“Hello?” Courtney fumbled with the key to the penthouse, trying to jam it in the lock but missing on both attempts while Leyton chuckled from behind her.
Before she could unlock the door, it opened, and she came face-to-face with Max.
The voice on the phone sounded. “Courtney? It’s RT. We’ve got a problem.”
“And what? You need my help?” she asked, hating that she sounded a little perturbed.
Fact was, she was extremely pissed at RT and the rest of the Sniper 1 crew for the way they’d treated her. Although her reasons for not continuing to work for her father hadn’t been shared—at least not by her—she had still expected them to be a little more understanding, perhaps wanting to get her side of the story. Instead, they’d all jumped to their own conclusions, assuming she’d left because of Max.
“Yeah, we do. Considering who we’re dealin’ with.”
That captured Courtney’s interest, and she stopped, setting her purse down on the coffee table.
“Who is it?” she questioned RT.
“Angelica Winslow is missing.”
Courtney spun around and looked at Max, then Leyton. They were watching her curiously, but not saying a word.
“Angelica is missing? Did someone hire you to find her?”
“Her grandfather. He seems to think that Max had somethin’ to do with it, but he won’t say why,” RT explained.
“He’s not involved,” she assured him.
Max’s head tilted sideways, and Courtney covered the phone with her hand. “Artemis Winslow hired Sniper One to find his granddaughter. It seems she’s missing.”
Without a word, Max spun around, his attention on Leyton as they moved into the other room. “Do we still have eyes on Angelica?”
She couldn’t hear what Leyton was saying, so she turned her attention back to RT. “I’ll see what I can find out, but I’m tellin’ you, Max isn’t involved. He’s lookin’ into it now.”
“I hope you’re right about this, Court. Heads are gonna roll if he kidnapped the senator’s granddaughter.”
“Trust me,” she said through clenched teeth. “It wasn’t him.”
“I’ll be waitin’ for your call,” RT said and then disconnected the line.
When Max returned with Leyton in tow, Courtney asked the first thing that came to mind. “Do you think this has to do with Marcus Alvarez?”
Courtney had talked to Max about Angelica’s involvement with the South Texas drug cartel that’d sprouted sometime in the last decade. They were merely distributors for one of the Mexican cartels that routed drugs into Texas from Mexico, but were working to make a name for themselves. As it turned out, Angelica had been introduced to Marcus by chance, wound up screwing the guy only to realize how deep she’d gotten. By then it’d been too late. And that had been how she’d been turned on to Max, thanks to her manipulation of her grandfather.
“I doubt it,” Max said simply. “Doesn’t seem his style. She’s nothin’ in the grand scheme. To him, anyway. She believes she’s more than that, but I’ve talked to Alvarez. He agreed to let it go after I explained what she’d done to me.”
“Could he have lied to you?”
Max shared a look with Leyton and then shrugged.
“What does that mean?”
“Anything’s possible,” Max told her.
“Okay, if it’s not him, then any ideas who might have her?”
Max’s eyes narrowed. “My father.”
“What? Why?”
“Knowin’ him, he’s bringin’ you forward by drawin’ out your family.”
“Shit.” There was no way Courtney was going to allow that to happen. She would not let that crazy bastard hurt her family.
Grabbing her purse from the table, she made it three steps before Max pulled her up short. Leyton moved to stand in front of the door, as though he was going to keep her from leaving.
“No. You’re not goin’ after him,” Max ordered.
“He’s gonna kill my family, Max. I’m not just gonna sit back and watch it happen.”
“You won’t have to,” he informed her, but she didn’t like his tone. He was going to exclude her from the plan; she could feel it.
“I’m meeting with my father,” Max told her. “You’re gonna stay here with Leyton. I’ll take Rock with me.”
“No!” she exclaimed. “You’re not gonna kill him, Max.” Courtney still couldn’t wrap her mind around Max killing his own flesh and blood. No matter how ruthless the guy was.
