I Blackmailed Her Brother

by Jessica Frances

  I hold my breath as we watch the ball charge through the air, swinging past the building that has already been mostly demolished and straight into the solid bricked fence blocking off the edge of the construction site. It then waves through the parking lot and, without hesitation, flies into the innocent building, moving through it like a knife slicing through butter. The crumbling building sounds more like an exploding avalanche.

  There is a moment of stunned silence as we take in the crumpling building, not caring when the ball moves back through, knocking over one of the trucks that gets in its way.

  I barely notice the destruction or care when the asshole shoves me out of the way to push buttons and pull out the key from the ignition. I’m still in shock as I take in J.P.I.’s damaged building.

  A moment of sheer panic hits me as I wonder if anyone was inside when it happened, my mind racing to recall what Zander said about where everyone was. That’s when the asshole catches his senses quicker than I do, shoving me so hard that I lose my grip on him and slam into the doorway, just catching myself from falling all the way through it.

  When he kicks his leg at me, likely to finish the job and kick me out, I dodge out of the way and leap at him, slamming his body against the side of the cab. Then I grab his head and shove it through the glass panel. Glass smashes around us, thick shards sticking out of the man’s head.

  He appears dazed, so I take advantage, kneeing him hard in the balls. When he cries out in pain, doubling over, I grab the shotgun and knock him over the head with the butt of it. The large lump of man steroids falls to his knees in the tiny area then passes out.

  I have to step on him to get around him, and when I jump down to my feet, I discover we moved a considerable distance and left a bit of destruction in our wake.

  There are still a few people milling about, but they are either doing their best to ignore what is happening or eyeing off the massive hole created by the boulder in the fence and, subsequently, in my own office building.

  Shit, I hope that place was empty.

  If I wasn’t so terrified of how Scarlett was, I would rush over to check. But she comes first. I just have to hope that, if someone was in the building, they can hold on a little while longer.

  Dust and dirt particles have built up around the surrounding area, making me cough as I breathe far too much of it in. My snot is going to come out that color for the next while.

  When I see the man I threw out earlier grumbling as he gets to his feet, I kick his back leg to prevent him from standing.

  “Stay the fuck down and don’t come near me,” I threaten, holding the shotgun without even a shake of my hands. Inside, though, I’m a mess, but I know how to fake calm for a little while longer. At least until I can get my eyes on Scarlett.

  Just thinking her name sets off an urgency inside me. I don’t glance back at the man pushing himself back down on the icy ground, obeying my orders.

  I spare a quick glance around the corner, hoping to see what is happening and praying Scarlett is still alive. What I see is Zander holding a gun to Larissa, who is glaring at him in anger. The other guy who was holding Scarlett appears to either be knocked out or dead on the ground beside them.

  “Scarlett!” I shout, darting my eyes every which way, searching for her.

  She is nowhere in sight.

  “She took off after you,” Zander explains, nodding behind me.

  When I turn around, I manage a few seconds to brace myself before Scarlett nearly knocks me over from the force of her hug.

  “I was so fucking scared you were dead!” she cries into my shoulder.

  “Me? What about you? I was terrified. You’re not hurt, are you?” I push her back, gazing quickly over her to find a red mark across the side of her face from when Larissa struck her, but nothing else.

  “I’m fine, I swear. Larissa went off on some evil stupid monologue, and then Zander appeared out of nowhere. He shot that bastard in the leg, held the gun on Larissa, and then knocked the guy out without even swaying his aim off her. It was incredible … and scary as hell,” she rushes out, her breathing still erratic.

  “Thank fuck,” I sigh out, pulling her against me again. My heart is still trying its best to march out of my chest, but I force myself to take a deep breath.

  We hug for a while. Then I pull back to kiss her briefly before I have to squeeze her tightly again, assuring myself she is really with me. I can’t believe how close we were to losing each other.

  “Cynthia, some help over here? I can’t get a signal on my cell,” Zander shouts over to us, and I reluctantly pull away.

