I couldn’t handle it. I slammed my knuckles against his face, the crack that sent his head backwards was only partially satisfying – if I’m being honest.
Maria slid from the counter and dropped to her knees. I had no idea what she was doing, but as long as she stayed out of the way, she could run away for all I cared. “You killed my father? Brock’s dad? You killed Gunner’s dad? What kind of an asshole are you?” I stalked toward him, my steps slow and measured.
Dominick’s eyes widened and he half-bent, pulling his pants up to secure at his waist while he spoke fast. “Stryker, that was…” He blinked, and settled his expression in one of confidence that had no foundation for support. “Your dad was a weakling. He only cared about helping others. He didn’t care about what his skills and talents could get him or this family.”
I cocked my head, advancing further into the kitchen area as he backed up.
He reached to the small of his back, probably for his gun, the one I’d heard clink to the ground a few moments before. His eyebrows drew together as he patted the area at his back, first with one hand and then with both. His confidence quickly shifted to consternation and confusion.
A slow grin crept across my lips. “You don’t have your bodyguard in here. You don’t have a gun. Does this mean I get to actually kick your ass on my terms?” I cracked my knuckles in front of me and tucked my chin.
Fear edged across Dominick’s features. He held up both hands in front of his chest. “Now, wait a minute, Stryker. We can talk about this.” The weasel didn’t understand that you paid for your choices, no matter what they were or at what time of life. You always eventually had to pay for your decisions.
I pulled back and cranked a right hook into Dominick’s stomach. He reached out, wrapping his arms around my neck and pulling me down into more of a wrestling-style stance.
I remembered he once told Brock that boxing was for pussies because the fighters were just poking at each other. Wrestling or mixed martial arts was where Dominick thought he would excel at. He’d always made fun of us for only knowing how to box.
He didn’t realize that we knew how to grapple, too, they just didn’t have controlled high school grappling teams in north Idaho. They barely had boxing teams.
I wrapped my arm around the bend in his knee and crouched in a squat before lifting with my legs and tumbling him to the ground. His head cracked as it hit the ground and we both exhaled on an oomph.
Dominick wiggled, moving and squirming like he thought he knew what he was doing, but he’d never been against anyone with strength, speed, or fitness on their side – if he’d been against anyone in reality before. Dominick was a coward that used others to do his dirty work. He’d already confessed to being that way with my dad and uncles.
I grunted as I reached up and wrapped my hands around Dominick’s neck.
And started to squeeze.
And squeeze.
I relished the sensation of my fingers digging into the flesh and tendons lining his neck. The gurgling as he struggled against my hold.
A shot rang out, echoing off the tile and stainless steel.
I relaxed my grip around his neck and slowly backed away from his body. I could have killed him. I still could. His death would be an offering to the world in a small move to remove a blight in society.
I rolled to my back and then sat up, moving to a standing position as I faced Maria, standing there with a gun trained on the two of us. Holding my hands at chest level, I stayed where I was and didn’t move.
How much time had I wasted coming into the kitchen area and pummeling my uncle? Gray deserved more than that. I’d been in there trying to get personal revenge over men who were already dead when I was supposed to be trying to save Sara and Letesha’s family.
I blinked, regret pooling in my chest.
Even after being partially screwed on the counter and crawling around on the ground and who knew what else that day, Maria had more of an air of being put-together I’d never seen before. Her makeup was carefully applied while her hair seemed to be made of fine silk and not out of place.
Dominick scrabbled up behind me, laughing as he straightened his button-up shirt and smoothed his open hands over his hair. “Ah, yes, my sweet. Good girl. Give me the gun.” He moved forward, holding out a hand. His features molded in a look of tolerance and relief.
“Don’t move.” Maria shot the gun off to the side of him and Dominick stopped, his hands slowly moving to chest level, palms out like mine.
“I’m going to pretend you’re scared right now and not hold this against you, but only if you give me the gun right now.” Dominick narrowed his eyes. “But if you don’t do what I say, you’re going to pay for this with your flesh.”