Max gripped her arms, yanking her toward him, his face serious. “This isn’t open for discussion. Either you stay here with Leyton or I’ll tie you to the goddamn bed myself.”
Courtney glared at him, jerking out of his grasp. “Fuck you. I’m not some little girl you can order around, Max. I know what the fuck I’m doing.”
“And so do I,” Max told her.
Her stomach twisted when she thought about the night Max had been shot, the days she’d spent praying he’d wake up, the weeks of rehabilitation that had followed. She couldn’t do it again. She wouldn’t allow him to do this. Not for her.
“I can’t lose you,” she told him, her voice strained. “I’m not willin’ to risk it.”
“Nothin’s gonna happen to me,” he said, stepping closer, his hand sliding into his pocket. When he pulled out a ring, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
“You agreed to marry me, right?”
She couldn’t speak, the words dying in her throat as she took in the size of the rock. There was no way she could wear that thing.
Max obviously didn’t agree with her because he took her hand and slipped it onto her finger.
“I’m comin’ back to you, Courtney. I swear to you. You promised to marry me, and I’m gonna hold you to that.”
She shook her head. No matter what he said, no matter how much charm he oozed, she wasn’t going to let him do this alone.
Dropping her purse on the sofa, she grabbed her phone.
“Who’re you callin’?” he questioned.
“I need to call RT. The least I can do is send them somewhere else. I’ll tell ’em about Marcus. That’ll deter them for a bit.”
Max watched her skeptically. But then he slammed his mouth on hers in a kiss so hungry, so devastating it nearly knocked her off her feet. Unfortunately that didn’t last long. He pulled away and stormed out the door before she got a chance to catch her breath.
Or argue with him.
Chapter Fifty
Time to face the music.
“Keep her in there!” Max ordered Dane as he slipped into the elevator. “Leyton’s with her, but if she pulls one over on him, under no circumstance does she get out of this building. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Dane agreed, a confused expression on his face as the elevator doors closed between them.
Max grabbed his cell phone. By the time the doors opened on the first floor, he’d sent off a text to his brothers and sisters, instructing them to meet him at Samuel and Genevieve’s. As he was climbing into his Charger with Rock in the passenger seat, his phone rang. He quickly punched the talk button.
“What’s goin’ on?” Ashlynn asked. “And yes, before you grill me, I’m on my way now. But I want a heads up.”
Max proceeded to inform Ashlynn of the situation, and was, yes, met with the exact response he had expected from her.
“Get it done. I’m behind you all the way.”
With that, they disconnected.
Max had known he could rely on Ashlynn to have his back. As for the others, he wasn’t so sure.
“Care to share what’s goin’ on?” Rock inquired as they drove.
“Angelica’s missin’. If I’m right, my father has her.”
Rock frowned.
“What? What the hell is it?” Max questioned.
“I don’t know if that’s the case.”
Max waited for him to continue.
“Last night, Angelica attempted to get into the clu
b. Said she needed to talk to you. Somethin’ about a drug cartel or some shit. We sent her away, figured it was bullshit.”
“Fuck,” Max growled.
It was too late to turn back now. His brothers and sisters were already on the way, and he needed to address this issue with Samuel, anyway. Figuring he’d get this done and over with, he told Rock to contact Leyton.
By the time they pulled up to his parents’ house, it appeared everyone else had arrived. Rock didn’t allow Max out of the vehicle until they’d determined the coast was clear. With two of Ashlynn’s bodyguards standing outside the door, along with his own three-man team, two of which had been in the car behind them, Max made his way inside.
And prepared for the inevitable.
Chapter Fifty-One
The shit hits the fan. A lot of it, too.
Courtney hated herself for what she was about to do, but she had no choice.
Opening the front door, she saw Dane standing in the hall, his gaze sliding over to her, a frown replacing his neutral expression.