  I gaze one last time over Scarlett and notice her sleeve has blood on it.

  “You were cut,” I gasp, forgetting Zander’s request as I pull up her sweater. It’s not damaged in any way, which makes sense when I see no cut or mark on her arm.

  “What the hell?” she murmurs, looking over herself for an injury before she cries out when her eyes touch on me. “You’re hurt!”

  I glance down at myself, seeing blood pooling at my side. “Oh,” I mutter, lifting my own sweater and seeing a small cut across my skin, as well as redness from the burn of the bullet. “I think that’s from when he shot me.”

  “What?” Scarlett shrieks. I probably shouldn’t have admitted that. “You were freaking shot?”

  “Just grazed, really,” I try to assure her, not that it stops her from bursting into tears.

  “Guys?” Zander calls.

  I coax her into moving with me, never letting go of her until we are closer to Larissa and her passed out goon.

  There are several eyes on us now, but no one approaches.

  I’m not sure exactly what the workers’ roles are here, how loyal they are to their boss, or if they hope Larissa will soon be locked up.

  “I can’t get any signal here,” Zander repeats, eyeing Scarlett then seeing the blood on my side.

  “I’m fine. Just a graze,” I tell him before he can question it. “They’ve got some sort of signal jammer. Just go back out onto the road, and I assume you’ll be fine. I got her.” I sound stronger than I feel.

  I have to resist punching Larissa when she smirks at Scarlett’s sobbing. Since that would involve letting Scarlett go, I hold off. Instead, I keep one arm around Scarlett while holding the shotgun trained on Larissa with my other arm. The shotgun is overkill, but even if I didn’t go for a kill shot, I would do some serious bodily damage, and Larissa, who remains still with her ass on the frozen ground, knows that.

  I glance up when I hear an outraged cry from Zander. I worry he might be in trouble, but when my eyes land on him, I notice no one else is around and his attention isn’t on us. It’s on what is next door. Or, more likely, what is no longer next door. I guess he didn’t see the building collapsing.

  “You have got to be kidding me!” he shouts, looking skyward.

  I find myself unable to hold back my laughter.

  Scarlett and I must look like quite a pair with one crying and one laughing, but this whole situation is just ludicrous.

  And hilarious.

  And finally fucking over.

  I squeeze Scarlett tighter to me, hoping we can go home soon. For the first time in weeks, I can finally relax, stop looking over my shoulder, and enjoy having my woman back with me.

  Life just got fucking awesome again.

  Chapter 17

  “Shit, I can’t believe it happened again!” Zander growls, glancing around our debris-filled office. It’s been one day since the drama, one day of trying to figure everything out.

  Larissa was arrested soon after Zander was able to get a distress call out. Her charges are quite more serious than her brother’s.

  Fortunately, Gemma was able to get to Scarlett’s parents and brother in time, as well as have the police ready to meet the hit team Larissa hired to take them out. However, the same couldn’t be said for another witness and their family, as well as the district attorney who prosecuted Sanchez. His wife is in a cri
tical condition, but he didn’t make it.

  It has all been a fucking shit-show, and while I’m grateful no one I loved was hurt, I’m angry that so many other lives were lost.

  How did I not see Larissa’s true identity? I welcomed her into my home, into our office, and opened up to her so easily. It’s scary how easy it is for a person as crazy as her to make another person feel comfortable. I hope she lives the rest of her miserable life behind bars where she can’t hurt another innocent person.

  “Really? This shit still shocks you?” Joey asks, pulling me out of my musings.

  “I was getting sick of this office anyway,” Sasha says, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and leaning into me. Thankfully, she goes for my uninjured side. They just glued my skin back together, no stitches needed, but it’s still sore and tender.

  “Right,” Zander snaps, clapping his hands together. “We’re no longer looking for a single building. I want a high-rise, and we’re renting out a middle floor.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You already have the worst luck. Do you want to pass that bad luck on to everyone in the building?” Ava asks, to which Zander purses his lips at her.

