by Ella Miles
If Liesel were here, I wouldn’t be able to focus. And if she’s the target, then she really can’t be here. She’d do something stupid like get herself kidnapped.
I don’t have my gun on me, which is idiotic. But having a gun on me around Liesel is dangerous—for both of us.
If she smacks off, I might kill her. And if she tricked me and I let my guard down for a single second, she’d find it and kill me. I figured it was for the best to not put either of us in that situation.
I run up the hillside, staying as low as I can to avoid any stray bullets. Our assailants don’t seem to have made it past the front of the house. At least my security measures are working.
I make it to the open glass door at the back of the house and peer inside. My team of about a dozen is assembled in the middle of the living room.
I step inside.
“What are you doing standing around? Get to your positions, now!”
“Yes, sir,” they all mumble at different times and take off.
I sigh. I really should have found a better number two to train and prepare them for these scenarios better. Especially since I’ve been spending too much of my free time with Liesel.
Phoenix looks at me with concern in her eyes. “Liesel?”
“She’s safe.”
She nods.
“I need you to go to the bunker.”
“But I can help! I know how to shoot a gun as well as half of these yahoos.”
“I know, but you are way more important to me than those yahoos. I pay them to protect us. Your job is to stay safe.”
“What about you? Are you going to hide out in the bunker with me?”
I crack my neck back and forth, my face morphing into one of terror, preparing myself for what I’m about to face.
“Don’t worry about me, Dunn. No one can touch me if they can’t find me.”
She frowns. “You’re not invincible. You know that, right, Langston?”
I narrow my eyes and grab her hips, pulling her tightly against my body. “I’ve let these bastards get a ten-minute head start, and they haven’t so much as broken the exterior perimeter. Have a little faith in me.”
“I do, but I just worry.”
I kiss her forehead. “Don’t. Go to the bunker. I’ll come to you soon.”
I step away from her, putting an arm’s length of space between us. “Go.”
I don’t have time to make sure Phoenix gets to the bunker. She’ll either listen to me or she won’t. If she doesn’t, she’ll have to deal with the consequences.
I start to walk away, but Phoenix grabs my hand at the last moment.
“Dunn, I really don’t have time—”
She yanks my arm as hard as she can, closing the space between us. Her hands come up to my cheeks, grabbing me hard. She plants a hard, wet, all-out kiss on my lips.
I kiss her back, savoring how her tongue feels in my mouth.
Liesel.
Of course, my dumb-ass brain thinks of my kiss with Liesel instead of enjoying this moment.
When Phoenix kissed me earlier, it was greatly appreciated. I needed something to distract me from my kiss with Liesel. But this kiss now—all it makes me think about is Liesel. She’s the last person I want to be thinking about right now.
I want to end the kiss. I need to deal with whatever jackasses are trying to kill us all right now. But if I stop the kiss early, it will only make her desperate to kiss me more.
So I let Phoenix end the kiss.
“Get your ass to the bunker, now. I don’t want to have to worry about your safety.”
She touches her swollen lip with her finger. She’s going to spend her entire time in the bunker thinking about our kiss.
“Dunn,” I warn.
“I’m as safe as you are standing here, but fine, I’ll go.”
I watch as Phoenix walks away toward the more secure half of the house that sits on top of a bunker.
I stare at her legs tightly covered in jeans. I watch the sway of her hips as she walks away. My eyes drift up to her black long-sleeved T-shirt and her short red hair. Phoenix is the complete opposite of Liesel.
I like Phoenix’s body, but I don’t crave it like an addict craves heroin. With Liesel, if I get the tiniest taste, I’m going to lose myself. I’m going to become so addicted that I won’t be able to do anything but think about her.
A loud explosion grabs my attention again.
Jesus, I barely even kissed Liesel, and I’m already going down the rabbit hole. What would happen to me if I did more than kiss her?
That’s just one of the many reasons why I can’t.
I grab one of my many stashed guns by pressing my finger to the scanner under the kitchen counter. A compartment opens, and I grab the two guns inside, along with plenty of ammunition. Then I take off toward the garage.
The garage is dark when I get there. No one has entered yet.
I run to the Range Rover, pop the door open and then climb in.
This car is bulletproof, and the large tablet inside is hooked up to my entire security system. I’m a great fighter, but the best place for me to help my team is here, being their eyes in the field. My first task is finding the man who ordered this attack so I can put an end to this and save as many lives on my side as possible.
All of his team will end up dead, no matter how many surrender.
I turn on my radio, instantly connecting my voice to my team. “They are only attacking from the front. They’re trying to get past the minefield.”
“They won’t get past it, boss,” Seth says.
“Don’t get cocky. Be prepared and alert. I’ll let you know if any of them get through the perimeter.”
I need to find their leader and figure out why they are attacking. Whoever it is, they aren’t very skilled. Or at least, they didn’t bring very many men.
