“They wanted this done off the record, with no trace back to them, because the head of Homeland and the head of VERO are both on the board of the private company who sold the weapons to terrorists.”
“Oh my God.” The words slip from my mouth. “This is so fucked up.”
Sinner barks out a laugh. “For once, we agree on something.”
“How did my father end up with those files?” I wonder if he knew what was on them. If that’s why he hid them. Why he didn’t tell anyone. And fuck. Does Diesel know about his boss? Is this what’s happening here? Is he trying to protect him? My mind churns with endless possibilities.
“We were supposed to hand over the files after we stole them, but I didn’t trust Randall not to screw us over. The deal was we would have protection for life. That any and all future charges would be buried. We would be free to build our empire with police protection and support at the highest level, but I only had his word for it. My plan was to hold the files ransom until the deal was put in writing.” He slams his bottle down on the table. “Then Trey fucking Westbrook stole them from us, and everything turned to shit.”
“Who’s Randall?” Galen asks.
“The head of VERO,” Sinner confirms.
My brows pucker. “I thought you said you were hired by Homeland?”
“We were, but it was via Randall, because VERO does this kind of shit for the government and private corporations all the time. Randall was the one who reached out to me.”
“What happened after my dad stole the files?”
“We didn’t know who had taken them although, after Homeland had Trey murdered, I suspected it was him.”
“That’s why you wanted me back,” Mom says. “So you could find those files before Homeland did.”
Sinner nods, smirking. “Making you pay for leaving me was an added bonus.”
“I fucking hate you,” Mom snaps.
He slaps her, and I’m losing control of the tenuous hold on my emotions. “Not as much as I hate you.” He rips the front of her dress, exposing the swells of her breasts to the carnivores in the room.
I’ve no doubt, when story time is over, he fully intends on starting the orgy part of the night. I’ve zero plans to participate, and hell will freeze over before I let them touch Mom or Alisha or any of those girls trapped underneath this room.
“Anyway, the gloves were off when we failed to deliver the files,” Sinner continues, needing little encouragement now.
The psycho loves the sound of his own voice, and he loves the adoring attention from the captive audience.
“Randall went apeshit. A couple of our shipments were seized by the authorities in a clear warning, and I knew it was only a matter of time before they found something to pin on us, so we needed leverage.”
“Daphne Leydon,” I say, and he nods.
“How exactly does the commissioner fit into all this?” Saint asks.
“The commissioner was Randall’s lackey, and he also owned shares in VERO. When we failed to show up with the Homeland files, Randall sent the commissioner after us. We had to stop him, so kidnapping his wife was a no-brainer. That she was also the niece of the US president was the cherry on top. We knew that would keep them at bay. The plan was to hold on to her until the files were recovered and we had our deal in writing. But we enjoyed her time in captivity a little too much.”
Sinner grins, and a chorus of hoots and hollers rips across the room, making me feel ill.
“Her death was accidental.” Sinner shrugs. “But it helped serve a purpose. Daphne had blurted a ton of helpful shit before her untimely passing, and Randall knew if we were taken in for her death that it would all come out so they couldn’t do anything to us.”
Now I get why everyone has been searching for the recording showing Daphne being murdered. VERO wants to use it to keep The Sainthood in line and The Sainthood wants to use it to force VERO to give them a deal. However, without the evidence, VERO has the upper hand now they have the Homeland files back in their possession.
Thanks to us.
That was an epic fuckup on my part.
One I’m now regretting.
But I can’t change the past—we are where we are.
My mind continues processing all we’ve learned. It’s better for VERO if they don’t find the Leydon evidence, hence why that smarmy fuck reacted like that at the meeting on Wednesday. Getting Sinner to confess to the murder serves their ends much better. I doubt Randall plans on putting Sinner away. I’m betting his plan all along has been to bust in here and kill them all so everything dies with them. Then he has the audio and camera feeds confirming the truth.
Motherfucking asshole.
I doubt he plans to let any of us out of here alive.
