by Nicole Fox
I took a deep breath, fidgeting on the couch under Virgil’ gaze. “What does this have to do with me? I’d rather just leave.”
“I think you know Colton better than you say you do. I think you can convince him to meet with us. If he becomes leader of the Horns, Colton will have Shadow Cave’s full support and peace treaties, better than even Lyman has them now. Mostly because we don’t trust this Lyman with his wild ideas and power grabbing.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, holding them tightly to try and hide their shaking. “And so what? What makes you think a big tough guy would listen to someone like me anyway? I don’t think anyone cares for my opinion; this Colton guy won’t be any different.”
“I don’t believe that. You were in his home, protecting his child.”
I took a deep breath to refute him before pausing. No, he’s right. I want this to end as much as anyone does. Colton, I believe, doesn’t want this cartel thing to happen either. And if he had a say, I think Dean would also fight against this drug running thing. It’s dangerous, and it will hurt the neighborhood. Virgil, even if he is the leader of a club, seems to be in the right, at least this once.
Uncurling from the couch, I leaned toward him. “No matter what you think, Colton doesn’t listen to me.” Dean blinked up at me, his chocolate eyes confused. I smiled down at him. “I just watch his son sometimes. There’s no point in lying if you already know; Colton pays me to watch Dean. We slept together, once, but he hasn’t claimed me as a part of the Horns. But if you let me go, I will do my best to convince him to come meet with you. This seems too important to not try.”
I had a flashback to negotiations classes I’d taken in preparation for becoming a business owner. Tell them your end of the bargain, then wait them out. Most people hate silence. So I tried it out. It felt odd to sit in silence when Virgil was obviously waiting for me to continue.
Dean made a noise in the back of his throat.
“Ms. Marion. I don’t think we can let you go. I’ll make a bet with you, however. If Colton comes in here and doesn’t even attempt to rescue you, you’ll win the bet and I’ll send you on your way. I just never want to see you again in my town. If he does try to rescue you, however, I will win the bet, and you will convince him to meet with me. And we can both continue to live here, happily ever after.” He was grinning again, and I didn’t like the look of that smile one bit.
I thought through what he said. “Either way, you’ll let me out of here? Alive?”
“Either way, I will let you out of here alive,” he repeated.
There had to be a trick in there somewhere. Something I was missing that would cause me no end of trouble later. “And you won’t come after me?”
Virgil’ face didn’t change a bit. “I will only come after you if I win and you don’t convince Colton to meet with me.”
I gulped audibly, my mouth suddenly as dry as cotton. “Do I have a choice here?”
Virgil pressed his lips together and shook his head. I ran my eyes over that stoic face, the empty black eyes, up to the buzz cut black hair and back down. He didn’t seem to be trying to trick me, but he seemed like he would have no trouble lying to anyone. It was that emotionless expression, the precision placement of every muscle in his face.
But if there was a loophole somewhere, I could not see it.
“Alright, Mr. Virgil. We have ourselves a deal.” I held out my hand and he shook it, much to Dean’s obvious dismay.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Colton
Pushing my way into the Carrion’s building, I stopped in the doorway to let my eyes adjust a bit to the sudden brightness. There were two men waiting for me in the front entrance.
“Where is my son?” I asked, my voice icy and calm.
The two men said nothing. Instead, they just blinked at me like they hadn’t understood my words. Rage filled up my chest, pressing against my bones until they creaked. “I said where is my son?”
“Stop it, you big fat, stupid jerk!” It was Dean’s voice. Before I could stop myself, I was running for him, my legs pumping like mad to reach him. One of the Carrion men had my boy by the arms, dragging him away from me. I don’t think so! I slammed into him at full speed, my eyes wild. The man holding him collapsed to the ground, out cold.
There were shouts, then the sound of something crashing to the ground. Apparently, my men decided not to wait for me to cause a scene; they made one themselves instead. Tank probably heard Dean screaming and couldn’t stay out there anymore. Someone else spilled out of an open doorway, and I slammed my hand into his nose with a sickening crunch that echoed through the mostly empty building.
Tank was there, shouting orders. “Try not to kill anyone, men; we’re not trying to start a war with the Shadows.” As usual, Tank was thinking more clearly than I was. If what they say is true, and I end up with the Horns, I would want Tank as my second, I think. I shook that thought away; this was no time to get caught up in daydreams of the future.
I glanced around for Dean, but he’d disappeared somewhere in the chaos. He was probably hiding under something, trying to stay out of the way. “Where are you, Dean?” I called, my voice ragged and raw.
“Here, Dad!” I ran around the corner towards his voice. He was hiding under a table, waiting out the fallout of whatever mess his dad had gotten him into. Although he was a pain in my ass, the kid did well in a bad situation. I had to give him that. Another of the thugs came around the corner, slamming hard into my shoulder. Ignoring the pain, I pushed back, sending him tumbling to the ground.