I dial Enzo’s number. Kai is technically in charge, and I love her to death, but Enzo and I go back since forever. And I don’t like to bother Kai and unless it’s important.
“What do you need?” Enzo says matter of factly, knowing that I never call him just to chat about how our lives are. I only call when I need something from him.
“The island is under attack. I don’t know who it is or if they’re after you or me.” I leave out the chance that they’re attacking to get to Liesel.
“I’m not aware of any threats against us, but let me do a security check and speak with Kai. I’ll get back to you in one.” He ends the call.
Enzo will call me back in literally one minute. Moments like this are all about speed. I need to know who, where, when, why, and I need to know it all right now.
I zoom in on the men shooting at us. There is nothing special about their clothes, their equipment, nothing that tells me who they work for.
My phone buzzes.
“And?” I answer.
“We don’t think they’re after us. I’ll keep finding out any info I can and leave a message for you. Do you need backup?” Enzo says with a bit of teasing in his voice. He knows I’m more than capable of handling this myself, and it would take him hours to get here. Even if I did need his help, we’d all be dead by then.
Unfortunately, these men are most likely after us because of Liesel’s money. Any leak of a treasure and it brings out all sorts of crazies to try and find it. I don’t know how anyone knows when we have taken zero steps to go after the inheritance, but that’s a question for a different day.
“Nope, I’m good, brother.” I end the call and then look back at the screen. It’s going to take these guys hours to get through the perimeter. I don’t have hours. I want this over with now.
Then I can go back to Phoenix and show her I’m still alive.
Then I can go hunt Liesel.
I cock my gun and climb out of the car, ready to put an end to this bullshit they call an attack.
I walk down my driveway.
“What are you doing, boss?” Seth says.
“Ending this.
Everyone, hold your positions. Don’t interfere unless I tell you to.”
I click a button on my phone that stops the minefield from going off so I can meet the men head-on. As I scan the area, I realize they didn’t even bring any heavy artillery. The only bombs going off are our own.
I aim my gun through the haze and shoot five men dead.
Then I step through the fog.
I’m an easy target. Any one of the remaining seven men could kill me, but I need a moment to look them all in the eyes to figure out who is most likely to rat out their boss. That man gets to live.
I only need a second to scan. They are all terrified. Any one of them would spill the truth.
I roll my eyes.
Why do men try to attack me like this?
They are so unprepared there is no way they are going to be able to defeat me. It’s like they don’t care about their men at all.
I don’t have a choice but to kill them all. There is no way I’ll let any of these men hurt my team or the others I’m protecting. Plus, I don’t really need any of them alive to find answers.
Almost bored, I shoot them all one by one. A few get a couple of bullets off, but the closest to hitting me barely grazes my arm. It’s not even close enough to break skin, just to rip my T-shirt.
“Did I miss anyone?” I ask to my team.
“You got them all, boss,” Seth answers. Apparently, he’s the only one brave enough to answer me after what I did to Joel and Amelia.
I walk over to the closest dead combatant and dig through his clothes until I find his wallet and phone.
“Get to work cleaning up this mess,” I tell my team as I take the wallet and phone back to the house.
I pull my earpiece out and pocket my gun, now that the danger has been squashed.
I consider letting Phoenix know that it’s safe to come out. Do I really know it’s safe until I find out who’s behind the attack and deal with them?
Plus, I really want to be alone right now.
I run up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
I head to my dresser and find the finger scanner below the top drawer, revealing another hidden gun and a laptop.
I pull out the laptop and bring it to my bed, ignoring the images of Liesel that flash in my head like perfect snapshots.
Stitching up her shoulder.
Holding her in bed.
Her tied up.
I shake my head like a magic eight ball, like I can just shake away my thoughts.
I start typing the name on the driver’s license into the computer while I scroll through the phone, finding his most called numbers.
The first number is labeled ‘Mom,’ so I ignore it.
But the second number has no name associated with it.
This is going to be too easy. I really could use a challenge someday. Maybe that’s half the reason I decided to go after Liesel’s inheritance.
My head falls back in frustration against the headboard.
I only wish I were just looking for a challenge, and that’s why I need Liesel’s money. Then I could step away whenever I wanted.
I take a deep breath and then open my eyes. The top search of Edgar Jacobs lists him as a car salesman. Clearly, he’s not. It’s a front. Just like the bars Enzo and Kai own are fronts for their business. Places that look like normal businesses, but are really the offices of a criminal organization if you look closely.
I’m ninety-nine percent sure that I’ve found the location of the man who ordered the attack.
I hit call on the nameless number in Edgar’s phone.
“Is it done?” a man answers.
Jesus, this is too easy.
“Yep, I killed every single one of your pathetic men.”
Silence.
I think he might have hung up, but apparently, this idiot really thought he had a chance to bring me down.
“Now that I have your attention…” I brush the dirt off my nails, barely even thinking about this conversation. My voice holds enough of a threat to let this man know that I’m serious. “…you will not attack me again.