Except Randall didn’t plan for Sinner spilling his guts.
Why has he? Does he know they’re outside? Or that we’re recording everything?
Fear prickles the back of my neck as I realize we’re way more in the dark than we knew. Another troubling thought enters my mind. Diesel is listening to all this, and we have more than enough now to put his boss and The Sainthood away, so why the fuck haven’t they busted their way in here?
My eyes meet Saint’s across the tables, and I see the same concern in his gaze. Theo is restrained, like the rest of them, so he can’t even check in with Diesel.
OMG. What a fucking epic clusterfuck. Either Diesel is a part of this and he’s protecting his boss or his boss knows his days are numbered and he’s done something to Diesel and the other men. Neither scenario is reassuring, and a blanket of dread washes over me.
“Why murder the commissioner?” I inquire.
“To send a new message. So they know we aren’t to be messed with. Also, it gives me leverage over you.” Sinner removes the gun, tucking it in the back waistband of his pants, so his hands are free to push my dress up to my waist. I knew he’d get arrogant, and now I just need to bide my time for the perfect moment to strike.
“Get your filthy hands off my daughter!” Mom screeches, panic clear in her tone.
“Such a pretty young pussy,” he says, cupping me through my panties. “I’ve traded you in for a younger, hotter, sexier model,” he tells Mom, sliding his fingers back and forth across my crotch. “Jealous?”
“Why are you telling us all this?” Theo shouts in an attempt to get him back on track.
Sinner licks a path up my neck, deliberately eyeballing my guys as he does. I breathe a sigh of relief when his hands withdraw from my crotch and my skirt pools over my thighs, covering me.
Tears shine in Mom’s eyes, and her face is pale with guilt.
“Always so inquisitive.” Sinner tips his bottle at Theo. “I don’t trust that weasel Randall. He helped reunite me with my backstabbing fiancée, and he says he wants to put our relationship back on an even footing, but I don’t buy it.”
That fucking bastard Randall double-crossed Diesel. We’ve been two steps behind the entire time.
“That conniving cunt is only keeping me on his side because he doesn’t want the truth coming out. Until we find that Leydon evidence, he’s our biggest threat.” Sinner’s gaze roams around the room. “You are here tonight for a couple of reasons. One being I trust you. Should this get ugly, I wanted you all to be aware of the facts so you can do what is necessary to protect the sanctity of The Sainthood. And I have a new plan for retrieving that evidence, one you will play a part in.”
I stare at the heavy curtains blanketing all the windows, wishing I could see through them, to know what the fuck is going on outside because the team should be here by now.
“Why are we here?” Saint asks. “We know you don’t trust us.”
“Tonight is about repentance, my son.” He fists a hand in my hair, tugging my neck back. “I was going to slaughter you all.” He shrugs casually, like it’s no biggie. “Let’s be honest, you deserve it for daring to betray me. But I gave it more thought, and I believe a better punishment is having you watch me
claim what is yours.”
Sweeping his hand across the table, he sends silverware and glasses crashing to the ground. “I’m going to fuck what’s yours right here in front of you. Then every man will stick his dick inside your wife while you watch.” He cups my breast through my dress. “I’m going to keep her for a while, until I’ve broken you down. Then you either recommit to The Sainthood and me or you can fucking die with your whore.”
CHAPTER 46
SINNER GRABS MY neck, thrusting me forward over the table as he hikes my dress up to my ass. Mom screams, thrashing about in her chair, while Alisha stares absently into space. I’m not sure how much she heard or if she’s with us at all.
“Time to party, dudes,” Sinner roars. “Go forth and mingle.”
Terrified screams rip through the air as the underground section of the ballroom is uncovered, and men grab petrified young girls, dragging them up the stairs.
“Get the fuck off me!” Mom screams when Baldy straddles her chair, tearing at her dress while grazing his teeth along her neck.
It’s now or never.
Sliding my hand around my front, I unclip the metallic belt on my dress, removing the two daggers stowed there. I wait for the telltale sound of Sinner lowering his zipper before I swing into action, thrusting my arm back, embedding my dagger firmly in his thigh.
