by Rebel Hart
Anger filled his face. “He defies me at every turn. Barges into my home like he owns this place. Demands money and clients and payment as if he actually had any power. Well, he wouldn’t have any of that power without me. Without my efforts. Without my sacrifice!”
I tugged at the bonds on my wrists. “If you knew Max at all, you’d know none of that is true. He cares about those men. About that club. He does what’s best for them, even if it means sacrificing himself.”
His eyes met mine. “Is that what you really think?”
“That’s what I know.”
He walked over and crouched down in front of me.
“Do you love him, little bird?”
I blinked. “What?”
He gripped my chin. “You heard me. Do you love him?”
I swallowed. “No.”
He smiled. “Liar.”
I stayed quiet as panic gripped my soul. I saw evil in this man’s eyes. They weren’t Max’s eyes at all. The only thing they shared was color. And that sure as hell didn’t make them alike. His hand slid against my cheek. I gritted my teeth to keep the pain at bay as I felt it swelling. His fingertips played with the tendrils of my hair as he twisted one around his index finger. I tried to shake him off, but his finger didn’t move. I tried to lean back, but he only came closer. Until his abs sat against my knees and his disgusting breath pulsed against my face.
“In my line of work, little bird, I’ve become gifted at spotting a liar. At watching for the tells. A fluttering at the throat as the pulse quickens.”
His finger slid out of my hair and pressed against the pulse point on my neck.
“Or maybe a brief reflex. A twitch of the finger. A quirk of the lip. A widening of the pupil for the briefest moment.”
His finger ran up my neck. Along my jawline. Until he traced my lower lip. I leaned away from him as far as I could get. I felt my chair teetering along the edge of the pool as the two front legs came up. I felt his free hand grip the leg of the chair. He tilted me back quickly and I yelped. He dangled me there, my hair touching the top of the water as I wiggled and strained for dear life.
Then he brought my chair back down onto all fours as he snarled, “You love him, little bird. I know you do. Don’t you dare convince yourself that you can lie to me and get away with it. Many people have made that mistake in the past, and it’s gotten them killed. And it will be your undoing.”
My eyebrows rose. “My lie? Or my love?”
His eye twitched. “Both.”
I felt my fear morphing. It spiraled in my gut and fogged up my brain. I kept tugging at my restraints, only feeling them grow tighter as my hands started to tingle. I couldn't wiggle my toes any longer. I felt trapped, like the small animal I had become to these people. And as my tears betrayed my solid façade, I fought to stay in control, to blink them back, to keep a strong outer force against this terrible man as his hand came up to my face.
He wiped away a tear that escaped the side of my eye.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered. “This will all be over soon.”
My lower lip quivered. He stood up and turned his back to me, his hand in the air. With a snap of his fingers, the bodyguards moved. They moved to the body still lying on the grass. The smell of blood and sweat filled the air around me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see them drag that poor man off. I listened to his body sliding across the grass as more tears leaked down my face. I was in hell. This was what hell felt like.
And I wondered if anyone knew I was even here.
When the shuffling around stopped, I slowly opened my eyes. It took a second for them to adjust through my tears. But when they did, I found myself alone. His father wasn’t there any longer. I saw none of the bodyguards. It was just me, this stupid chair, these damn leather bonds, and the very dark puddle in the grass.
That had drag marks leading back to the mansion.
What are they going to do with him?
I started tugging again. As furiously as I could. I didn’t know what else to do, and I prayed that one of the knots would come undone with enough manipulation. I craned my neck back to see if I could figure out how the knot was tied. But the more I shifted around, the closer the back legs of my chair got to the edge of the pool. They came so dangerously close that I felt the chair wobble, causing me to cry out.
And as I leaned forward, trying with all my might to keep myself from falling into that damn pool, I smelled something in the air. A stench I couldn't place. One that wrinkled my nose, curled my toes, and brought my eyes to the sky.
Smoke.
I saw smoke rising into the air. Thick, black, heavy smoke coming from a chimney at the side of the mansion. The smell was rancid. It made my stomach turn over onto itself as I sat there, begging myself to wake up from this nightmare. And as my watery gaze fell back onto the pool of blood in the grass, I put two and two together.
Causing me to vomit between my legs.
38
Max
The gates blew open as I soared through at over a hundred miles an hour. I grunted as the tires rumbled over the spikes that shot up from the concrete. I heard guns firing. I heard the dents in the outside of the SUV getting deeper and deeper. But this was one of my father’s SUVs, so I knew it was decked out with the best of the best.
Things like flat-proof tires. Bulletproof windows. Double metal coats to catch hollow-pointed bullets.
I’m coming for you, Dad.
The gunfire kept up until I heard a bullet penetrate the car. I ducked down, trying not to let up on the gas pedal as I careened into one of the apple trees. The entire front of the car dented. I swerved out of the way, scraping the entire length of the car on the passenger’s side. Guns kept firing. I heard my tires screaming for mercy as the bullets penetrated to the core of the tire.
Forcing me to race away on the rims.
“Come on. Come on, you piece of shit.”
