Branding & Saving Lily Box Set: Books 1 & 2 (Jacob and Lily's Duet)

by Gracin Sawyer

  I took my paper from Bear and turned to smile at Jacob, pretending not to hear anything they said. “It looks like I might be a natural after all.”

  “That is the woman I love.” Jacob accepted the target I offered him and looked it over, whistling. “Shit, you might have Diesel beat.”

  Diesel cursed and flipped Jacob off. I laughed.

  “Who beat Diesel?” Carter asked, coming up over the hill.

  “Lily, she’s a natural with a gun,” Jacob said proudly.

  “Rabbit? Let me see that target.” He held his hand out for the paper, inspecting the bullet holes. “Dang. Not too shabby for a first time. It does look like a bit of a tighter grouping than Diesel’s normal targets.”

  Diesel slapped Carter on the back with a big grin. “You’re so fucking funny. I haven’t seen you shoot a gun since your balls dropped.”

  Carter handed me my target back and stole Diesel’s massive gun. Checking to make sure it was loaded and ready, he fired the automatic weapon into the face of another target then handed it back to fetch his paper. He jogged back with a shit eating grin plastered to his face. He thrust the paper to Diesel’s chest. “Suck on this.”

  Diesel pulled the paper out to inspect it and started laughing. In tight formation, the bullet holes spelled out the words FUCK YOU.

  I handed Lupe my gun. “Thanks for letting me use it.”

  He placed it back onto my palm and closed my fingers around it. “No, mija, this is yours.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered, trying not to tear up. He was such a sweet old man.

  Jacob’s hand found my lower back once again, and I melted. His touch was like lava. “It looks like we have a new truck and a lead for Knox.”

  Lupe nodded, tipping his worn hat to me. “Good luck, Miss Lily.” He gestured over his shoulder. “Don’t forget to grab a box of ammo for that gun.”

  Jacob reached out to shake Lupe’s hand. “I’ll make sure you’re compensated. And tell Maria thank you for the food.”

  Lupe chuckled. “You know that woman makes more food for you than me. It makes her happy.”

  My heart ached for Lupe and his wife. They had been through so much. Jacob’s world still held many secrets and a lot of pain, but I one thing I knew, I wanted to be a part of it more than ever.

  Chapter 13

  Jacob

  It was hard to contain how proud I was of Lily. For her first time shooting, she truly did have a natural talent.

  The guys crammed into the backseat of the truck together, laughing and joking with her. She sat next to me in the front. Her hand found mine and I gave her a gentle squeeze. I could tell her and the guys had begun forming a good friendship. They were accepting her as part of our family and my heart thumped wildly in my chest.

  It was good for her to be able to let go, relax, and not worry about anything while around them. I knew they would respect her and would die protecting her, but I was still trying to figure out how to keep that part from happening. We had a job to do, and I couldn’t have Lily stay back, because quite frankly, I would not be focused on the tasks at hand and might cost us or someone else valuable time or the entire mission.

  Having her with us eliminated my worry about her, but created new fears. What if she was injured or killed? I would never forgive myself. So then, my new worry was how would I protect her and still keep my head in the mission?

  It was Diesel’s idea to teach her to shoot. He had some of the same concerns and relayed to me his plan to teach her to be one of us. If she could protect herself, then none of us would worry so much.

  Except, I didn’t think I’d ever stop worrying.

  Fox leaned up behind me. “So, um, I hate to be the one to ruin all this fun, but what are we gonna do about Knox?”

  “We kill him.” It was an easy answer. After what he did to Lily, I wasn’t about to grant him a white flag.

  “Okay, I get that, but how do we find him?”

  It was easy to forget Fox was still new to this world. His inexperience didn’t bother me, we all had to learn at one point, just most of us had to learn at a much younger age. Some of us were born into this world. Even Lily was born to it, just the other side of it.

  “I have made a lot of friends over the years. My family has ties all around the world. While I run the family business much differently than my father did, I have kept many truces and built enough alliances to keep my back covered at all times.” I gave Lily’s hand a small squeeze. “There are eyes all over, watching everything. We just have to find the right person who’s seen Knox in the last twenty-four hours. It’s a game, a puzzle if you will.”