I wanted to murder all of them. If it wasn’t for the tiny voice in the back of my head that screamed about not starting a turf war with the Carrion, especially at this vulnerable transition time with the cartel, I probably would have.
But my rage was growing steadily inside of me. Where the hell was Marion?
“I tried to save us; I did,” Dean said from his hiding place under the table. “But Marion wouldn’t let me use the gun. She took it away from me as the men broke into our place.”
I growled. Of course she did. That woman had no sense and no spine. Why did I want so badly to find her? She was a liability; it was best to leave her here. Let Virgil have her. But that thought only made the rage worse.
“Where is she, Dean? The sounds of fighting spilled in from behind me; I could hear Tank’s voice over the din. We had to hurry. But I couldn’t leave without Marion…
“She’s in his office, back here. Are we going to help her, too?”
“Yes, but only if you keep your mouth shut.” I followed his lead, hoping my men weren’t too close behind.
And suddenly, there she was. Seeing Marion was like being hit by a ton of bricks. How had I forgotten how fucking hot she was? How could I have forgotten the gravity, the pull of her body to mine, like magnets? She stood just on the other side of the glass, her whole body as tense as piano wire.
She stood there, shivering, her hands and wrists wrapped in bandages. She looked shocked, tired, and worn out. But somehow, Marion was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I stared at her, filling my eyes with the sight of her. The rage cooled ever so slightly in my chest, replaced by yearning like I’d never felt.
My Marion.
She was mine.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Marion
If Virgil was just going to kill me anyway, he would have done it by now. He wouldn’t have bothered to keep me around this long if he just meant to get rid of me. I stood in his office, watching as he paced back and forth. What is he waiting for? Colton to come in here and sweep me off my feet?
As welcome of a sight as that would be right now, I doubted it was coming. Colton would come, save his son, then leave without even a glance in my direction.
Virgil must actually think I’m worth something. But that thought didn’t stop the rise of panic in my belly. My stomach was still twisted in knots as we waited.
I leaned back against the heavy, wooden desk
in his office, trying to watch him without being really obvious about it. Not that I should have worried; he seemed to be so caught up in his thoughts that I could stare at him openly without him noticing.
He was pacing like a caged animal, his face still a careful neutral. I wondered what sorts of emotions were bubbling up under that stoic exterior. If I was him, I would be scared too; this cartel nonsense is no joke. The whole town would be wrecked from the fighting. And lots of people were going to suffer.
I hated this Lyman guy. I wished Colton and the other people at the Horns would just kick him out. If everyone refused to follow him, then he wouldn’t be in charge anymore. I couldn’t believe anyone inside the Horns would go along with this plan, no matter how selfish or stupid.
We waited for what seemed like an eternity in Virgil’ office. I studied the inside of the office over and over again, counting tiles and drawers and other odds and ends. It wasn’t a large office, but it was filled with boxes and glass cases filled with all sorts of objects. Virgil seemed to be a collector of all sorts of junk, from baseball cards to sports rings and other assorted sports memorabilia. It covered his office from top to bottom. Every sport seemed to be on display from signed hockey pucks to what looked like a Super Bowl ring, He even had some signed baseball cards from people even I recognized; I wondered how much these things were worth.
Noise filtered through the closed door, coming from the hallway outside. It must have been loud to get through his bullet-proof, inches thick glass window and these walls built like a bank vault. I was pretty sure this place could burn to the ground, and Virgil’ memorabilia would survive just fine.
Virgil didn’t react to the noises at all, so I ignored them too.
“Have you ever had any dealings with Cara Gonzalez?” I asked, studying the bandages on my hands. She’d been the voice of the cartel in the Horns. I’d only met her the once, but I didn’t like her. I don’t think Colton or Dean liked her either.
Virgil whipped his head around to look at me, something startled in his black eyes. “What name did you say?” His accent was heavier when he was surprised like he had to work to keep it contained.
I suddenly regretted opening my mouth. “She was the cartel’s in-between with the Horns. I was just wondering where she came from, and how she ended up targeting Lyman for the move in.” I had a million other questions, too. Like why did they want our town so badly? It’s not like we were particularly rich or well-positioned. I just wondered at the cartel’s motivation. But Virgil’ expression gave me pause. I wasn’t sure I wanted to ask any more questions about her.
I didn’t want to think about anything that scared Virgil Ulrich.
“Well, señora, you have my attention, if that is what you were after.” Virgil stalked around the desk, coming to a halt a little too close to me for comfort. But I couldn’t back down. My life might depend on it.
“It wasn’t. I was just curious. What is Cara to you?”
“Nothing at all.”
But he was lying. I could feel it, see it in the way the skin crinkled around his eyes. But it’s not like I could call him out on it. I might have found some courage deep in me, but not enough for something like that.