Sinner roars, stumbling back, and I spin around, yanking my dagger from his thigh, blood immediately spurting from the wound. Sinner doubles over, pressing his fingers to the wound to stem the blood flow. Baldy hollers, moving to climb off Mom, and I react on instinct, tugging his neck back and dragging my knife across his throat.
Mom screams as he falls forward on top of her, blood spilling everywhere. Shots ring out behind me, mingling with girlish screams and cries as the room descends into chaos.
Windows shatter, in perfect uniformity, raining glass on the ballroom as commotion outside in the hall confirms the cavalry has finally arrived.
“You fucking bitch,” Sinner yells, lunging at me.
A shot whizzes past his ear, narrowly missing him, and he dives under the table as I sidestep him.
“Fuck.” Alisha’s hands shake as she holds Sinner’s gun, pointing it wildly around the room. She must have stolen it from him when he was bent over, distracted by his injury. “Aagh.” She cries out as her ankle is yanked from under the table, and she goes down hard. The gun flies across the room, but there’s no time to go after it, because Sinner has Alisha in his grasp, and that spells nothing good.
Lowering to my knees, I crawl under the table in time to see Sinner pull a knife from his calf. He drives it into Alisha’s chest, and I scream for help, moving toward Sinner as Saint and Galen drop to their knees on the other side of the table. “Alisha needs help,” I shout as Sinner scrambles off to one side, making his escape. Shots pepper the air, mixed with screaming and crying. “Help her,” Saint yells, pushing Galen under the table, while he climbs to his feet, going after his father.
I want to stay with Galen, but I don’t know if Theo, Caz, and Bry have managed to free themselves, and Mom is still tied to her chair. Gunfire echoes around us, chilling my bones. Innocents are going to get caught in the crossfire if this continues.
“Keep your head down,” Galen roars as I scoot back on my heels, crawling out the way I came.
Cautiously, I poke my head out from under the table. Mom is where I left her, but her head is down, chin lying on her chest. Baldy is slumped at her feet, his glazed eyes vacant and his throat a bloody mess. I flick my attention back to Mom, anxiety ratcheting up a level when I notice blood pouring from a bullet wound in her shoulder. Fuck. That shot Alisha fired must have hit Mom. Panic bubbles up my throat, but I force myself to remain calm as I crawl around the back of her chair, dodging the bullets whizzing back and forth across the room.
Casting a furtive look around the space, I hurry to cut the bindings on Mom’s legs and arms. I don’t see Theo or Caz, but Bry has Scraggly Beard in a headlock as they fight for possession of the gun in the bastard’s hand. I cut through the rope securing Mom’s ankles while I watch Bry, fear creeping up my spine. Until Scraggly Beard visibly weakens, his eyes shuttering, body slouching, and Bry pries the gun from his loosening fingers. Without hesitation, Bry pumps two bullets in his chest before joining the general melee.
Diesel’s crew is fighting The Sainthood as scared young girls huddle under tables and along the side of the room, trying to stay out of the line of fire.
A couple of women wearing FBI vests are handing girls to people outside through the broken window frames. A few men with DEA stamped across their backs are trading punches with some of the Saints over by the hidden section of the room, stopping them from gaining access to the guns stored there.
I don’t spot Howie among them, and I’m wondering where the fuck he and Diesel are.
Other men, wearing plain black military garb, are eliminating members of The Sainthood in a shoot-first-ask-questions-later mentality.
“Lo!” Theo comes racing across the room as the rope breaks on Mom’s feet.
“Is Caz okay?” I ask as Theo slides around the table on his knees.
“He’s gone after Saint. He chased Sinner out into the hall.”
Fuck. I want to go after them, because I don’t trust Sinner, but I can’t leave Mom.
Theo instantly senses my dilemma. “Go. I’ll look after your mom.”
“She’s been shot.” My voice wobbles.
