someone I wanted to keep safe, wanted to protect.
Hell, I ran back into the building for her as much as the others…
and now… I find out that there really was a reason I shouldn’t have. “You’re too good of a person.”
“I shot Devon in the head, and you think I won’t shoot you?” I reply coldly.
She hesitates, making me realize that she might not have known this.
“If you think I’m the same person I was before Devon made me shoot Eddie in the head, before I caused Tate’s death, and before I killed Devon, you’re very wrong. That Cal doesn’t exist anymore. You guys ruined me,” I say, a bite to my words. “And then to learn that you were part of it?”
“Things aren’t always black and white.”
“So why are you here? Money? Are you over here locking up innocents and brutally beating women until they die just for some money to fill your pockets?” I ask as I gesture toward Ned who lost his fiancée because of this bullshit.
The same man who is currently bleeding all over his desk from where they seem to have done a number on him.
“If Ned would have just stayed silent, none of this would have happened,” Audrey says, like it really is as simple as that.
“That’s what I’m trying to explain to him.
Instead of this fucking… ruse he’s doing.
Like he really thought he and a bunch of regular people could take us down?
If everyone had just stayed out of it, fewer people would have died. ”
“Me? You want me to stay out of it?” I demand, rushing forward and grabbing her by the front of her shirt before slamming her against the wall as I keep the gun aimed at her head.
“Lt. Allen called me. He fucking tore into my life spouting bullshit about needing me to protect people. He drew me into it, and then when he realized I couldn’t be manipulated anymore, he threw me away once I was too fucked up and broken to use. ”
Audrey’s looking nervous now. She knows that there’s no way her buddy can save her if I choose to kill her.
“I would love to say hi to my old lieutenant,” I say. “The question is, are you going to be alive for it or not?”
“What do you want? Do you want money?”
“No. I don’t need any money. All of the money I had, I gave to Eddie’s and Tate’s families.
I sold everything I owned because I was convinced I deserved none of it and should fucking suffer after what I did.
Money was the only thing I could give them, so that’s what I did.
So no, money isn’t what I need or want. I want you and Lt.
Allen to pay for what you’ve done to all of the people you’ve hurt or killed.
You’re going to call Lt. Allen and you’re going to tell him that you want to meet him, alright?
” I ask before I hear a noise outside the door.
“It’s me,” Grayson calls as he pushes in.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask. “Why didn’t you stay out of this?”
“You really think I’m going to stay out of it and leave you at risk?”
“You’re working together?” Audrey asks, noticeably surprised.
I shake her hard. “Call him. I want to meet him. Tonight. Better be a really good excuse, or you’re not going to live to join us.”
She hesitates before nodding and pulling out her phone. She glances nervously over at her buddy while Ned looks uncertainly between us.
With a deep breath, like she’s steeling herself to do this, she taps his number.
“Speaker.”
Audrey nods and puts it on speaker. It rings a couple of times before I hear Lt. Allen’s familiar voice.
“Did you get out of him who was feeding him this information?” Allen asks.
“We have the whole place secured. It didn’t take much. Ned wants to talk to you… in person. He claims he’s only telling you who he was working with. I have to assume he thinks he’s going to get something out of this or beg for forgiveness or something.”
“Shoot out both of his knees to see if he remembers then,” Allen says.
“We’re being held at gun—” the other man starts to yell until Grayson punches him so hard it shuts him up. He hits the floor as Grayson presses a foot against his throat and aims his gun at the man’s head.
“What the fuck was that, Audrey?” Allen snarls.
“He was talking to someone else,” she says carefully.
“Was he? Have you lost control of the situation?”
“Of course not.”
“Well, that’s good. Let’s put Ned on the line, then, see what he has to say about it.”
“You’re on speaker and he can hear you,” she announces.
“Splendid. Ned… you already saw what I did to your fiancée; do you really want me to keep going? I will find everyone in your family, and I will tear them apart until there’s nothing left of them. Is that what you want me to do?”
Ned is staring at me and Grayson, like he wants to wait to see what answer we have about the matter, but honestly, I’m not sure I even know at this point. I just want it to end. I want it to be over so I can begin healing from this hell.
