by L A Cotton
I searched the room for an exit. My hands were bound sloppily together in front of me. With enough time and force, I could probably work them free when the stars in my eyes faded.
“How long have I been out?”
“About twenty minutes.”
I did the math. We’d been in the warehouse about thirty minutes. Max wouldn’t give us much longer before he came looking ... or stuck to the plan and called the cops. But I didn’t expect him to play by the rules. It was one reason I’d hired him. He’d risk coming in himself before calling for backup.
“We have to find a way out of here.”
Eyes clenched together, I tried to think, but the door flew open. Braiden stumbled into the room, blood dripping from his nose and a nasty cut above his eye. Cara sucked in a sharp breath and whimpered. I locked eyes with him, sending him a silent message, and he nodded, righting himself.
“Playtime’s almost over,” Shaughnessy drawled, his eyes landing on Cara. Braiden growled, but it rolled off him.
“Don’t worry, beautiful,” he addressed Cara. “When we’re done with him, you won’t even recognize him.”
She gasped, but Braiden stood poised, every muscle in his neck tense, pulsating with anger.
“What’s it going to be?” He addressed the room, but it was a question for Braiden. I could tell by the way that his whole body went rigid. Whatever was going down was between the two of them, but Braiden remained tight-lipped, stealing glances at Cara.
“Fine. Have it your way.” Shaughnessy cocked the gun at Braiden and grabbed him roughly. “Everyone breaks eventually. We’ll just have to get more creative.”
I watched as they disappeared from the room, a million thoughts running through my mind and none of them good.
“Do something. You have to do something.” Cara shuffled frantically, fighting against her bindings. My eyes connected with hers, and her voice cracked. “You have to do something.”
“Help’s coming.”
“Is it? Because you saw Braiden’s face. They’re hurting him.”
“They’re?”
“Yes, that guy and the other one.”
“Other one? There’s more?” It made sense, but where were they? Why hadn’t they shown themselves?
“I heard him. That idiot isn’t running the show; it’s the other one.”
My head whipped around to the door. Levi was just the puppet?
“Wha- what is it?”
I dragged a hand through my hair and struggled to my feet, my bound hands making it difficult to find my balance. Eventually, I reached the door. It was locked, of course, but I yanked anyway. “Did you get a look at him?”
“No. Jackson, what is it?”
“I don’t like it.” I tried the door again, my eyes searching the room for something to force it open. We’d planned for Levi and a few of his guys, but if someone else was calling the shots, the situation was more volatile than I thought.
We needed to get the hell out of here.
Chapter 12
~ BRAIDEN ~
“Again.”
Shaughnessy came at me, driving his fist hard against my stomach. I doubled over as pain shot through my insides. I was bloody, sore, and teetering at unconsciousness. But I refused to cave.
I should have known this was too much planning for Shaughnessy, but my need to save Cara clouded my judgment. I couldn’t lose her; I just couldn’t. Even if she walked away from this without me, that was enough. Her, alive and safe, would always be enough.
A new pain filled my chest, squeezing at my heart like a vise, and Shaughnessy’s rancid breath assaulted my nose. “That hurt a little too much? Don’t flake out on us yet; there’s plenty more where that came from.” His fist connected with my side, and I crumpled against the wall, barely staying upright.
He grabbed my hoodie and yanked me forward. “I can’t wait to fuck her. She looks like she’d be a good ride. Is she, Donohue? Does your little bitch take it like a champ?”
With a low growl, I drew my head back and threw it forward, hoping that it would connect. Shaughnessy moved just in time for me to miss his nose, but I grazed his chin, and he grunted in pain, staggering back. “Oh, you’re going to pay for that.” His hand grabbed me roughly again, but a voice said, “Enough.”
“But, boss, we—”
“I said enough.”
“It won’t be long now,” he leaned in to whisper and then shoved me hard until my weak body slid down the wall. Shaughnessy backed away, giving his boss room. He looked down at me, his eyes hard.
