Chapter 2 #2
“Oops!” I gasp as I drop the boxes, using my left hand to grab my knife.
Hank lunges forward to try to catch the falling “pizza”, and then I’m holding my pistol in my right hand, aimed right at Hank’s forehead, and my knife in my left.
“Sorry, fellas,” my Southern accent comes back to its full drawl.
The asshole who propositioned me has less than a half second to reach for his weapon before I’m flipping the knife to hold it by the blade, and then launching it straight into his throat. “Delivery’s been cancelled.”
What am I saying? Did I land in some sorta nineties action movie?
Despite my awkward one-liner, the others curse, scrambling for their weapons. The beta’s eyes widen, his hands flying to his neck in a panic. Stupidly, he yanks it out, causing a torrent of blood to pour from his wound. I must’ve hit the carotid artery.
Nice.
The sliding glass door flies open, and Sam and Kole storm the room, their weapons drawn. I move to the side, making sure to stay out of any crossfire.
“Put your hands up!” Sam barks, and the fuckers slowly comply, their hands leaving their belts and raising up above their heads. All except the asshole who thought it was a good idea to sexually proposition a pizza delivery girl.
Yeah, he drops dead about a second after Sam and Kole come in.
“We weren’t supposed to kill them, Trouble.” Sam scolds me.
I shrug, my aim never leaving Hank. “He asked if I wanted to earn my tip a different way.”
Kole growls before quickly switching his aim and shooting the dead bastard in the back of the head. “Now he is very dead.”
The suppressed shot isn’t loud enough to alert any neighbors who might have ignored our fake HOA email, but Sam gives him an exasperated look before shaking his head and turning his attention to the four remaining men.
“Listen up, fuckers. If you listen and play your cards right, you might end up getting out of this alive.”
“Fuck off, Alpha scum.” Hank spits. “We ain’t telling you a thing. Prometheus warned us you might try to show up.”
“And yet you fell for my pizza-girl act so easily.” I roll my eyes.
Sam shoots me a look. “All I want to know is what happened to the residents of this house,” he says calmly. “Did Prometheus pay them? Are Mr. and Mrs. Draven safe somewhere on a tropical island? Or…?”
Hank smirks. “As it happens, Mr. Draven killed his wife and then offed himself yesterday. Their bodies are still in the upstairs bedroom. We just haven’t gotten around to reporting it, if you believe it.
It’s such a shame, really. The wife was a school teacher…
sweet little old thing. And the husband is…
was a retired cop.” He grins, leaning forward slightly.
“You know, Josephine Harding, it’s disturbingly easy to fake a suicide.
It makes me wonder why you didn’t just do that when you murdered all those alphas.
” He leans back again. “Then again, nobody’s ever praised an omega for their brains. ”
Hank’s words stir something in my gut, but before I can do anything about it, the small whiz of a bullet leaving a silenced gun sounds, and Hank falls to the ground in a heap.
Blinking, I look at my trigger finger. No, I did not accidentally discharge my weapon in a perfect headshot at the asshole who was being a complete dickhead.
My gaze darts to Sam, whose nostrils are flared in rage. “Anyone else feel like talking?” he barks.
Hayden’s voice sounds in my ear. “You guys need to wrap it up. The patrol car just passed again, and it turned around before it reached the end of the street—they know something is up.”
Sam freezes. Kole’s expression remains unchanged.
“Fuck! They’re going for the Original Sam’s house!”
Shit. Also, we gotta come up with something else to call him. “Original Sam” does not roll off the tongue.
“I got this, Sam.” I grab my discarded knife from the floor before shoving both it and my gun back in their holsters. Then I turn on my heel and sprint out the door. I’m not two steps out before I hear the pop of a silenced gun from behind me.
Dammit. I don’t know who fired that gun—if it was my guys or the bastards who work for Xavier—but I can’t turn back to check because the beige sedan is parked in Sam’s daddy’s driveway, both doors open, and two men are rushing for Sammy Senior’s house, guns drawn.
Without thinking, I pull my gun and aim for the one closest to me.
“Yoo hoo! Excuse me, gentlemen!” They freeze, turning to face me, and as soon as I have a clear shot, I shoot. The bullet hits him square in the heart, but when he knocks backward off his feet, I realize my mistake.
I’m a fucking idiot. I should have aimed for his head.
Of course they’re wearing bulletproof vests. The bullet was stopped by the Kevlar, and the bastard is still alive.
The second guard points his gun in my direction, and I barely move out of the way before he pulls the trigger, the bullet whizzing past me. Xavier’s men don’t bother to use silencers to muffle their gunshots, the inconsiderate bastards. My ears are ringing louder than the bells of Notre Dame.
“Shots fired!” Hayden calls in our ears. “Get your asses over there, guys!”
With shaky aim, I manage to land a bullet in the second man’s skull, but not before he hits me straight in the gut.