The noise outside escalated to new heights, but Virgil still didn’t seem to mind. He stared at the wall of his office, still pacing. I wanted to ask him what was going on, but I couldn’t seem to find my voice.
Virgil came closer again, his eyes roaming my face. “What do you think of the deal with the devil that Lyman made?”
I frowned, folding my arms over my chest to hold myself together. “I told Colton it was a bad idea. I told him he was a fool for letting Lyman order him around when the situation was so dire.” I glanced up into Virgil’ face. For the first time, his face was wide open. It held a hint of curiosity, worry, and something suspiciously like hope. He patted my arm gently, like that was supposed to cheer me up somehow. Needless to say, it didn’t make me feel any better.
I really hope he’s not pinning all of his hopes on me talking Colton into anything. I winced away from the thought. I’d tried my hardest not to think of how little Colton thought of me, but Virgil seemed to be really good at rubbing it in my face without meaning to. I just wanted to get out of this and get out of here.
Colton wouldn’t come for me anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Colton
I watched in horror through the window as Virgil reached up and brushed the skin of Marion’s arm with gentle fingers. My chest seemed to fill up with ice, dousing the rage that had lived there for so long. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think.
I had to get out of there.
Grabbing Dean by the shirt, I dragged him down the hallway, heading for the noise that Tank and his crew were making. In my absence, they had knocked over some things, kicked the shit out of everyone they came across, and even set a few fires.
As soon as I came into view, they turned toward the exit, Tank holding everyone off with an Uzi he’d picked up from somewhere. I frowned, calling everyone to move out. A few half-hearted Carrion members followed us, but none of them followed outside.
It felt almost like everything inside of that building had been staged, and I was one puppet among many. The way the Carrion fought back was halfhearted at best, cowardly at worst. They had let us trash the place. But that couldn’t be right, could it?
My mind flashed back to that scene at Virgil’ office. She was standing too close to him, Virgil’ hands on her arms. They were too close. What did it mean?
It means she traded you in for a club leader the moment she had the opportunity. I wanted to be angry. I wanted to feel the fiery rage burn through every other emotion boiling up inside me. But the rage was gone.
It was replaced by a black hole. An emptiness like I’d never felt in my life.
Tank looked around as we drove away from the Shadow Cave’s house, his eyes a little too wide in his face. “Where is Marion?”
“Not here,” I answered, shortly. Some of the men exchanged wary glances. Dean looked pale and worried, but that didn’t matter. Marion no longer existed as far as I was concerned. And I refused to look back.
The ride back to the Heaven’s Horns was quiet. We came back into the clubhouse, which was under repair. The loud, thunderous noises of construction filled the night, echoing off of the high metal ceilings and big empty rooms.
Cara was right in the middle of it all, directing traffic. Just because her money went to fix it up didn’t give her the right to play director, but I was too tired to start a fight with her.
“You look a little worse for wear,” she said when she noticed us.
“I was worried about my son,” I snapped, unwilling to put up with Cara’s shit. She was wearing some ridiculous, skin tight dress made of some kind of pink, stretchy fabric. Her breasts hung out of her dress, a detail she wouldn’t let go unnoticed. But she looked like a pale shadow of Marion. Marion had class, and she was way prettier than Cara. Besides, I wasn’t a huge fan of blondes.
“Sounds like you could use a little TLC,” she purred.
I made a face, trying not to growl at her. “I sure could, but not from you.”
Tank coughed to cover his laugh.
I ignored him. “Where is Lyman?”
Jade popped up from around the corner, a big smile on her pretty face. Now here was a sight for sore eyes. “He’s sleeping, I think. Went home to get away from the construction noise. Not that I can blame him. I’d like to get away from it myself.” She glanced around, narrowing her eyes at me. I winced, sensing the coming question before it even left her lips. “Where is Marion?”
“Marion isn’t here,” I answered. Dean squeezed my hand a little harder, still unwilling to let go after his scare. Not that I could blame him.
I glanced down at him, wondering what was making him make that face. “What’s wrong, Dean? You hungry or something?”
“No, but…” He paused for a second like he was trying to
remember the right words to say. “I want to tell you something alone if that’s okay.”
“Can it wait?” I was exhausted. And I needed to find a quiet corner inside of the Horns to sleep if that was even possible. Well, maybe Tank will let us crash with him. I certainly can’t go back to my place.
Dean shook his head. “It’s really important.”
Sighing, I rubbed my face with my free hand. “Alright, alright. Come on.”
Jade, Dean, and I found a corner of the Horns that was relatively unscathed, pulling up a few folding chairs so I could sit down. I felt a little better once I was sitting. My eyes felt heavy, and my chest felt like a frozen lake. I didn’t want to think about what I’d left Marion behind to. I didn’t want to think about her at all.