“This can all end. All you have to do is choose,” the voice said.
I cleared my throat and inhaled a ragged breath. “Never.”
~ CARA ~
“What do you think they’re waiting for?” My voice croaked, dry from the tears and the stale air.
Jackson grimaced. He’d been doing that a lot, and I didn’t like it. “I have no idea.” His voice was flat—defeated—but I saw the flash of concern in his eyes. He had a good idea about what was happening on the other side of that door; he just didn’t want to share it with me. And I couldn’t help but think that maybe it was for the best.
“Where’s Max? Shouldn’t he be here by now? Shouldn’t he have sent for help?”
Shifting, Jackson stretched one leg out in front of him. “They must have gotten to him.”
“Fuck, you think they killed him?” I couldn’t even believe I was saying the words. His eyes went wide, and I scoffed. “Come on. If there’s ever a time to cuss, it’s now.”
Jackson remained silent, and I blew out an exasperated breath. “Well, do you?”
“I don’t know what to think,” he snapped, the frustration evident in his voice. “I told Max to call the cops if we weren’t out quick. There’s no sign of the cops or Max, so I can only assume they got to him.”
“Perhaps they knocked him out or took him hostage too.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Jackson’s reply did little to ease my panic. With every minute that passed, it was looking less and less likely that any of us would get out of here alive. Tears lodged in my throat, burning the backs of my eyes. I dropped my head back against the wall and let them fall.
~ JACKSON ~
Cara cried quietly while I stared at nothing. This whole thing was fucked up. We were unprepared, underequipped, and too damn hasty. We should have planned—gathered more intel—but Braiden was blinded by his need to protect Cara, and after seeing the state Ana was in, I just wanted it done. So I couldn’t blame him—roles reversed, I would have done the same. I had done the same. Back when Ana was in harm’s way, I’d stormed in with only one thing on my mind. Saving her.
The memories came fast, flooding my mind like an unpredictable storm. The pain. The danger. Constantly looking over our shoulders while we fought to be together. We’d come a long way and survived so much. This wasn’t supposed to happen, but when Frankie O’Connor had asked me to take in Braiden and Cara, the only answer I had was yes. Because if it wasn’t for him, Ana and I would never have gotten out of Chastity Falls.
Head still throbbing, I almost missed the door open. I sat up, eyes trained on the empty space. Braiden hadn’t looked good the last time he’d appeared, and a ball of nerves twisted in my stomach. Whatever they were doing to him, it wasn’t good, and a part of me knew that once they’d finished with him, their attention would most likely turn to us.
“Jackson,” Cara whispered, and I met her wide eyes. “Should we make a run for it?”
I shook my head. Someone had unlocked the door and opened it. They were waiting, but for what, I didn’t know. And then I heard it. The slight whoosh of wheels. What was that?
The empty hollow in my stomach spread into my chest cavity, stealing my breath as Cole Calder wheeled himself into the room, his eyes never leaving mine. He was the last person I expected to see, but like pieces of a puzzle fitting together, everything fell into place. An eye for an eye ... Braiden had crippled Cole Calder
in Chastity Falls after a turf war ended badly, earning him a five-year sentence in Oregon State Pen. But Cole hadn’t even registered on my mind as the possible suspect since he was wheelchair bound.
“Cole, long time, no see,” I said coolly, trying to get a handle on his emotional state.
“So it’s true?”
“You’ll have to enlighten me.” I brought a hand to my head and rubbed. “Your puppet did a real number on me.”
Something passed over his face. “It’s been a long time, Jackson.”
“Not long enough,” I spat.
“When I got word Donohue was here with you, I couldn’t believe it. Not after what he did to you, to us. But I guess you two were more alike than I ever gave you credit for.”
I gritted my teeth together. This Cole Calder wasn’t the guy I’d known back in Chastity Falls. This was a man fueled by hatred and driven by revenge … The Cole Calder in front of me was a guy with nothing left to lose—and that was a dangerous thing.