I heard the apple tree crash behind me. The gunfire stopped and men started yelling. I skidded to the stairs of the porch as the rims of the car started sparking. I hoped the damn thing burst into flames and took the entire mansion down with it. With my father trapped inside. I slammed the door open and raced up the porch, listening as men sprinted up the driveway.
They wouldn’t catch me, though.
Not until I had my father dead in my hands.
I barreled through the front door, jamming my shoulder into it. I growled out in pain as I looked around with my one good eye. I stormed through the house, searching every room. Checking every corner as my boots sounded loudly against the marble floors.
“Ashton!”
I bellowed throughout the house with my hands cupped along my mouth.
“Ashton! Where the fuck are you!?”
I knew damn good and well my father had already prepared for my arrival. That fucker was always one step ahead of the game. I had something up my sleeve, though. Something I knew he hadn’t taken into account.
I knew his weakness.
“Ashton!”
I followed my gut and checked outside before heading upstairs. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t up to something out there by that fucking pool of his. I sniffed the air deeply, wrinkling my nose at the scent. My good eye was already strained from taking in my father’s eyesore of a home. Even in the dead of night, I saw my father out there, standing in front of the pool with his hands clasped behind his back.
“I’ve been expecting you!”
I charged him with my fists balled up. I heard men trampling through the house as they spilled out behind me. They cocked their guns, aiming them at my back. And as my father held up his hand, I reached for his throat.
“I’ll die taking you with me,” I growled.
He grinned. “What was that?”
I went to clamp down against his throat and he moved off to the side. And when I saw what was behind him, I froze. My jaw dropped open. My heart stilled in my chest. But, it was my father’s hand patting me on the back that
brought air into my lungs.
What the fuck is Dani doing here?
“You really do enjoy your women with spunk, don’t you?”
My father’s whisper had nothing on the voice screaming inside my head. I had so much anger built up within me I didn’t know what to do with myself. Dani was bound to that chair. With leather. Leather bonds that had seen so many other dead bodies before her. She had a bruise on her cheek and I felt the beast within me snap. The tears streaking her cheeks made me a walking time bomb. I’d never experienced rage like this before. I felt damn near delusional as I kept my eyes locked on her.
“Let her go. She has nothing to do with any of this.”
Dad sighed. “Well, I suppose that tattoo on her thigh suggests otherwise.”
I slowly looked over at him. “If you tell me--”
He held up his hand. “Young, barely-aged women aren’t my thing. I didn’t touch her. Mostly.”
I lunged at him. “You’re the one that hit her.”
His men lifted their guns again and I heard Dani whimper. A soft, surreal, panicked sound that stopped me dead in my tracks. Making my father grin.
“Benji told me she’s one of you now. You know, your cousin? Which means she’s fair game. Just like you are.”
I gnashed my teeth. “Why are you doing this?”
My father raised his hand in the air and snapped his fingers. And quicker than I could blink, five of his men surrounded me. I felt the heat of their guns pointed at me. I saw Dani struggling out of the corner of my eye. Trying to get loose from those binds around her wrists and ankles. I knew it was no use, though. The knots my father taught his men to tie grew tighter the more someone struggled.
And if Dani didn’t stop, she’d risk losing her appendages.
If he didn’t kill us first.
“Max, please. I’m sorry.”
The sob in her voice broke my heart. I wanted to go to her. I wanted to save her. But I didn’t dare move. I knew the second I did, my father’s men would unload on both of us. Pump us full of lead before--
I sniffed the air again. “Who did you incinerate this time?”
Dad shrugged. “Poor Dani. I’m pretty sure it scarred the girl.”
“You killed a man in front of her? Are you insane!?”
I took another step toward him and the guys moved in closer. I heard a couple more of them cock their guns as my father’s grin grew into a wide, empty smile. A smile that haunted my nightmares. A smile that followed me around as a child, just trying to endure my father’s spontaneous wrath.
“It’s kind of cute, really. Her trying to save you,” he said.
I blinked. “What?”
He nodded. “It’s true. Isn’t it, little bird?”
“Don’t you dare talk to her.”
“You might want to answer me if you want him to live, little bird.”
I heard Dani swallow. “I thought you were at the bar. You never showed up on campus, and I got so worried, and I just--”
Dad interrupted her. “It’s cute. But stupid. I have to say, I expected more from a college student.”
I snarled. “What do you want?”
He leveled his eyes with me. “Your time is done here, Max. You’re finished. Progress requires compromise. And sacrifice. Neither of which you’ve been good with. And in order for me to expand my business, I need to get my hands into deeper pockets. I need to change up the game. And a certain pesky thorn in my side will stand in my way if he finds out what is required to get into said pockets.”
I stood my ground. I tried to take even breaths. I knew exactly what my father was saying, though. He’d made new business deals outside of the crew. And it sounded like he was dealing with even more unsavory characters than we were used to. In any other situation, I would’ve told my father to kick rocks. I would’ve shot him, taken Dani with me, and gone back to my men just to tell them we were on our own. I had dreams of turning my father’s mansion into a place where we all congregated. Where we all lived, if we wanted. A place no one could take from us. A place where we dominated in private, held meetings away from our loved ones, and enjoyed the expansive surroundings before us when we needed time to rest.