“I now have men monitoring your every movement. If you do anything out of the ordinary, if I suspect in any way that you are going to attack and come after me again, then I will have you killed. Along with everyone who works for you, everyone you love, everyone you’ve ever met. Do you understand, Mr. Tirkel?” I say as I pull up the name associated with his number on my computer.
He’s speechless, but his breathing is heavy and nasally, so I know he’s still on the line.
“Mr. Tirkel? I need confirmation that you heard me.”
“I—uh—I heard you.”
“This is your only warning. And you should know that I don’t give warnings often. The only reason you are getting one is because I don’t want to bother with sending someone to kill you. That’s how little you mean to me. But make one wrong step and I will.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Good. And oh, Mr. Tirkel? Next time you try to take down a stronger man than yourself, don’t send your men in to fight for you. Grow some balls, man up and fight yourself. If you’re not capable of doing that, then you shouldn’t order the attack in the first place.”
I hang up the phone, putting no more thought to Mr. Tirkel.
He’s an idiot with no skills and no money. He won’t be attacking again. His attempt smelt of desperation. He needed money for his organization so badly that he was willing to try me.
I lean my head back again. The sun has begun to set.
I have a choice to make. Stay here with Phoenix and hope that Liesel obeys me by coming back tomorrow, or go out and search for Liesel myself before she slips through my fingers.
I’m pretty sure Liesel isn’t coming back. She may want answers, but she’s too stubborn to listen to anything I say. I should have told her to never come back, and then she might show up on my front door tomorrow.
But I’m not one hundred percent sure. She’s tired of the lies too. She wants answers as much as I do. Although, we each have our own reasons for wanting answers.
I give her a ten percent chance of coming back on her own.
I won’t go hunt her.
I’ll wait and let her make her move. I’ll let her decide her fate. If she comes back, I’ll be more lenient on her. But if she runs…my brain fills with all the things it wants to do to her.
I won’t be doing any of them. I’ll do the smart thing. The thing that hits her where it hurts and gives me what I want.
I should get up and go talk to Phoenix. Just five more minutes of relaxing and then I’ll go to her.
A lightbulb goes off in my head.
I know what Liesel’s going to do.
I pull out my phone and stare at the names of all the contacts Liesel knows in our dangerous world.
Enzo.
Kai.
Zeke.
Siren.
Who would she call for help?
The answer is obvious. She knows me better than anyone, but I know her better than anyone too.
I dial Siren’s number.
“I’m not going to help you keep Liesel hostage. If you want to talk, you can talk to Zeke. I’m not talking to you until you let her go,” Siren huffs into the phone.
“Wait!” I say before she can hand the phone off to Zeke.
“You have three seconds.”
“Liesel is going to call you for help.”
There’s a silent beat before she answers. “What do you want me to do?”
“Help her.”
3
Liesel
“That fucking bastard! I’ll have a plane there in two hours,” Siren says when I finish telling her everything.
I let out an audible breath.
I’m getting rescued.
“Thank you.”
“Of course. And don’t worry, Langston is going to get a mouthful from me next time I see him. He’s an asshole for thinking he can just kidnap you like that, even if he
’d never actually kill you. He’s just trying to bully and intimidate you into doing what he wants.”
I can’t wipe the smile off my face.
“You have no idea how much I appreciate your help. I’ll pay you back—”
“Don’t you dare. You have nothing to pay me back for.”
“Not even by going with you on a girls trip?”
I can feel her smile through the phone. “Kai would kill me if I didn’t use this opportunity to persuade you to go on a girls trip with us, but I don’t think persuasion will be necessary. You’ll want to vent after all of this is over.”
“You’re probably right.” I won’t be venting to Waylon about my time here, that’s for sure.
“Hang tight. I’ll have you off his island in two hours.” Siren hangs up the phone.
Two hours until I’m free.
I stare down the road that leads toward Langston’s house as the sun begins to rise. Even if Langston comes for me before I’m rescued, I trust Siren. She’ll find me and make Langston release me.
This is truly the end of this nightmare.
Wait…
I didn’t give Siren my location. How does she know where I am? And where am I exactly?
I shake off the weird vibes. She probably just knows because she knows where Langston has been living lately and the location of his beach house. I’m sure he’s told those he’s close to before. I’m just not one of those people anymore.
I sit back down in my hut and wait.
The sun has fully risen when I hear the roar of an engine. I step out of the hut, hoping I’m not dreaming up the sound of the airplane and it’s not just Langston’s car or another attack.
I refuse to think about who those men are or why they were attacking Langston. It’s been a while since I’ve heard any explosions or gunfire—not a good sign. That means Langston is no longer occupied by fighting. He could be searching for me.
I shield my eyes and look up.
A plane.
I hold my breath while the plane lands, begging it to be Siren’s team.
Finally, the plane rolls to a stop, and the side door lowers. Siren sticks her head out the doorway.