  Fox shrugged. “That explains why Knox kept Lily on your property this whole time. He was invisible there. No eyes to watch him because they were focused everywhere else.”

  I growled. That was still a very sore subject for me. Knowing Lily had been held captive only miles from me, on my ranch, ate at my soul. “Yeah.”

  Flapjack drove us deep into the heart of the city. Mixed among the mass of people and buildings, a small park produced a vivid color palate next to the road. Tall trees cast shadows as the afternoon sun beat down on the earth.

  “Let us out here,” I said, grabbing the door handle.

  Yanking the door open, I jumped out and looked around before helping Lily out. I wasn’t about to be caught off guard again.

  “I’ll park and meet up with you.” Flapjack slammed the gear stick in drive, waiting for everyone to get out.

  It had been a while since Flapjack had been on a mission with us, but it was like he’d never left.

  Fox huddled close to the guys, the borrowed gun tucked into the waist of his jeans. I watched how his eyes darted to everyone around us, observing everything. He was definitely growing on me and while I wasn’t sure about training another kid, I’d hate to see him get mixed up with someone else.

  Jax had a toothpick sticking out of his mouth, chewing on the wood while donning his shades. He dumped his Stetson on his head and gave me a nod. It was his telltale sign that he was amped up and on the hunt. His focus was on the mission and nothing else.

  Diesel got out of the truck and cracked his neck. He spun his ball cap around, positioning it so the curved brim covered the back of his head, while Bear tapped the side of the truck to let Flapjack know they were ready.

  Lily stood close to me, her gun nestled close to her hip in its holster.

  “You have to be on guard always. Notice everything about everyone. The way they move, their patterns, their ticks. A seemingly innocent passerby could be the one who takes you out.” It was the same thing my father told me when I was only six. Before he killed my mother. Before I killed him.

  But, it was a valuable lesson, and now it was my turn to teach Lily.

  She nodded and her eyes went wide as she strained to catch all the movement around her. “It’s a lot harder when I’m not sure what I’m looking for.”

  I chuckled. “That’s fair.” I pointed out a few people and we watched them walk by, finding comparable distinctions and analyzing them. The way they walked, the clothes they wore, the direction of their gaze.

  Then, the hair on the back of my neck rose, alerting me with a natural instinct that we were the ones being watched. “Walk with me.” I whispered to her.

  Bear had already picked up on my cues and nodded at Diesel and Jax. They split, Bear taking Fox with him. In seconds, they had disappeared from my sight, but I knew they still had me in their view. I didn’t have to see them to know where they were. Jax would be on my back right, Diesel straight back, Bear would be back left. Flapjack would find us and see the formation and have my forward.

  I placed my hand at the small of Lily’s back and guided her through the park, trying to reach the other side. My hand placement was more for me than her. I needed to touch her, to know she was safe. As long as I could touch her, I knew she was okay.

  A shadow crossed our path and I yanked Lily back behind me just as a man stepped out
from behind a tree. He was thin and his hair hung in oily strands past his face. He was closer to looking like a homeless man than a cartel member, but his gaze locked on me and I knew he wasn’t here randomly. Pulling my glock, I had it aimed on his head before he could blink. “What the fuck do you want?”

  He laughed. “We haven’t met. I’m Fonsie.”

  He took a step forward and I shook the gun slightly. “I don’t give a fuck who you are. This isn’t a toy, I will use it. Don’t fucking move.”

  He held his hands up and laughed, sobering as his eyes fell on Lily. “You’re Garcia’s daughter. So you’re the one everyone is talking about.” He grinned. “You have the ability to start wars in this world with just your presence. No wonder Cardosa helped hide you.” He looked at me, his grin wider, like he was about to reveal a huge secret. “I’m not the only one out looking for her. She’s an asset, and everyone wants her. She’s the key to power.”

  “Fuck you.” Lily spit, missing him by a foot. “I’m no one’s key.”