Maria’s eyes flashed and she held the gun trained on my uncle. “You’re going to finally shut up, Dick. I’ve been listening to you for long enough. You’re not my master and I don’t care what you want. I want my daughter. I want my sister and I want you to die.” The spark that I recognized in Gray finally showed up in Maria and I could see how much she’d smothered since she’d been with Dominick.
The stainless-steel door opened, Maria was back just enough that the doorway was within her range and she didn’t have to turn around.
Demetri walked through; his brow furrowed. “What are you doing, my love?” He studied her and then glanced at Dominick’s vulnerable position. Turning back to Maria, Demetri shook his head. “You can’t get away with this. You know the Romanovs and Dominick have an arrangement.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Demetri. Shut up.” She retrained the gun on Demetri and pulled the trigger. The bullet got him to the side of the head and I turned my face to the side as flecks of blood and whatever else I didn’t want to identify splattered on the wall behind Demetri but also ricocheted into the air around Dominick and me.
“His love? Were you screwing him, too?” Dominick’s face turned an even ruddier red. He could rape anyone, have anyone, why had he fixated on Maria? Not that I was all that surprised.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Gray. Hadn’t she captivated me completely? Hadn’t I lost my very mind when I’d thought my own cousin had his eyes on her? Or his hands? Was it so hard to believe that her mother had a similar appeal?
“I screwed anyone I could in an attempt to get some kind of loyalty away from you. I did things… no one should have to do.” Maria’s voice dropped to a more conversational level as she held the gun on us. Probably more on my uncle, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
If Demetri had come back, then the fight must have been over. We were out of time and I had no idea where Brock had gone, if Demetri had gotten there without a warning from my cousin. What had Gunner found out?
Had Alex gone and done something that needed to be figured out?
“What do you want, Maria? Women always want something. Do you want jewelry? Money? What?” Dominick sounded almost bored, but I knew that couldn’t be true. The one thing Dominick valued above all else was his own life. He was a true coward and he’d do whatever it took to preserve himself.
Maria shook her head, her hand steady. “I want my sister. You’ve had Danielle long enough. I want her back. Now.”
Dominick stared at Maria, as if frozen in space and time while he considered what she said. “You want Danielle? She’ll never go with you. She’s mine.” He didn’t say it passionately or like he even cared that much. More like the mention of Danielle was enough to bore him to sleep. “You’re seriously here because of her? She’s… nothing like you, Maria. I could have made you happy.”
“As your slave. You only wanted me so you could rape me over and over. I’ve been working the last six months on getting clean. You can’t even control me with your drugs anymore. You lose, Dominick. Do you understand?” She arched a carefully maintained eyebrow and the lines of her lips slid into a well-satisfied smile.
His jaw clenched and he shook his head. “I don’t lose. You’re going to regret this little gam
e you’ve started. Because when I get my gun back, I’m going to rape you with it. Are we clear? I’ve been so nice to you and all you can do is whine. Well…” He smirked, folding his arms across his chest. “You’ll soon see just how much restraint I’ve practiced around you.”
Maria’s chest rose and fell and she narrowed her eyes, taking one step forward. “Dominick, I won’t ask again.”
She left little doubt as to just how much she wanted to shoot him with her hand shaking and her eyes promising retribution for the things he’d done to her.
I could only imagine what things she’d been subjected. She’d done things, supposedly willingly, to get to a position of power and trust with my uncle. So much so, she’d screwed his bodyguard behind his back. There was a certain poetic justice in the things she’d done to him already, except for the fact that she’d been the one to have to give herself every time.
Dominick stared at Maria and I wasn’t sure what kind of emotions flitted across his face. He was nothing to me. Not anymore and I think he was slowly grasping that things had spiraled out of his control when he’d started this whole crusade to take on Gray and his nephews.