He glanced over her shoulder as if he expected Leyton to come out. She could’ve told him that Leyton was otherwise occupied, but what fun would that be? Knowing Leyton, he’d be able to get out of the closet she’d locked him in within minutes, which meant she had no time to waste.
“You know the boss’ll kill me if you leave that penthouse.”
Courtney smirked.
“Well…” She stepped into the hall, closing the door behind her.
When Dane turned her way, she pulled her gun, aiming it directly at him.
“I have somethin’ to handle. I know he gave you an order, but I’m not stayin’.”
“Goddammit, woman,” Dane grumbled. “Why the hell can’t you make it easy on me? Haven’t I been through enough shit lately?”
Courtney felt bad for him. He’d healed from Angelica’s vicious attack, but the scar that ran down his entire face was a brutal reminder of how things could go bad so easily. She had no intention of hurting him, but she would if he didn’t let her go.
With her gun aimed at him, she inched toward the elevator and punched the button to go down.
“I’m just gonna call Darius. He’ll stop you on the first floor,” Dane said with a resigned sigh.
She smiled at him and pulled her other hand from her pocket. “As much as I appreciate you lookin’ out for me, Max is more important.”
Dane’s eyes widened briefly.
And then she tased him. She didn’t use enough juice to do much damage but enough to take him to the ground. While he was still twitching, she hopped in the elevator and stabbed the button for the first floor. Slipping out of the building was simple, making it to her car equally so. Only when she was flooring it out of the parking garage did she dial Darius, informing him to check on Dane. And Leyton.
He cursed a blue streak when he realized what she’d done, but Courtney didn’t stay on the line long enough to hear the most creative words he came up with.
The next call she made was to Marcus Alvarez. She’d stolen his number from Angelica’s phone, in case she needed it in the future. And what do you know? It came in handy.
“Who the fuck is this?” the gruff voice sounded.
“Where is she?” Courtney demanded.
“Who the fuck you talkin’ about, chica?”
Courtney rolled her eyes. “Where’s Angelica Winslow?”
“Ahh, you’re lookin’ for the double-crossing puta.”
“Where is she, Marcus?”
“My guess is that hijo de puta loca has her. Loco bastardo.”
“Who?” she questioned, getting irritated with his rambling.
“Adorite.”
Fuck. Max had been right.
Hitting the button to end the call, she cursed.
Half an hour later, Courtney pulled into Samuel and Genevieve’s estate. Stopping the car abruptly at the gate, she hopped out quickly, making a big scene until the guard on duty came running out toward her. As soon as he was close enough, she disabled him, taking him to the ground and knocking him unconscious with a quick blow to the head. Hitting the button to open the gate, she was back in her car, speeding up the driveway.
The sheer number of cars parked in front of the house wasn’t surprising. If Max was willing to take out his own father, he’d give his brothers and sisters a warning beforehand. Sad part was, she didn’t think any of them would care, because their loyalties—from what she’d seen over the last two years—weren’t to their parents but to one another.
Peering around, she was surprised to see that there wasn’t any security outside. She doubted the same could be said if she were to simply walk in unannounced, so she figured coming in from the back would be a better idea. Slipping around to the side of the house, she peeked in what windows she could, not seeing anyone.
By the time she reached the back of the house, she could hear muffled voices. Based on the volume, there was quite a bit of heated conversation taking place inside.
Within a minute, she was inside the house, shaking her head at the security measures in place. The sliding glass door at the back had been left unlocked, making it incredibly easy to get inside.
She remained close to the wall, peeking around corners, looking for the bodyguards, but saw none. And when she slipped into the hallway that led to the main family room, she understood why.
“Talk!” Max yelled.
“Nothin’ to talk about,” Samuel retorted casually, although his wide eyes said he wasn’t as calm on the inside as he was attempting to project. “As far as I’m concerned, you’ve got two choices.”
Courtney crept closer, glancing into the room to see Samuel standing behind a chair while holding a gun on Angelica, pressing it against her temple. Circling them was Aidan, Brent, Victor, Ashlynn, Madison, Max, and Rock.
