18. Briar
brIAR
I’ll never underestimate Gale’s ability to drive after this. The fact that he has complete control over the SUV in this terrain is next level.
I brace myself and make sure I’m holding the gun the way that John taught me. What if I can’t pull the trigger when the time comes? It’s impossible to not let the intrusive thoughts crowd my mind.
The second we break free from the field we’re met with a gruesome scene. We’re not close enough to see the gory details, but there’s a lot of red from what I can make out.
Gale white-knuckles the steering wheel. “Eyes closed!” he shouts.
I mean to listen to him, but my eyes stay open as we enter the shootout scene. The truck is gone, but there are at least four bodies on the ground that aren’t moving. My heart races, and all I can hear is my blood pumping through my ears.
My mind instantly goes to the worst: Taylor, Benson, John, and Roman are dead.
Gale swerves close enough that someone’s motionless body is only a few feet away from us. He throws the car into Park and jumps out. He pulls another handgun from a strapped vest under his jacket. Good God, they really are prepared for anything.
I watch as Gale moves from body to body before he whips out his cell phone and calls someone.
My attention shifts back to the body closest to me. The deep red of the blood that’s soaked into the ground around the man makes me nauseous.
That’s when I notice movement to my left. I look up and spot someone moving out of the cornstalks. My lips part to shout and warn Gale, but I think twice about it since it might cause panic, so I lift the gun, aiming it at the man approaching us.
I take a deep breath and aim at the man’s legs. There’s no fucking way I can aim anywhere else on him without feeling sick to my stomach.
My eyes flick to his face for a split second, and instantly I wish I hadn’t looked. I can never forget his face—dark locks of chocolate-colored hair that make his skin look so pale. The sharp angles of his brows; the soullessness in his brown eyes. A beautiful killer.
Callum?
The blood drains from my face, and I drop the gun. What the fuck is he doing here? Why is he in Bane Falls?
I duck so he can’t see me. Even though the windows are blacked out, I won’t risk the chance of him spotting me. I crawl over the center console and slam on the horn.
Gale’s head is up in a heartbeat, and he aims his gun at Callum. I shut my eyes and brace for the gunshots, but there’s only one, and it comes from Callum’s direction.
I’m looking out the window in the next moment and let out a strangled sound as I watch Gale fall to his knees. He’s clutching his side, and red spills from his sweatshirt.
No. My hands are shaking so badly that I can hardly hold the gun, but I can’t let Gale die like this. Callum is stalking closer to Gale as I exit the car and shout, “Drop your gun!”
Callum freezes.
I wonder if it’s from the shock of hearing my voice because he thought I was dead or because he didn’t expect someone to sneak up on him.
I refuse to believe that he never had feelings for me. I could see it in his eyes that night that he didn’t want to bury me—I only wish that it had been enough to stop him.
He stops walking toward Gale but doesn’t turn to look at me.
“You…really are alive,” Callum says slowly, voice devoid of emotion. He makes it sound like someone has told him but he didn’t believe it.
I have the gun pointed right at his back this time, finger caressing the trigger, but I can’t find the strength to pull it.
His head starts to turn my way, but I’m suddenly scooped up into someone’s arms. Gunshots tear through the air once more, and I catch the faint sight of Callum taking off back into the field as a few guys chase after him.
I look up at whoever is holding me and meet Roman’s gaze. He’s covered in dust; dried blood is all over his face and neck. His hazel eyes are bright and only spare me a moment of attention before shifting back up to the SUV. He carries me there and plops me in the back row.
“Stay.” His voice is low and demanding.
I nod absently and shrink into the seat, covering my ears with my hands in an attempt to calm my breathing. It must be at least a few minutes before Roman returns to the car.
He gets in the driver’s seat just as the back doors open. Relief floods me as Gale gets in and sits beside me. His hand is pressed to his side, but it looks like the bleeding has stopped for the most part.