“Harlow.” Mom lifts her chin, blinking her eyes open. “I’m okay. Go do what you need to.”
I grip Theo’s arm. “Check on Galen. He’s under the table with Alisha. Sinner stabbed her.”
Grabbing Sinner’s gun off the floor where it landed, I crouch down, flattening myself to the wall as I make my way out of the ballroom and along the dark hallway.
A couple of guys in leather cuts lie motionless on the floor, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. I step over their corpses, inching forward carefully. Gunfire dies out behind me as the authorities gain the upper hand, and a thin layer of stress leaves my shoulders, but it’s marginal, because two of my guys are out here with the devil incarnate and Mom and Alisha are injured back in the ballroom.
I pass through the lobby, glancing out the open entrance door at the trucks and vans parked haphazardly across the front lawn. A few men wander around, talking into mouthpieces, but for the most part, everyone is inside.
Carefully, I pick my way along the far hallway, checking each room in turn, growing more and more anxious as I encounter empty spaces. This monstrosity is huge, and I’m despairing of ever locating them when a gunshot goes off on my left, from the direction of the rear gardens, and I take off running for the back door.
All is quiet when I step out onto the stained gray stones, creeping around the house, in the direction of the maze, with my back flat to the wall.
“Fucking fuckity fuck!”
My heart stops beating. “Caz,” I hiss, sneaking around the bend with my gun raised, unsure of what I’ll find.
“Lo. Thank God.” Caz runs toward me.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I scan his face under the faint glow of the outside lamps.
“I’m fine. It’s Saint. He’s in the maze somewhere with Sinner, and I can’t find them.”
I grip the gun tighter. “Saint knows that maze better than Sinner. If anyone has the upper hand, it’s him.”
A shot rings out from inside the maze, followed by shouting. “I’m going in. Stay here in case we need help.” I wish I had my cell with me, but it’s sitting in my purse back at the table.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” He holds on to my waist, not wanting to let me go after them.
“I went over the plans with the gardener.” I tap my temple. “It’s memorized in here.” I stretch up, pecking his lips. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
“I’ll always worry.” He kisses me hard. “And I’m not letting you go in there b
y yourself. We’ll find Saint together.”
I don’t bother arguing, because there’s no time to waste.
We run toward the maze, and Caz stops me at the entrance. “That motherfucker can’t leave here alive today.” His eyes drill into mine, and I nod, already realizing that truth.
The initial plan had been to get Sinner locked up. To ensure justice was served, but that’s not going to happen now. Sinner would never make it to trial. Randall or the head of Homeland Security or some other corrupt bastard within the very organizations supposed to champion justice would ensure he “committed suicide” or had an unfortunate accident before he ever stepped foot in a courtroom.
That bastard deserves to die at our hands—not anyone else’s.
“Stay down and stay behind me,” I whisper as we enter the maze.
Working off gut instinct, I veer left, hoping my memory is serving me well and that I’m heading in the direction of the place Galen loves most. He took me here that one time when we were kids, explaining how it was his favorite part of the maze because it had a wooden bench, a small water feature, and a stone toy chest his grandma had installed just for him and his sister. Galen and Saint were practically joined at the hip growing up, so if Saint is hiding anywhere in here, staking out his dad, I’d bet my left tit he’s there.
My arm whips out, holding Caz back when voices tickle my eardrums up ahead.
“Drop it, or I’ll kill you right now,” Sinner says, raising all the hairs on my arms.
I point right to Caz, cautiously slithering around the other side of the neat shrubbery so we can scope out the scene.
“You won’t get away with this,” Saint spits out. “The place is crawling with Feds, DEA, and VERO.”
“You think I haven’t planned for this day?” Sinner chuckles. “I’ve known this day would come, and no crooked motherfucker is taking me out. You’ll like where we’re going. The ocean is crystal clear, the sky a cloudless blue, and there’s untapped pussy for the taking.”
“You’re insane. You won’t make it out of this house alive.”
The Sainthood : A Dark High School Romance (The Complete Series) Page 90