Pain explodes at the impact, knocking the wind out of me and in the next second, I find myself blinking rapidly at the sky as Hayden’s voice echoes in my ear.
“She’s alive! I can feel it in the bond! ”
…Why…why is he telling me that I’m alive?
Oh, right. It’s all one channel, so Sam and Kole must be panicking.
Before I can get my wits about me, the first man I shot is leaning over me, a manic grin on his face. “You stupid bitch,” he laughs, but then the sound of a shotgun loading has him freezing.
A vaguely familiar deep voice calls out. “Step away from the lady, you piece of shit.” I manage to lift my head and see Samuel Senior standing in his doorway, shotgun in hand, and a hard look in his eyes.
“Perfect timing, old man.” The guard straightens, turning away from me as his attention lands on Sam’s dad.
Shit.
My abdomen throbs with pain, but I can’t let this fucker get a shot in at Samuel. Without another thought, I’m standing, grabbing his wrist and twisting it so he drops it. “Fuck!” he spits, but then I’m moving his hand up behind his back, putting his arm at the perfect angle to break it.
“On your knees,” I grit out, the sharp pain in my stomach making it hard to breathe. But then, relief fills me when I see Sam and Kole running out of the house next door.
“All your buddies are dead. You’re the only one left,” Sam warns, crossing his arms.
So much for not killing them all..
“Jo, don’t kill anyone,” he says. Two minutes later, it’s “All your buddies are dead.” We’re gonna have to have a talk about a little thing called double standards.
Grunting, the guard sinks to his knees, and I pull my knife out.
“Listen, I was just following orders.” The guy bites out. “I don’t got any vendetta against the old man—it’s just business. The fact we’re even having this conversation means I’m as good as dead to Prometheus anyway. Let me go, and nobody else has to die.”
I lean down next to his ear. “Do you think I care about how many men have died today?” I hiss, pressing the blade of my knife to his throat.
“Do you think I care that we got you in trouble with your boss? See, you intended to murder my father-in-law, which just so happens to be the only decent one I got. So, you’ll understand if I’m just the teensiest bit upset. ”
His voice is flat. “So you’re going to kill me.”
“Your friend shot me, asshole. If I don’t kill you, one of my men will.
” I smirk as he glances nervously at Sam and Kole, who do indeed have murderous expressions on their faces.
I sigh. “If I had more time, I’d make it last longer.
As it stands, we have somewhere we need to be, so lucky for you, I’ll make it quick. ”
Before I can move, the guard reaches up and swiftly yanks down on my bun, making me cry out as my knees hit the ground. My hand keeps hold of my knife, though I’m pretty sure that the blade nicked the asshole when he pulled me.
I hear Sam and Kole curse, their footsteps quickly moving towards us, and I grit my teeth as he grabs me, holding my body in front of him. “If you shoot me, you’ll hit her! And if you try to come near us, I’ll squeeze until her eyes pop out!”
So fucking dramatic.
The sound of a van door being thrown open has my eyes darting to the pizza van, and I spy West and Hayden sprinting towards us.
Guess we’re just abandoning the plan altogether.
My guys stare at me, horrified. Do they really think I’ll let this jackass get the better of me?
I will not be used like a fucking meat shield.
“Fuck you, asshole.” My upper arms are restrained by his, but my fist still has my knife in an iron grip.
There’s nothing to stop me as I plunge it into his thigh, his scream ringing in my ears as he releases me in shock.
I turn, and in one swift move, slit his throat.
His eyes go wide as his hands fly up to his neck, trying and failing to keep the blood inside his body. It even splatters me across the face, which is pretty annoying, but when he falls to the ground, I feel nothing but relief.
They’re all dead.
I’m staring down at his body, my chest heaving with each breath, when I realize it’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Fucking hell. This is not the kind of impression I wanted to give the Original Sam—new name pending—for his first time meeting me.
Still facing away from them, I try to wipe myself off the best I can, but I can’t seem to get the blood off my hands.
Well, it’ll have to do.
Pulling off my cap, I try to smooth down any flyaways.
When I’m sure I look halfway presentable, I take a deep breath, turn to the house, and put on my most charming smile.
I reach the porch, holding out my hand to Samuel Senior, who looks like he doesn’t know whether to congratulate me or send me to the madhouse.
“Samuel, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jo, your new daughter-in-law. ”
Samuel’s eyes dart to my blood-stained hand, then back up to my eyes before he stares at his son in bewilderment.
Dammit. What if he doesn’t like me? What if a blood-covered, knife-wielding omega isn’t what he had in mind when he imagined who his son would end up with?
But he must find something in Sammy’s expression, because when Samuel’s gaze lands back on me, his face has softened.
He reaches out and takes my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Jo. Though, we’re going to have to find something else for you to call me. I’m not that fond of my full name.”
My smile widens. “I know exactly how you feel.”