I couldn't do any of that with my father about to kill Dani, though.
None of it meant anything if I didn’t have her with me.
“You knew I wouldn't let you go through with it. That’s why you’ve done all of this. To get me out of the way.”
Dad nodded. “Maybe you’re not as stupid as I figured. Nevertheless, I thought I would eliminate the obstacle before it had a chance to fuck up my operations. Just as you would do if you were in my shoes.”
I scoffed. “I wouldn't kill my own goddamn son in order to do it.”
He growled. “You are no son of mine.”
“Good. Because I have a hard time calling you ‘Dad’ anyway.”
“You could’ve had everything, Max. Everything! You could’ve ruled at my side. Had all of the wealth and the riches and the women you could’ve ever wanted. And yet, you chose a life of scraping the bottom of the barrel. Scrounging around for money just to eat at night. You chose a woman like her instead of women who deserve to be with a Ryddle man. You chose a woman that comes from nothing instead of woman of substance.”
“You won’t speak about her like that a second time around. I can assure you that.”
He held out his arms. “You could’ve chosen all of this! A life of ease and no worry. But you chose backroads and mediocrity. You chose them over your own flesh and blood.”
“They’re more flesh and blood to me than you’ll ever be. You’re a disgrace to this family.”
He got in my face. “I built this family!”
“You killed our mother and you smiled about it! Because she dared to talk back! Because she dared to stand up and try to course correct you. Because she saw you turning into this monster and wanted to save you. You killed that woman for loving you. And you’ll never be my father because of it!”
My father’s nostrils flared. I felt my knees weakening as my anger eroded at the rest of the strength I had left. I balled up my fists, ignoring the guns pointed at me. And with every sniffle that came from Dani, the need to rescue her grew inside me. My head swirled with pain. I swallowed down every single bit of bile that crept up the back of my throat. My adrenaline spiked again, dimming the pain. Dimming it just enough for me to focus back on my father.
Whose smile grew even wider.
“Then maybe you should learn from her mistakes,” he said.
I shook my head. “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to slaughter you. And then, I’m going to hang you from the highest building in this fucking town as a reminder to what happens when you fuck with the people I love.”
Dad wiped at his face. “Really, Max. You should learn a few manners while you’re at it.”
I held my head high. “You’re worthless. You’re worth nothing to anyone if they don’t fear you. You’re nothing but a middleman. And a middleman can always be easily cut out. John? He’s a starter. He knows what he wants and he goes after it. That turf war? The one that fucked him up? He started it because he knew we had nothing without a space to call our own. We struck before they saw us coming and it’s the only reason we survived. Even when you abandoned us.”
He chuckled. “And what are you, Maxwell?”
I got in his face. “I’m a finisher, Dad. I might not always start shit. But I sure as hell end it.”
“Which is why you’ve made my decision very easy.”
“Yeah? And what decision is that?”
All of my muscles tensed. I saw something flicker behind my father’s eyes and I knew I had to prepare myself. My eyes tunneled. The only thing I saw was the face I wanted to pound into the pavement. I wanted to curb-stomp my father’s head until his brains were splattered against the perfect grass of his lawn. I wanted nothing more than to see the evil light in his eyes fade into nothingness before throwing him into that
fucking kiln he had in his basement.
“Well? You gonna fill your son in on what you’ve got planned?”
Dad grinned. “I think you know what comes next.”
And as my father turned his back, I heard the darkened men scrambling around me.
“Max, no!”
39
Dani
I watched the fight unfold before me. I saw the five men jump Max as his father started making his way for me. The violence was unlike anything I’d ever witnessed. I screamed for Max. I screamed until my voice went hoarse. Could no one hear us? Did no one understand the insanity unfolding right now? I watched Max spring up from the throng of men. They went flying to the ground, and I couldn't peel my eyes away. He roared like a wild beast. He picked them up with his bare hands and slammed them against the ground. Every move he made was to hurt. To maim. To block.
To kill.
Every time his fist connected, blood splattered. Every time his boots connected, men groaned. Every time he tossed them over his shoulders, bones cracked. Broke. Shattered, for my ears to cringe upon. The animal within him raged, and I watched with fearful awe as he tore through those men like paper fucking sacks.
My blood ran cold as Max unleashed a roar that left me uncontrollably trembling.
“Max! Behind you!”
His eyes found mine before he whipped around. But the guy behind him was already slamming the butt of the gun into his chest. They both went down, and my blood ran cold as I craned my neck to try and see them. Men were piled on top of one another, creating a wall I couldn't see over. And as my heart fluttered in my chest, I drew in another deep breath.
“I wouldn't, if I were you.”
His father stepped in front of me, blocking my view. The sounds of my yells were swallowed as my eyes cased up his body. He hovered over me with his hands clasped behind his back. He smiled down at me with a twinkle in his eye that made me want to slap him the way he’d slapped me. My stomach felt sick. I felt like I was going to throw up again. But when that man grabbed my chin, it shocked me back to reality.