  “What makes her so valuable that you’d gamble your life to get her?” Something wasn’t right. I needed to stall him for time. I could feel more bodies pressing in on us than just this one scraggly man. I couldn’t see the others, but I knew they were there. Fonsie’s eyes shifted, looking away from us, giving me a head’s up on his friends. I pulled Lily closer to me, still holding my gun toward him. “Who’s looking for us?”

  He twitched and laughed again, lost in a reality far from the real one. His manic cackling died down as he began to cough. I noticed his eyes were rimmed in red as he wiped his leathery, pockmarked face with the back of his filthy hand. “Everyone is looking for you, pendejo. You should have left while you had the chance.”

  Shadows weaved in and out of my peripheral. From both sides, men appeared with guns raised. Instinctively, I pushed Lily down and fired, hitting one of them as the others darted behind trees for protection. Lily was quick to get low on her feet and pull her own weapon, drawing it on Fonsie and firing before I could. She hit him, but it wasn’t fatal and he limped off into the panic driven crowd.

  Bullets whizzed past me with the undeniable sound as they ricocheted off the buildings.

  Glass shattered as stray bullets reached the storefronts behind me. Diesel was obviously in the action too.

  Fonsie’s disturbing laughter echoed with the gunshots. Women and children screamed around us as they rushed for cover. To my left and right, shots rang out. My men were good, even outnumbered, I wasn’t worried. Yet.

  Lily crouched beside me, her gun still out as we made our way to the edge of the park, looking for better cover. I tried to shield her the best I could, but we were surrounded.

  Shit. How did they get such an upper hand on me?

  I spotted an empty car and lead Lily to it, letting her get in before me. Bullets pelted the side of the car, but never made it through. We stayed low, her crouched on the floor in the passenger side and me splayed over the middle console. She looked at me with such confidence and I was scared I would let her down.

  “Don’t hit the girl!” Fonsie’s wildly high pitched voice screamed over the gunfire.

  Fuck. I needed a plan to get her out of there. Peeking over the dash, I saw Diesel watching the car we were in and nodded for us to follow him. With his hand he pointed to the left and right, telling me Jax and Bear still had my back. They would cover us as we ran to safety.

  “When I say, I want you to get out and run to the building right there. Diesel is waiting for us. Don’t look back and don’t stop.” I stared at her like it was the last time I’d see her beautiful blue eyes. “Do you understand?”

  She cringed. “What about you? I won’t leave you.”

  “I’ll be right behind you.” I leaned closer and kissed her forehead. “Go. Now!”

  Getting out of the car, the bullets began to pelt down on us more, more specifically, on me. I slowed, letting her get ahead of me, away from the shots. They wanted to kill me, not her.

  She slowed and looked over her shoulder for me. “Jacob!”

  Damn it, I told her not to turn around. “Run, Lily! Fucking get her out of here!” I yelled at Diesel who grabbed her, getting her out of the street just as a searing pain ripped through my shoulder.

  Diesel slipped behind the building with her kicking and screaming to get back to me, but he held on and soon they were both out of my sight. At least she was safe.

  Gunshots echoed around me, but they faltered with my eyesight. I fired the gun at everything that moved, not ready to give up yet. Fonsie came into view as I dropped to my knees. I blinked and tried to focus to shoot him, but the magazine was empty and someone kicked the gun out of my hand.

  Fuck.

  Even though I knew I was going to die, I just hoped Diesel got Lily far enough away to not see it happen.

  Chapter 14

  Lily

  Kicking and screaming, I tried to wriggle out of Diesel’s arms to get to Jacob. I saw the man behind him with a gun and had to help him. “Put me down you motherfucking son of a bitch!” I used every curse word I could think of, feeling each one roll off my tongue like my emotions were attached to them, spitting fire with each syllable, hoping to burn Diesel to the ground.

  “My job is to get you the fuck out of here.” Diesel didn’t turn to help Jacob and I swore I’d never forgive him if something happened to him.

  Carter came around the corner in the truck, the backend swinging as the tires squealed to keep up with the tight maneuvers. He didn’t fully stop, but opened his door and Diesel threw me in over Carter’s lap.

  “Let me go! Jacob needs me!” But, Carter’s grip on me was just as tight as Diesel’s. He slammed down on the gas and we ripped out of the area, away from the park, and away from Jacob.