“Think this through, Cole.” I kept my voice light, eyeing the gun in his hand.
“I’ve had plenty of time to think this through.” He placed his hands on his knees. “He ruined my life. We both know I wasn’t the only one. Braiden Donohue took whatever he wanted, when he wanted, without ever considering the consequences. It’s time for him to pay his penance.”
“Cole, there has to be another way. He served time for yo—”
“Don’t!” Cole roared. “Don’t pretend that a few years inside clears him of his crimes.” He wheeled back out of the room, but he paused when he reached the doorway. “I’m just sorry it has to be this way.”
What did he mean?
“Cole,” I called after him, but the door closed again, and the lock rattled.
“Jackson?” Cara’s voice quivered, but I couldn’t bring myself to look her in the eye. This wasn’t a rescue mission; it was a suicide mission.
We needed a miracle now.
~ CARA ~
“Cole Calder is the brains behind this.” Jackson finally lifted his head and looked at me. I knew it was bad, but I needed to hold onto something—anything—right now, and Jackson was all I had. “I knew something didn’t feel right about Shaughnessy. It was too easy.”
“Braiden did that?” My voice dropped, remembering Cole Calder wheeling himself into the room. His grand entrance.
Jackson nodded with a grim expression on his face. “He wasn’t always a good guy, Cara.”
I knew that. I knew all about the Braiden Donohue of Chastity Falls. But that wasn’t who he was now. He’d saved me from Jason, my father’s aide and the guy tasked with protecting me. The same guy who tried to rape me. And then he had walked away to protect me. Braiden had only ever put me first. He wasn’t the same guy he was all those years ago—I knew he wasn’t—but it didn’t make facing his past any easier.
“Cole was as bad. It could have easily been Braiden in that chair. Or worse.”
A shiver worked its way up my spine. I thought this was behind us. The violence. Enemies lurking around every corner. We were supposed to have left that behind when my father granted us an escape from Seattle.
“He’s not going to let us go, is he?” My stomach churned. We knew them both now. We’d seen their faces. Wasn’t that how it went? The witnesses were killed to protect the perp’s anonymity?
“We’re getting out of here, I promise.”
Don’t make promises you can’t keep, I wanted to say, but the door opened, and Braiden staggered into the room. A fresh layer of cuts and bruises coated his visible skin, and I gasped, bile rushing up my throat. “Oh, my god.”
He shook his head, trying to reassure me, but nothing would convince me he was all right as a stream of sticky crimson oozed from the gash above his eye.
“Time’s up, Donohue. Who’s it going to be? The friend or the girl?”
“Why are you doing this?” I shrilled.
“Me? I’m doing it for kicks, but the boss man has a pretty good reason, don’t you think?” Shaughnessy glanced over his shoulder. “If someone messed me up so bad I couldn’t walk again, I think I’d want sweet revenge too.”
I stifled a cry. This was too much. This wasn’t supposed to be happening.
“We haven’t got all day. Choose,” he barked, and Braiden looked from Jackson to me and back again.
“I’ll go,” Jackson said with eerie calm as he attempted to clamber to his feet.
“No. I won’t choose.” Braiden looked Shaughnessy straight in the eye and said, “I’d die before you lay a hand on either of them.”
The air left my lungs, and I slumped back against the wall. Surely, he didn’t mean ... I couldn’t think about it. Jackson had promised me we would get out of this, and I had to believe him.
“Fine. Have it your way.” Shaughnessy approached Braiden, and I wanted to yell at him to make a run for it. To do anything but stand there and let him manhandle him out of the room.
When my sore eyes met Jackson’s across the room, neither of us spoke. We didn’t need to. We both knew where this was headed.
Chapter 13
~ CARA ~
Time passed.
Seconds and minutes blurred together in an endless loop. Braiden didn’t come back. Neither did Cole or Shaughnessy. There was no sign of Max, the cops, or anyone who could help us. We were stuck here, and no one was coming to save us. Jackson and I stopped trying to reassure one another. He was lost in his own thoughts, probably regretting his decision ever to leave Ana and his unborn child to help Braiden. At least, she was safe and far away from this nightmare.