Damn. Maybe she should’ve brought Leyton. He’d likely know exactly what to do.
Knowing there was no time to think about that, she focused her attention on where everyone was in the room.
It seemed the only two people talking were Max and his father. The only person wielding a gun was Samuel. At least from what she could tell from her vantage point.
“And they would be…?” Max probed.
“Own up to your mistake, son. I’ll take out Courtney, and we can all move on with our lives.”
“Or…?”
“The hit stands, and she’ll need to watch her back because she will die. One way or the other. Either way, this one”—Samuel nudged Angelica’s head with the gun—“needs to die. She knows too much.”
“There is no hit,” Max declared loudly. “You were set up, old man. I knew what you were plannin’. And Ace… He’s one of mine. So your plan has a few holes in it.”
Courtney kept quiet, focusing on her breathing despite the anger that soared through her. It was hard to believe this man could be so cold as to kill her because her father had wanted to reassure himself that Genevieve was all right. It’d been a stupid move on Casper’s part, sure, but killing someone in the name of revenge just didn’t make sense. What would it benefit? With her out of the picture, Casper—as well as her own brothers—would merely go to the ends of the earth hunting him down.
There was a crash at the front of the house, but Courtney couldn’t see what it was.
“Does it?” Samuel asked, laughing mockingly.
Courtney’s heart leaped into her throat when she saw Casper, RT, Trace, and Conner step into the room, guns blazing.
“Son of a bitch,” Max ground out.
Samuel shifted, retrieving another gun and aiming it directly at her father.
“Put it down,” Max demanded, rage unlike anything she’d ever witnessed reverberating from those three words.
“Or what? You actually give a shit about this bitch?” Samuel scolded. “She tried to kill you.” Samuel nodded toward Casper. “And him? He’s too fuckin’ nosey for his own good. Thought he could best me by sendin’ his only daughter
in to infiltrate my world. To save my wife.” The crazy laugh that followed had the hair on the back of Courtney’s neck standing on end.
As silently as she could, Courtney unlatched the safety on her gun, keeping it trained on Samuel. She wouldn’t get a kill shot from where she stood, but it’d do enough damage to take Samuel down.
Angelica was shaking like a leaf, her chest heaving, tears streaming down her face, and yet Courtney couldn’t muster an ounce of fucking sympathy for her. She’d shot Max. Twice. Tried to kill him, and now that the tables were turned, she couldn’t handle the pressure.
The bitch never would’ve lasted in Max’s world.
As Courtney shifted, attempting to get a better bead on Samuel, she wondered when she’d become one of them. Sure, she knew she’d been dangling over the edge for a while now, but she didn’t remember falling. That moment—when she’d decided that not all lives were worth saving—had apparently come and gone. Clearly, she’d moved on, accepted the fact that sometimes people couldn’t be saved.
Damn it!
Leyton came scrambling through the front door, his eyes wide as he glanced from one person to another. RT turned, pointing his gun at Leyton while Casper and Trace remained focused on Samuel, Conner keeping his attention on Max.
“Put the gun down,” Casper bellowed at Samuel, his voice deep and authoritative. “Hand over the girl, and we’ll leave you to handle your own family shit.”
“Is that right?” Samuel snarled. “Now you’re willin’ to back out of my life? To stop snoopin’? Why’s that? Why the fucking change of heart, Kogan?”
“Where’s Courtney?” Max demanded, glaring at Leyton.
“She got away from me,” Leyton said, his gun aimed directly at RT.
It was a standoff.
Courtney knew the shit was about to hit the fan, but barging in would likely cause someone to get shot, and she couldn’t bear the thought of any one of these people going down for her. And Max would likely go crazy not knowing where she was, so she decided to chance it.
“Hand her over,” Courtney called out, stepping out into the open. “Hand her over and you can have me. That’s what you want, right?”
Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1) Page 30