  Carter pulled me into the truck all the way and I crawled across to the passenger side, glaring at him. “Why are we leaving Jacob?”

  “We all made a pact, you come first, Rabbit. And before you open your mouth, it was Jacob’s idea. No matter how badly I want to stay and help him, he’s still my boss and I respect him too much. I’m not about to piss him off by getting you killed, too.”

  “Too?” I spun in my seat and watched out the back window. I couldn’t breathe. “You mean, is Jacob… Oh, Carter, he can’t be dead.”

  “Not yet. As soon as you’re safe we can figure out a plan. We are talking about Jacob, he’s not going down easily.” The engine roared as if agreeing with Carter.

  I turned back around and doubled over, holding my stomach. It would have been better if they had just taken me. Then he’d be here, safe, unharmed, alive.

  I shook my head. No, I couldn’t think of him as dead. I sat up straighter. Anger replaced my fear. Jacob wouldn’t let someone tell him no if he was looking for me, and I wouldn’t either.

  “Stop the truck.” I said calmly.

  Carter shook his head. “Hell no, we aren’t far enough away yet. They could be tailing us.” He looked in the mirrors, watching our rear.

  I grabbed the handle of the door. “Fucking stop the truck or I’m jumping out.”

  Carter reached out to grab my arm, but this time I was faster and I drew my gun up and pointed it at him. “You’re my friend. You’re like a brother. But Jacob is my life. Stop the truck.”

  “Damn it, Rabbit. I can’t. You’re gonna have to shoot me, because I won’t betray Jacob like that. You’re his life too, and you come first. I’m sorry.”

  I lowered the gun, shoving it back in the holster. “Me too.”

  He snapped his head to look at me, his foot hitting the brakes when he realized what I was doing. The handle lifted easily as I opened the door. Closing my eyes, I jumped out before Carter could stop me. The hard ground came up fast. Damn that hurt a lot more than I anticipated. I crossed my arms as I rolled to a stop. Damn. I was going to feel that for days. It took a second for me to sit up.

  The truck slammed to a stop and Carter shot out of the driver’s seat, rushin
g toward me. I got up and ran back the way we came.

  Left, right, another right. I no longer heard the sound of Carter’s footsteps behind me. I thought I lost him until I heard the truck roar behind me. “Lily, get in the fucking truck!” Carter yelled, hanging half out the window.

  I ran faster, dodging between buildings and people. I wasn’t willingly getting back in that truck without Jacob.

  Around the corner, Carter swerved the truck to block me. He jumped out and grabbed me before I could get away. I squirmed in his arms, trying to get free. “Lily, if you want to help Jacob, you need to get in the truck. You’re wasting valuable time we could use to save him.”

  I stilled at his words. “You mean, we aren’t leaving him here?”

  “Hell no. We all go home or none of us do. I just have to have you safe first. Now get in the damn truck.” He pushed me into the passenger seat of the truck and slammed the door.

  In the driver’s seat, he fumed. “You are stubborn. Damn, Rabbit. You really do have a death wish don’t you?” He hit the steering wheel with his palm. “What was your plan? To go in and just start shooting?”

  “Maybe.” It wasn’t the worst plan I’d ever had.

  “And then when Jacob watches you get shot, then what? That’s not going to help any of us.” He spun the tires around another corner. “We’ve been doing this a hell of a long time. Some of us have been doing this our whole lives. We have a plan. We always have one.”

  I sat on the edge of the seat, grabbing the oh shit handle as he weaved his way through the city. “Okay, so what’s the plan?”

  He honked the horn and yelled out the window at slow pedestrians. “First, to get you to safety. Jax and Diesel will follow Jacob. He won’t get far from their sight. I promise.”

  I nodded and pursed my lips together, wetting them with my tongue. “What about Bear and Fox?”

  He yelled out the window again. “That’s where we’re headed, if I could get these fucking people to move.” He laid on the horn for a fifth time. “We’ll rendezvous with them and then go after Jax and Diesel together.” After a few obscenities, from both Carter and the crowd, they moved and Carter hit the gas.