Dominick looked at me, knitting his eyebrows together above the bridge of his nose. “You can do something about this, Stryker. You could rush her, and she’d drop the gun and we could get out of here and rule Jameson together. We could have some real power. I have something in the works with the Romanovs.” His promises fell flat since they were nothing that I wanted.
I shook my head and sidled toward the door, keeping my eyes on Dominick so as not to scare or threaten Maria. “Sorry, uncle. I’m not interested in the same things you are. I don’t like when people hurt or lose. I want everyone to have a chance.” I shrugged, because it was the truth and I didn’t care what he thought.
Fury twisted his features and his skin shifted through three or four different shades of red. “You pathetic little shit. You sound just like your father. He was weak, too. All of them were. I was the only one willing to do what it took to turn this town around.”
Maria stepped forward slapping the muzzle of the gun across Dominick’s face. She fell back into a defensive stance, holding the gun in both hands as Dominick blinked in surprise and turned back to face her.
His flush faded and he blinked at her. “You’re going to pay for that, you little bitch.”
“Probably. I have a lot I’m going to pay for. You don’t get to decide what that is.” Maria wasn’t impassioned or anywhere near chaotic. Her control was absolute. “One more time, since you seem to be having a hard time focusing. Where’s Danielle?”
Dominick stared at her, the red line from the gun stark against the pallor of his skin.
What was I supposed to do? Did Maria think of me as someone working with Dominick? Or did she know I was just as much a pawn in his games as she was?
“Hopefully, she’s killing your daughter right now. Since Danielle does as she’s told, that’s probably exactly what she’s doing. There’s not a lot you can do about that, now is there.” He didn’t ask it, but instead gleefully taunted Maria with the promise of a familial death.
“Let’s see what we can do to change that.” Maria grinned, jerking the nose of the gun toward the kitchen door and motioned for Dominick to step around Demetri. She didn’t even glance down to see if Demetri had survived the shot.
I don’t think she cared.
Dominick inclined his head and did as instructed. One way or the other, I hoped Gunner had been able to follow Asher and find something out on that end.
I had no idea what we would find when we actually located Danielle and Gray. Gray had better be alive and well for everyone’s sake.
I wasn’t going to tolerate anything less.
Even if I had to kill Maria myself.
Chapter 19
Gray
If Vlasi Ivanovs had helped Stryker before, maybe he would help him again. I had nothing to hold onto but straws.
I’d take anything at that point.
Danielle pushed her lackluster brown hair behind her ear and shoulder. There was something about my aunt that was almost like she was a shadow version of my mom. Mom’s vibrancy was reflected in Danielle but muted by softer features, a weaker chin, paler coloring, and flatter tones.
Her anger though had a life of its own, giving her flare and a zest she wouldn’t otherwise have. The bright color in her cheeks brought out the blue in her eyes. Blue that matched my own and my mothers.
“Why do you hate me so much?” I couldn’t help the question from slipping from my lips. The question was one I’d always wondered, even when I was little. Aunt Danielle would show up to visit and wiggle her fingers in hello as she passed through the living room or the yard to get to my mom.
I’d never thought she’d be looking for my dad.
“Hate you? Honey, you don’t matter enough for me to hate you.” Danielle smirked, shaking her head as she shifted her weight to her hip and stared at me with more confidence than normal people had.
“You put a lot of effort into having me at Jameson, though. All of that for me? Or was it to have Dad closer to you? I’m just confused on what the motivation was behind that. Do you love my dad that much?” I moved closer to her, moving to the side and pulling her attention tighter on me and away from Letesha and her siblings.
Danielle snorted as she laughed. “Love your dad? Oh, hell no. That’s so gross. I sleep with him because Dominick wants me to. Trust me, your dad is not the type of guy a woman wants. He’s weak.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes and she lowered the gun just a few more inches and leaned forward, whispering to me like we were girlfriends trying not to get caught talking during a test. “You’ve had the opportunity to be around Dominick. He’s what women want. He’s… powerful, strong, demanding – everything you could possibly want.”