Taylor, Bensen, and John are nowhere to be seen. Are they in pursuit of Callum? Or are they… My eyes lower to the bodies on the ground. My mouth dries, and I feel a little nauseous thinking about it.
“Are you okay?” I sound so small compared to the loud rumble of the car.
Roman drives us in the direction John told me the auto shop was in this morning. I notice that he’s driving with only one hand on the steering wheel while the other is still clutching his gun.
My mind can’t even begin to process what just happened. I can only focus on breathing and the very imminent threat of Callum being in Bane Falls.
Gale groans and offers me a light nod as he pulls a bottle of pills from his pocket. “Yeah. I’m okay. Thanks for helping me back there,” he rasps as he throws back three capsules. “What did you say to that guy to get him to stop?”
The last thing I need is for them to know that he’s someone I know. As luck would have it, it seems that Callum is tied to the underworld gatekeepers they told me about. But how deep does this go? Why are we all meeting here in Bane Falls when it would seem so unlikely?
“Briar?” Roman’s voice shakes me from my thoughts.
“Huh?” I look up to find him and Gale watching me.
Roman’s eyes narrow in the rearview mirror. “Did you know that man?”
My hands go clammy, and I have to force a straight face as I shake my head. “No.”
Gale groans again and seems to steal Roman’s attention. I let out a short breath and grab Gale’s hand in an attempt to comfort him since there’s nothing I can do.
The car ride isn’t long. It’s maybe fifteen minutes before we’re approaching a small building. It’s easy to miss because it’s buried out here in the tall cornfields. It has a long driveway that extends off a back road. When we get closer I realize that it’s their auto shop.
Roman helps Gale get inside while I stand shivering by the SUV with my hands in my pockets, staring up at the old structure.
It looks like it was built when the town was, in the early 1900s.
The bricks have white stains from years of rain.
It’s one story tall, but I wonder if it has a cellar.
I can’t imagine why else they would choose a place like this other than it’s in the middle of a freaking cornfield.
Footsteps come from behind me. I quickly turn around and point the gun. Three men who are bruised and covered in dirt and blood step out of the corn.
“We made it.” Taylor tries to sound bright, but his weary smile gives him away.
My shoulders relax, and I’m about to lower the gun, but the smell of teakwood and oil spills over me as a broad chest meets my spine. Roman’s hand wraps over mine and he pulls my arm up so I’m not aiming it at his comrades.
For some reason my head follows the movement, and I’m looking straight up at him as he stares down at me from behind. That stony expression falters, and he slides his hand down my wrist. It’s so soft even though there’s nothing gentle about the way he looks right now.
“What did I tell you about pointing guns at my guys?”
I stare longer than I should and blink a few times to clear my head before slipping out of his gravity. He takes the gun from my hand as I do.
“How did you guys get here so fast?” I mumble.
Bensen lets his shoulders slack with a few deep breaths. “We cut through the field. The road goes around the long way.” He shakes his head gravely. “We lost him.”
“Lieutenant…” John says slowly. Their grave expressions make my chest sink.
Roman just looks at them for a beat. “I know.”
Their collective frowns set the tone, and quietly we all move into the building.
I quickly find a spot on the only sofa in the shop garage, which is essentially just a big cement room.
It’s spacious and clearly used for their auto shop facade—it really does look like they work on cars in here. The smell of oil permeates the air.
The guys are all in the smaller room off to the right. I hear Gale groaning in pain and don’t have to guess that they’re working on him.
My eyes shift down to my hands; they’re covered in dried blood.
When did I get blood on my hands? My breaths start to come in uneven waves. I don’t know if it’s mine or Gale’s or someone else’s. The last thing I want to do is draw attention away from Gale getting first aid, so I pull my knees up and wrap my arms over my head to keep my cries muffled.
Seeing Callum means I can’t stay here any longer, no matter what. Now that he knows I’m alive, I don’t know to what ends he’ll go to finish the job.
Roman has no idea what monster just walked into Bane Falls.