CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
DAMON
I waited until Athena was deeply engaged in conversation with her friends before slipping away. I knew that if she saw me leave, she would worry. Possibly even want to come with me. This job was already dangerous enough. I wouldn’t risk her.
We both needed this done. It was the only way for us to live freely without a threat hanging over our heads. My plan was to do the job and get back to the party before she even noticed I was missing.
Careful to leave my car several blocks from what was about to be a crime scene, I went the rest of the way on foot. Taking backyards and alleys. Wearing a hoodie despite the hot summer night, the hood tugged up to hide my face. A handgun stuffed in my hoodie pocket.
A job like this didn’t usually take long. In and out. Get it done and get the hell out of there. That was the plan.
The house was dark when I walked up. A small bungalow with one lamp glowing in the living room. I double checked the house number, making sure I had the right place. I wasn’t in the business of making mistakes.
I started off by trying the back door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. Although it never ceased to amaze me how many people left their doors unlocked around here. Even in the safest town or city, I would never dream of such a thing.
Quietly, I let myself in through a back door off the kitchen. The sound of a sportscaster shouting on the television in the living room reached me. Taking a peek around the corner, I found my target sitting in a recliner chair, watching a football game.
Reaching a gloved hand into my pocket, I withdrew my gun. That’s when I heard the familiar click of a revolver being cocked next to my head.
“Don’t make a move.” A voice I’d heard recently came from right behind me. “Go ahead. Walk into the living room.”
As he shoved me forward, several other men emerged from around the house. The same men who’d surrounded us outside the theatre. Goddammit, what was going on here?
“What the fuck is happening?” Leaving my gun in my pocket, I held up both hands where they could be seen. Something wasn’t right here.
“Let’s call it payback.” The gang member who’d done the talking at the theatre stepped out from behind me, keeping his gun trained on my head.
The man in the recliner didn’t look at all surprised. Motherfucker was in on this.
“Payback?” I repeated. “Care to enlighten me?”
“You and your buddies were responsible for the death of the boss’s father. About two years ago. His business partner hired you to take him out. Remember that?” The dude lifted his lip in an ugly sneer. What I wouldn’t give to put a bullet in his face.
“Actually, no, I don’t,” I answered honestly. “My friends and I took a lot of jobs. We didn’t do all of them together. I probably wasn’t even there.”
“Well yours is the name we got so you’re the man who pays the price.” The gang leader shrugged. “We’re not going to kill you though. We’re going to make sure you spend the rest of your life rotting behind bars. Death would be too easy for a scumbag like you.”
“I see.” I nodded, understanding that I had to find a way out of this damn fast. “So I guess nobody is here to kill the guy that put your boss in jail.”
The leader shook his head and laughed. “Oh no, we are definitely here to do that.”
Moving quickly, he snatched the gun from my pocket with a gloved hand, using it to shoot the man in the recliner in the head. He never saw it coming. His body slumped over, blood running from the bullet hole in his forehead.
With a shrug, the gangster shoved the weapon back into my pocket. Motioning to one of his buddies, he said, “Make the call.”
The next thing I knew, he’d slammed his revolver into the side of my skull.
Pain slashed through my head. Losing my balance, I went to the floor.
There were too many of them for me to do a damn thing.
Pulling my gun would only guarantee that I took out one or two of them before they got the jump on me.
I had no choice but to play the long game and take whatever they threw at me.
One of the others picked up the landline and punched in 911. “There’s a man in my house. I think he’s here to kill me. His name is Damon Price.”
Fuck me. I listened as the guy gave the 911 operator the address. The police would be here within minutes.
“Let’s go, boys.” The ringleader of the bunch hit me one more time with his gun in an effort to keep me down. They quickly disappeared, leaving me alone in the living room with a dead body.
I sure as shit didn’t plan to stick around. Unfortunately, those assholes had given the cops my real name. Even if I ran now, they would be looking for me. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
With my head spinning and blood trickling down the side of my face, I shoved to my feet and staggered toward the back entry. No way was I waiting around for the police to drag my ass in. They would never believe this story.
I made it out of the house, momentarily falling to my knees on the back step.
That fucker had hit me hard. Most likely hoping it would look like a defensive blow.
The victim was slumped in a chair though, so it didn’t make sense.
Not that the cops would care about any of that.
They would see a dead man and assume the worst.
I knew better than to return to my SUV. The police would be looking for it.
Instead, I did my best to cling to the shadows.
Trying to be calculating and careful as I made my way out of the neighborhood.
I didn’t want to move too quickly and expose myself.
I also had to be mindful of those with doorbell cameras and any other surveillance equipment.
I would have to leave town. I didn’t see any other way around this situation. Hell I may have to leave the country. They would be looking for me everywhere. The thought of fleeing and leaving Athena behind made me sick. How could I possibly do that?
She deserved to live her life without this bullshit. She had a great job lined up. A possible career. As selfish as I was, I wouldn’t take that from her.
Maybe it would be better for me to leave town without telling her. To simply disappear. Noah could deliver a letter from me explaining everything. Telling her how fucking sorry I was about all of this.
With my head pounding and my ears ringing, I dragged myself from block to block. I wasn’t even sure where I was going. All I knew was that I had to get away. Once I found a safe place to hunker down for a bit, I would use my burner phone to call Noah.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than the burner buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to find the number of his burner phone on the screen. Thank fuck.
“Dude, where the hell are you? I’m in the area, but I don’t see you anywhere.” Noah’s voice came out with a tinge of panic, something I didn’t often hear from him.
“Probably because I’m sitting between two garbage cans in the back alley,” I muttered. “You have impeccable timing, my friend. I need to get the hell out of here fast.”
Moments later I was diving into the back seat of Noah’s car. I never expected to find Athena there.
Right away, she reached to touch the cut on my head. “What happened?”
“I was set up. It’s bad news, creampuff. I have to get out of town.” To Noah I said, “We need a safe place where the cops won’t find us until I can get out of town. Probably out of the country.”
Noah swore softly. “Jesus, Damon, what happened in there?”
Ducking down low in the seat, I bit back the swell of rage that filled me. “Just drive. I don’t have much time.”