A sneaker squeaked on the tile behind me and I knew that was the signal I’d needed. They were ready, whether I was or not.
Danielle shifted her gaze past my shoulder. I leaped forward, pushing the hand with the gun in it toward the ground as I launched myself onto her chest.
We connected with an oomph. Danielle collapsed to the floor with my weight pulling her down. She clawed for a handhold around my neck and my shoulder in an attempt to get me off her. We wrestled side to side. I had an advantage in that I knew how to fight, but she was feisty. She brought her knee up, catching me in the ribs. I grunted, rolling to the side and elbowing her in the temple.
The sound of feet pattering on the tile and then the door opening and closing behind us gave me a level of bravery I wasn’t sure I’d ever have again. I held onto the glimmer that Letesha would go for help. Vlasi could come and save us. Do something to help us. We all just needed help from people who weren’t dirty cops, feuding Russians, and traitorous Timbercreek residents.
I yanked on Danielle’s arm, pulling her forward to get my leg wrapped around her knee.
Her shirt slipped down her shoulder and I stopped my struggles at the sight of long jagged scars stretching down beneath the collar.
The gun had clattered to the side, but I ignored it. I moved to my knees while Danielle seemed hellbent on hiding her back from my sight.
“What the hell is that?” I pointed at her shoulder, my breathing coming in shocked gasps as I blinked at her. “Damn it, Danielle. Show me what the hell is on your back.” I didn’t need to even see all the way between her shoulder blades. The sleeve she wore slid up, revealing similar scars on her biceps and forearms.
Danielle recoiled for a brief moment and then seemed to grow courageous as she lifted her chin and dove to the side on the tile. She grabbed up the gun and I realized my mistake. I could have gained the upper hand. Instead, I’d become fixated on something I’d never seen before, something she’d hidden well.
I ignored the gun in her hands and shook my head. “Who did that to your back? Your precious Hunter?”
Danielle’s face paled. She shook her head, moving the
gun in the air between us. “No. Hunter… He loved me but not like a man. Dominick trained me. I can handle real love.” But there was something wrong in her eyes, like maybe she doubted the pain associated with the way Dominick had “loved” her.
I shook my head, folding my arms against the chill her words and empty eyes gave me. That anyone thought pain was a way to share love astounded me. I never wanted to hurt Stryker.
But did that mean I loved him? I wasn’t sure. I had never been in love before. Thinking about being in love and possibly losing that future left me sick.
I cleared my throat, trying to get rid of the sudden tightness restricting my normal breathing. “Why are you alone? You’re trusted so much by Dominick now, you get to do whatever you want?”
Humor lifted the corners of Danielle’s mouth as she studied me. After a second, she jerked the muzzle of her gun toward the showers. “I’m not alone. Go see.”
Who would I find? She wasn’t alone? None of that made sense. We were completely alone. Letesha and her siblings had made it out.
Danielle stood behind me, not moving forward, just holding the gun trained on me, her guard up after I’d used my only chance to attack her. And lost it.
My bare feet didn’t make any sound as I put one foot in front of the other, moving slowly toward the opening between the shower partition and the wall housing lockers.
I could feel the lines between the tiles under my skin. I moved closer and closer. Who could she possibly have there that would let us fight and not step in? Dominick? Was he there, hiding and waiting to ambush me? Or maybe Blaze hid there, desperate to have a moment to teach me a lesson.
My pulse raced, but I continued moving forward. Pausing at the threshold I’d already crossed more than once that day, I blinked at the empty shower stalls staring back at me. Looking to my left, I took in the silence that seemed to echo against the tiles. A soft plop of water from a shower head could have been a thunderstorm as it fell to the drain five feet below.
“Is this a joke? There’s no one here.” Was I there to be killed in the showers? Easier cleanup or something?
Her Champions: A high school bully romance (Bad Boys of Jameson High Book 3) Page 16