“Who’s in the room with you, Audrey?”
Her eyes are on my gun. “Just Ned. Thomas left.”
Thomas is still in the room but with Grayson’s foot on his throat, he chooses not to say anything.
“Shoot him in the head. Then shoot the rest. I’m done with this. Throw their bodies in one of their shitty greenhouses or buildings and burn the whole place down. I don’t have time for this bullshit.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do it now.”
I hold Audrey by the back of the neck while I fire my gun at the wall.
“Ned’s dead,” she says.
“Send me a picture.”
“Of course.”
“Now. While I’m on the line with you,” he orders.
I could have Ned lie on the ground, try his hand at playing dead, but will Allen insist on a picture of the bullet wound?
It’s clear he suspects us after Thomas’s little stunt.
I look at Grayson to see if he has any wise advice.
But before I can do anything, Audrey goes, “You really think I have time for that right now? Fucking hell. Give me a minute.”
“I don’t have time to waste.”
“Why do you think I do?” she snaps. “You’re over there just sitting at the top of your tower barking out orders, and I’m out here actually doing shit. I’ll send you your fucking picture. Until then, just keep eating your popcorn and wait for others to handle it.”
“You want to do the shit I do?” he asks.
“I would happily do it,” she says.
“You could be replaced without issue, don’t forget that. You are no better than the rest of them. Especially if you can’t handle a fucking marijuana farmer and his handful of workers.”
I can see the irritation rushing through Audrey. “Of course you can replace me. I’m pleased to know my worth even after all of these years.”
She ends the call as she glances at the other prisoner in the room, then looks over at us. “Allen likely knows shit went wrong. You better know what you’re doing because he won’t stop until all of you are dead. I’ll help you destroy him.”
“You’re just going to jump sides like that?” I ask.
“You heard him. He thinks I’m useless and would cheerfully replace me. You think he won’t after I lost control of this situation to a couple of guys?”
I turn to Grayson since he came in here after me. “What’s the situation outside?”
“I downed a couple of guys to get in here. I don’t know beyond that.”
“Let’s gain control of the situation,” I say.
“I’ll switch sides. Let me help you,” Audrey offers.
“Ned, you have something to lock these two up with for now?” I ask.
For some unknown reason, Audrey looks offended. “I just said I’d help you!”
“I believed in you once, I’m not doing it again,” I say, positive I’m not making that mistake twice.
She grits her teeth but doesn’t fight when Ned, looking a bit battered and moving slowly, tapes her arms together. Then he starts working on the other guy.
“We have to work fast. We don’t know if Allen is sending reinforcements,” Grayson says.
“I know how to destroy him,” Audrey insists. “I know how to access all of the data detailing what he’s trading. You could destroy him with this.”
“Why would you help us?” Grayson asks.
“You heard him, didn’t you? The moment he realizes how much I fucked up, he’s going to replace me. If you guys really are going to tear him down, I’ll help you in exchange for letting me go.”
“We’ll think about what to do with her,” I say. “Let’s get the others under control. Ned, can you stay here and watch these two?”
He gives me a nod then stands guard while Grayson and I slip out of the room.
As we head toward the door leading out, Grayson keeps slowing down until we’re moving at a crawl. I’m not sure if he’s hoping everyone out there dies of old age by the time we reach them or what.
“Let me do it,” Grayson says, likely thinking we might have to shoot a few to gain control.
“I’m okay.”
Grayson catches my wrist. “I know you are, but I don’t want things to get worse for you if you have to shoot someone.”
“I’m okay, I promise… but we need to work on your delivery,” I toss out there.
His face scrunches up in confusion, but I refuse to look at it for any extended period of time. I really can’t. Every time I do, my heart starts beating wildly and my chest feels funny.
“My delivery?” Grayson asks, as if he possibly doesn’t know what I’m still thinking about.
I can feel my face heating up, far too embarrassed to get out what I’m wanting to say. “Yes.”
“Yes? Like… how I threaten bad guys? Help me out here.”
“No! Your… other delivery.”
Grayson looks extremely confused. “Um…”
“The text!” I say.
“OH! When I texted that I love you?”