  “We’ll find one with the best security. I refuse to go through this again!”

  “Man, calm down,” Declan suggests, slapping a heaving Zander on the back. “You’re going to give yourself a heart attack. Yes, it sucks, but we’re all safe. That’s the main thing.” He waves his arm to encompass us all. When his expression changes to concern, I follow his gaze where it lands on Sasha beside me.

  “You okay?” I ask, noticing she seems out of breath, her arm around me loosening and her weight shifting so I feel more of it, as if she needs me to help prop her up.

  “Yeah, fine. I’m sure it’s just the baby giving me a kick hello,” she mutters, removing her arm from around me altogether so she can hug her belly.

  “I’m going to see if anything is salvageable,” Zander mutters, leaving us behind as he trudges through the debris, Joey following after him, their quiet murmurs drifting away as they move out of sight.

  “Sash?” Declan questions, moving over to us and placing his hands on her shoulders. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “I …” She swallows hard before crouching over, unexpectedly shouting out in pain. “Something’s wrong!”

  “Fuck!” Declan barks, wrapping his arms around Sasha when she begins to lose her footing, lowering her body to the ground. “Hospital now!” he demands of me.

  I glance around franticly, seeing Ava share my panic, before I see the keys in her hands.

  “Are those Zander’s keys?” I ask.

  She catches on, sprinting toward the curb and leading the way to Zander’s car parked along the street. “Driving ourselves will be quicker than an ambulance,” Ava states, unlocking Zander’s car with the press of a button.

  Declan urgently helps Sasha into the back and, within seconds, Ava has her foot down and we are zooming through traffic at an alarming speed.

  I almost tell her to cool it, but when Sasha cries out in pain again and I notice blood soaking her jeans, I bite my tongue and try to stomp out my panic.

  Everything is going to be okay.

  Sasha and the baby will be fine.

  They will be.

  They have to be.

  I call ahead so the hospital is expecting us. I have no idea how they understand through my fearful wailings.

  The seven-minute drive to Mercy Hospital is the worst seven minutes of my life. Then we are left stranded in a waiting room while medical professionals rush off with Sasha, who is screaming in agony.

  Then the hours stuck in this awful waiting room become the worst of my life.

  Ava calls Zander to let him know what is going on, and before long, he, Joey, Teagan, and Scarlett all rush into the waiting room.

  Scarlett immediately moves to my side, and when she circles her arms around me, I hold her tightly, as if she is my lifeline and will stop any bad news from reaching my ears.

  I know we don’t live in a world of fairy tales and happy endings. Just thinking about some of the recent cases we have had proves that, but surely this can’t happen. Not to Sasha. Not to Declan. Not to the baby she was already calling her miracle. Sometimes, the world is a cruel and shit place, but not today. Not now. Please, not with this.

  Eventually, Scarlett pulls away from me, but she grips my hand strongly, and I welcome her strength.

  Joey tries a few times to engage with Declan, but he is like a caged animal, ready to strike out at anyone who tries to get near him.

  Zander doesn’t even seem present. He’s been glaring at the closed doors for hours. I’m not even sure he’s blinked. He has his arm wrapped around Ava, who on and off has been quietly crying, yet he hasn’t uttered a word.

  Teagan has been the only one able to do something useful. She called her babysitter, as well as Zander and Ava’s, and ensured their children are covered. She even called Harvey to give him an update, even though he and Nix are still in New Zealand and can’t do anything.

  There is a moment when we all question whether we should call Sasha’s parents, but Declan adamantly rejects that idea. It’s the only time he acknowledges us.

  Hours later, when we are all nervous wrecks, a doctor comes out and asks Declan to follow him.

  We all hold our breaths, hoping for an update or some news, but there is none given. I can’t help fearing that’s a bad sign.

  Scarlett urges me to sit, but I can’t remain seated for long. I need to move. I need to do something. However, there is nothing to do but wait while every horrible scenario races through my mind.

