Chapter 19 #2
Dad had never been one to organize stuff.
His office had been one space he let me dust and sweep, but any offer to organize his files and keep his desk clean had been refused.
I went for his file cabinet. The thing was locked, and I knew he kept the key on him.
What Dad didn’t know was that once I saw him use a spare he had hidden in the false bottom of the paperweight on his desk.
Finding it, I slid open the compartment.
There it was. I removed it and tried the key on the cabinet.
As soon as the lock sprang free, I replaced the key and dove in.
My fingers flew over the folders, scanning the file names.
Most pertained to bills, deeds, and other matters, so I skipped them.
I halted when I saw a folder labeled with Truce’s name.
Removing it, I opened it on the desk. I wasted no time reading.
Instead, I took pictures with my phone as instructed.
When I was done, I put it back, and I moved on.
I opened a few more likely files and snapped pictures for probably twenty minutes before I realized I should return to the kitchen.
Closing the drawer and relocking it, I stepped out into the hallway. I was halfway up it when I spotted Truce step into the entrance of it. I gasped, startled.
“What’s wrong?” Spawn asked sharply.
“Truce, for God’s sake, you scared me. What are you doing here? Dad said nothing about you joining us,” I stated nonchalantly.
He said nothing. My heart was beating fast, and my nerves hit my stomach. There was a look on his face that made the hairs on my body stand erect. Without thinking, I clicked my tongue twice. In my earpiece, I heard Spawn swear a second before I noted my family asking Shadow where he was going.
“Hang tight,” Spawn growled.
I stopped about five feet from Truce. “Are you staying for dinner?” I asked.
“It didn’t have to be this way. Why did you force me to do it like this, Parvati?” he asked in a low, slightly menacing tone.
It took a couple of seconds for what he said to sink in. When I realized he called me Parvati, I knew. Truce was Nataraja.
I backed up, hoarsely saying, “You’re Nataraja.”
“Yes,” he said as he took two steps toward me.
I knew screaming would do no good, so I didn’t. Suddenly, from behind him loomed Shadow. His expression was one of fury. He’d heard what was said. Truce must have sensed Shadow’s presence because he whirled around to face him. Then, the fight was on.
As they spilled back into the living room, I edged out of the hallway.
My family came inside from the yard. They showed no surprise at seeing Truce here or fighting.
That told me they knew he was coming. Did they know he’d been stalking me and sending me gifts pretending to be someone called Nataraja?
Probably. Knowing it was useless, I did it anyway and yelled to my family.
“Stop them! He’s crazy, Dad. Truce has been stalking me,” I yelled over the grunts and smack of fists into flesh.
The four of them folded their arms and stood there watching the fight.
They were almost clinical in their examination, as if weighing who the better fighter was.
I knew our backup was coming, though stationed a few miles away.
I took the precaution of slipping my hand into the pocket of my property cut.
I did it slowly, and thankfully, that side was facing away from my family.
I withdrew my handgun and held it down alongside my thigh.
Shadow and Truce were rather evenly matched. Their punches landed with force. Both kept moving, trying to stay out of reach of the other, while finding the chance to punch.
“Dad!” I shouted.
“Hush, Aubrielle. You should’ve come home like you were told. You brought him into this,” Rome answered.
Outside, the sound of engines quickly approaching caught their attention. Jace went to peek out the window.
“Son of a bitch, it’s the Punishers,” he swore.
“Grab her,” Dad ordered Rome as he headed for the back door.
Jock and Jace followed Dad. I let Rome take three steps toward me before I raised my gun and pointed it at the center of his chest. He froze.
“Stay right where you are, Rome. If you don’t, I’ll shoot you,” I warned.
He shook his head. “No, you won’t. You don’t even know how to use one of those. Stop bluffing and give it to me, Aubrielle. We’ve got to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. I dare you to test me on whether or not I know how to use this.”
Outside, there were shouts, the sound of pounding footsteps, and then I gasped as gunshots rang out.
None of it made Shadow and Truce stop. Thinking back, I believe Rome thought I was not only distracted but also bluffing.
He started to rush me. My response was automatic.
I pulled the trigger. He stumbled back, clutching his chest on the right side, just below the collarbone. He cried out in pain.
The loud boom of the shot and his cry grabbed the attention of my man and Truce.
However, unlike Shadow, Truce turned to look.
That allowed Shadow to tackle him, taking him to the ground.
The door exploded inward, and in poured Punishers.
My knees went weak with relief. I lowered my gun, but didn’t put it away.
Ink, Tinker, and Hail entered the house.
Ink went to cover Rome, who was swearing as blood leaked between his fingers.
Tinker went to assist my old man, but before he reached him, Shadow knocked Truce out with a perfectly placed punch to the temple.
Hail came over to me. He slid his hand down my right arm as he spoke.
“Elle, let me have that gun. Everything’s alright. Your family is contained, and so are these two.”
As his words sank in, I let him pry my gun from my hand. Then, I sank to my knees as the shaking took over. I vaguely heard my name called, but the words in between were garbled.