Chapter 40
Forty
Brooks
Iturned at the sound of my name just in time to find the man pointing his gun at Daphne.
I didn’t hesitate before pulling the trigger. He jerked backward, dropped the gun, and crumpled to the ground like the trash he was.
I’d aimed for his knee, hoping to keep him alive to question him. Daphne dashed straight to me as I walked toward the man. She nearly plastered her shaking body to mine.
I should’ve told her to get back in the car so she wouldn’t be a witness, but I didn’t.
At least the idiots had chosen an isolated road to pull their bullshit stunt. Their only intelligent decision of the night.
I wasn’t sure if Daphne or I was the target.
Not a car was in sight, and I hoped it’d stay that way.
The man writhed in agony, holding his knee to his chest.
I crouched beside him and shoved the barrel of my Glock over his blue jeans and between his legs. “Who sent you?”
“Fuck you!” he spat, trying to shove the gun away from his junk.
I reared back and drove the brass knuckles into his face.
His pathetic and now-dead buddy hadn’t answered the question either. He was now bleeding out.
The man still didn’t talk, so I plunged my finger into his gunshot wound.
He cried out in pain but still didn’t give me the answers I wanted. Blood soaked the shoulder of his shirt from Philip’s earlier shot. Philip must’ve been aiming for his head and missed.
Rare for him.
I punched the guy again, chipping one of his teeth in half. I used the butt of my gun to bust more of them out. Blood and fragments of enamel spilled from his mouth.
Daphne gasped behind me, but I didn’t stop.
I needed answers from this man. If I didn’t get them, then he’d die.
He’d actually die either way, honestly.
“You’ll never know,” the man taunted me, practically singing those words. He spat out a molar at my feet.
I didn’t like how long this was taking or how exposed we were on the road. I aimed between his legs and pulled the trigger.
He screamed. I fired again.
The idiot kept laughing, frustrating me further, so I shoved the barrel into his mouth and blew his fucking head off. The teeth he hadn’t lost earlier scattered across the pavement.
Two teeth landed on my shoe.
Fucking disgusting.
They both had big-ass cavities.
Blood dotted the front of my shirt.
That’ll be a bitch to get out.
I kicked the teeth off before glancing at a horrified Daphne.
“Make sure this mess gets cleaned up,” I instructed Philip.
When I reached Daphne, she wrapped her arms tight around me and buried her face into my chest. Her tears soaked my shirt.
“Let’s go.” I squeezed her waist.
We separated, and she tried to look at the man, but I grabbed her chin to stop her.
I ran my thumb down her cheek. “Don’t.”
She nodded slowly, but I didn’t miss her taking a quick peek. I took her hand and led her away from the dead body.
“Take my SUV!” Philip tossed me his keys. “I’ll drive the Benz. You’ll get cold with no back window.”
I nodded, holding the keys up in thanks. “Don’t worry about following me back.”
“You shouldn’t be driving alone, Brooks.”
“I’ll be fine. Your job is to make sure this shit doesn’t become public. I’ll let you know if we run into any trouble.”
I stopped at the bullet-ridden G-Wagon to grab my phone and then helped Daphne into the passenger seat of Philip’s Suburban.
“What the hell was that, Brooks?” she shrieked when I joined her in the SUV.
“Nothing.” I started the engine and pressed the gas pedal.
I glanced at the blood drying along her cheek. The cut didn’t look deep, but seeing it there still made something vicious twist inside me.
“Nothing, my ass.” She buckled her seat belt.
I swerved around a dead body and kept driving.
“You just killed a guy!” She paused to hold up two fingers. “No! You killed two guys.”
“I did no such thing.”
She leaned over the console and punched my arm. “Oh my fucking God! I seriously can’t with you.”
I motioned toward the seat. “Go back to sleep.”
She scoffed. “Um, I think the fuck not.” She made a show of forcing her eyes open. “These babies are staying on full alert.” She kicked off her shoes and made herself comfortable. “I’d prefer not to get shot in the head.”
“No one’s getting shot in the head.” I couldn’t help myself from smirking over at her. “At least not anymore.”
She landed another punch on my arm. “I’m in the car with an actual psychopath.”
“Ah, come on. Isn’t it normal to protect your Fawn?”
“Were you protecting me or you?”
“Both.”
“Who were those guys anyway?”
“No idea.”
“Why didn’t you make them tell you?”
I side-eyed her. “You don’t think I tried when I shot the idiot in the dick first?”
“That’s sure not a way to get them on your good side and convince them to blab.”
I threw my arm in the air, now steering with my knee. “The man shot at us!”
“Haven’t you ever heard of reverse psychology?”
I checked the rearview mirror for any possible threats. “I don’t play games when men have guns pointed at me … or you.” I grabbed the wheel again, annoyed at her critiquing my interrogation skills.
She kicked her feet up on the dashboard.
I shoved them down. “Feet off.”
She rolled her eyes at me and put them back up.
“I’d prefer your knees not embedded in your skull if we get into another accident.”
“You mean shootout?”
“Shootouts can be accidents.”
She rolled her eyes again but didn’t lower her feet. “What do we do now then? Wait to see if another killer hunts us down?”
I leaned over and shoved her feet off the dashboard.
“We drive back to the university.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and texted the Son group chat while keeping the SUV steady with my knee.
Me: Two idiots tried to drive me off the road and shot at us on my drive back to SVU.
Their responses came immediately.
Enzo: WHO?
Cedric: Tell me they’re still not alive.
Cassian: Where are you now?
Daphne clicked her tongue. “You know, it’s not safe to text and drive. Especially given our current situation.”
I decided to save myself the headache and ignored her.
Me: No idea. Neither would talk.
Me: And, fuck no, not still alive.
Emeri: Where are the bodies?
Daphne leaned forward and changed the radio station before upping the volume.
Me: Philip is taking care of them.
Emeri: Does he need help?
Me: Probably.
Me: I’m driving right now. Call Philip.
I attached Philip’s contact information.
Cassian: I’ll head in your direction. Make sure nothing is coming your way.
Emeri: I’ll go help Philip.
Me: Thanks, guys.
Cedric: Is Secret Service with Adelina?
Me: They should be.
Cedric: I’ll go over to her dorm to make sure everything is okay.
I thumbs-upped his comment.
Me: Don’t tell her why you’re there if she sees you.
Cedric: If she sees me and I don’t tell her why, she’ll cop an attitude.
Me: That’s why you don’t let her see you.
Cassian: Keep your hands to yourself with her too.
Me: WTF?
Cedric: Dude has jokes because he’s not getting laid.
Cassian would get punched for that comment later.
Enzo: Focus on the road. Anything happens, CALL ME.
Cedric: Text when you get back to campus.
I gave another thumbs-up to both of their texts.
Daphne yawned loudly, changing the station again.
I hoped that yawn would turn into sleep quickly.
I needed to replay everything that had happened in my head and figure out who could be behind this. Problem was, the list of people who wanted me dead wasn’t exactly short.
“Sure would be nice if I had a phone to text someone,” Daphne commented.
My hand found the wheel again. “Sure would be nice if someone went the fuck to sleep.”
“I just had a near-death experience!”
“Which is why you need rest.”
“I’m saging everything when I get back to my dorm.”
I refrained from telling her she wasn’t going back there.