  Another hour passes before Declan reemerges with tearstains over his cheeks. It almost breaks me before he gives us the news we have all been dying to hear.

  “Sasha is okay. The baby … he’s … he’s going to be okay. Sash went into premature labor, but we got here soon enough. Our boy is getting the best care right now, and the doctors say things look promising.”

  I collapse against Scarlett, grateful for the small miracle, even if it isn’t the best outcome.

  “It’s too soon!” Ava cries.

  “The doctor said you can’t see Sash yet, but you know what she’s like. She wants to see you all, but you can’t stay long. She’s on some heavy drugs and needs her rest.”

  We all nod, knowing we are going to have to plaster on fake smiles if we’re not to upset her.

  “I’ll stay here,” Scarlett whispers, squeezing my hand one last time before letting go.

  Declan leads us to Sasha’s room, where I find someone who looks so different to how I usually see her that it’s like a physical blow. Her hair is a ratted mess, her exhaustion obvious on every inch of her face, and there are tubes and wires situated under her hospital gown and bedsheet. Even her dark skin has an ashen sheen to it.

  The steady, quiet beeps grate on my nerves, and I feel irrationally angry that Sasha could have died today. I want to rail at her that she should have been taking it easy, that she should have stayed home and been out of the weather today. But even I know that isn’t fair. None of this is anyone’s fault.

  “Sorry about your car,” Sasha croaks out, giving Zander a small smile.

  “For once, I’m glad Ava stole it,” he admits, looking torn between moving to her and staying where he is. “How are you doing?”

  “They have me on some great drugs. I don’t feel much of anything,” she says with a small smile that falls almost as soon as she gives it.

  “And your boy?” Zander asks on a rasp, the only one of us who has found his voice so far.

  “He’s been placed in the neonatal intensive care unit. They let us see him in his incubator. He’s so tiny.” Her voice cracks.

  Declan grabs her hand, looking as torn as Zander. I can sense how helpless he feels, though he’s trying to put on a brave face.

  This entire day has been terrifying for us. I can’t imagine how Declan feels. He could have
lost his wife and son today.

  “They’re running some tests, but we’ll see him again soon,” Declan announces, never taking his eyes off Sasha.

  “He’s going to be okay,” she tells him and us, sounding so sure.

  “Of course he is. He’s already proven to be as stubborn as his mother. I know he’ll be just as strong and brave, too,” Declan promises.

  I wipe a stray tear away.

  “Just as long as he doesn’t get your faulty sense of humor, he’ll manage just fine,” she jokes, and we all take a collective deep breath as the intensity of the room shifts just a little. Then she glances over to me and Teagan and smiles a little brighter. “He looks just like his daddy—same nose and ears. He’s going to be so handsome.”

  We both nod, having zero doubt any baby Declan and Sasha produce wouldn’t be the cutest thing ever.

  “Fuck, you scared me so much,” Declan whispers, his voice breaking.

  We all glance around at each other. It’s time we leave them.

  “Wait,” Sasha cries, bringing us all to an immediate standstill. “I wanted … We wanted to tell you the name we chose. It’s … It’s how I know he’s going to be okay.”

  We all wait patiently as Sasha caresses Declan’s cheek. He takes a few deep breaths before he pulls himself together.

  I recall her mentioning calling her baby Angel. Is that what they have decided on? Other than that, she often joked about liking ridiculous names. I think some suggestions were Pencil, Post-it, and Envelope. Basically, whatever was in front of her just so she could tease Declan. We all laughed, although there was an undercurrent that maybe she wasn’t joking. You never know with Sasha.

  “What’s his name?” Joey asks.

  Sasha gives Joey a watery smile, her eyes shifting from him before landing on Zander. “Zander Joseph Lockwood,” she announces, and we all stare at the guys to see the looks of shock and wonder on their faces. “I wanted him to have a strong name, so it made sense to name him after two of the strongest men I know. He’s a fighter, just like his namesakes are.”