I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes when the door handle rattled. It swung open, and Jackson and I shifted. Cole Calder wheeled himself into the room as Shaughnessy dragged a limp Braiden behind him.
“Taking you was a mistake,” Cole said. “I wanted to believe he was the same—that he cared only about himself—but I see now that’s not the case. And you—” He turned to Jackson. “After everything he did to you, you would stand by his side?”
Jackson nodded. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Understand what? Loyalty? Brotherhood? Family? You forget who I am, where I come from. It was in the name of family that I ended up like this, was it not?”
Cole spoke with the poise of someone much older, and I couldn’t help but wonder how what Braiden had done to him changed him. Something like that stayed with you and ate away at your soul.
“A lot of time has passed, Cole.”
“Yet here I am still crippled.”
“He’s changed.”
“Can a leopard ever truly change its spots? Braiden might love her, he might care for the friend he once called brother, but when it comes down to it, would he really choose to sacrifice himself? In the name of what? Love? Braiden Donohue isn’t capable of love.”
Cole aimed the gun at Jackson and then slowly dragged it to me. “When faced with the choice, what will it be?”
Fear gripped my heart and the blood pumping through my veins turned to ice. Braiden’s eyes connected with mine, and in that split second, I saw everything he’d fought so hard to shelter me from.
Shame.
Guilt.
Self-loathing.
It was all there, immersed in pools of electric blue. But I also saw something else. Underneath all the hate, I saw Braiden’s vulnerability. His desire to be a better man—for me, for his friend. I wasn’t the one at the end of the gun, but it was as if our lives flashed before my eyes—or what could have been. A little boy with eyes the color of the sea, laughing as his father threw him in the air while I watched with a smile. A feeling of completeness settled over me, and then, as Braiden’s eyes shuttered, a stark sense of emptiness tore through me.
“It’s me you want. I plunged that knife into you. I can still remember the way it slid in like butter. I could have stopped myself, but I wanted to hurt you. I wanted you to know that I had the power to hurt you. That you could ne
ver touch me, but I could rip away everything from you.” Braiden shrugged out of Shaughnessy’s hold and started toward me as if it was some beautifully choreographed swansong.
The distraction worked, and Cole moved his focus off me and onto Braiden who came around and put himself in the middle of us. “Am I sorry you’re like this?” he said with conviction. “I’ll never forgive myself. But what’s done is done. You’ll never walk again, and I have to live with the knowledge that I caused that for the rest of my life.”
“You’d choose her? You’d die for her?”
“A thousand times over.”
“It doesn’t change anything. I should end her, make you live with the knowledge that you killed her. That is more than you deserve, yet I can’t seem to bring myself to do it. You do love her; I see it now. If I take her away from you, it will eat you alive. But it would be my own death sentence, wouldn’t it? You’d spend the rest of your days hunting me down. So there is only one choice ...”
“Noooo!” I screamed, lurching forward with the ferocity of my cry.
A gunshot rang out, reverberating around the room, and I crumpled to the cold floor, unable to open my eyes through the gush of tears. Unwilling to accept he was gone.
Braiden was gone.
My heart stopped and shattered into a thousand tiny shards, and I hugged myself tight, sobbing into the emptiness.
“Everyone okay?”
Voices barely filtered through my hysteria as pain splintered through me, filling every crack, and I fought for breath.
“Cara,” a deep voice said.
“No, no,” I cried, unsure of what was real anymore. Had I dreamed the whole thing? Was this a dream? I’d heard the shot. Braiden was gone. Killed out of revenge. An eye for an eye.
“Look at me, Cara.”
“No, I-I can’t. You’re not real. You’re … you’re gone; he took you.” A hand slid to my cheek, coaxing my face upward, and I found myself swimming in eyes the color of the sky on a summer’s day. “Is this real?”
