by Wilder, L.
“Then, we’ll do the same.”
Menace pulled up behind the red Mercedes, and as soon as the truck stopped, we all got out and began putting on our bulletproof vests. Once I had mine on, I started sprinting towards the tall grass. The night air was cool and damp, and the ground was soft and muddy, making it difficult to run in my boots. I was already getting winded when Lynch, Menace, and Hawk came running up next to me. With all the cloud cover from the previous storms, it was darker than ever, and it felt like we’d been running for a lifetime before we finally came upon the back entrance of the Manor.
Knowing we weren’t there alone, we each slowed our pace and pulled out our weapons, being watchful of our surroundings as we continued forward. As we got closer, Menace turned to us and said, “Riggs said for us to go to the back of the school, and he’d get us in.”
We nodded, then followed him behind the mid-sized house that Kiersten had renovated into the guest quarters. Hawk led us around back where we could get a better view of the back of the school. I saw movement near the garden and asked, “You seeing that?”
“Yeah,” Hawk answered. “I see it. You think that’s them, or is that one of Kiersten’s crew?”
Before I had a chance to respond, a round of gunfire had us all dropping down for cover. I was eager to find Kiersten and didn’t have the patience to deal with some trigger-happy asshole, so I aimed my Glock and fired. Seconds later, the dark figure dropped to the ground and lay there motionless. Lynch chuckled as he whispered, “I guess that settles that.”
“Damn right it does.”
Hawk remained crouched down as he motioned us forward and led us to the next house and then the next. We were less than fifty feet away from the school when a shot was fired, and Lynch flew back and hit the ground. Menace, Hawk, and I all returned fire, and in a matter of seconds, the shooting stopped, and we all watched with satisfaction as a body collapsed to the muddy, wet ground. Wanting to make sure Lynch was okay, we all turned to our brother and found him clutching his bicep as he cursed, “Mother fucker! Right in the goddamn arm. Fucking pussy shot.”
“You alright?” Hawk asked while he reached down and took his hand as I helped Lynch to his feet. “You need to head back to the truck?”
“Fuck, no. I’m fine.” Lynch charged over to the body on the ground and fired off another round into the guy’s head. “Stupid piece of shit.”
“Gotta go, brother,” I huffed out as I charged past him. “We don’t have time for this bullshit.”
With the others following close behind, I rushed up to the school’s back door, then waited as Menace reached out to Riggs. As soon as he let him know we were there, he released the security lock on that specific door, then relocked it as soon as we’d made it inside. I’d been in the school many times during my two-week stint at the Manor, so I knew the office was just through the double doors. But I didn’t move. None of us did. We each stood there, listening for footsteps, talking, or shooting—any sign that would help us identify the location of our adversaries. At first, there was nothing—just complete and utter silence. Then, I heard it—the faint sound of Kiersten’s voice followed by gunshots coming from what sounded like the other side of the school.
“Did you hear that?” I motioned my hands towards the door. “She’s here. I heard her.”
Menace looked over his shoulder, making sure no one was coming up from behind as Hawk led us to the end of the hall. Before opening the door, Hawk pressed his ear to it, silently listening for a possible opportunity to move forward without making our presence known—at least not yet. After listening for a moment, Hawk turned back to me and asked, “She just called someone by the name Drake. Any idea who that might be?”
“Don’t have a clue.”
“I think he’s got Braylon, too. We need eyes on that fucking security feed.”
“I can reach out to Riggs and see.”
“There’s no time.” Hawk inched the door open, then peered through the crack. “The office has been blown to fucking shreds. Jackal is on the floor next to Kiersten’s feet, and I’m pretty sure he’s dead.”
Lynch sounded stunned as he asked, “You sure he isn’t just playing possum or something?”
“He’s got a two-foot shard of glass in his back, brother. Pretty sure he isn’t playing possum.”
“Damn it.” Lynch sighed. “Poor kid didn’t deserve that shit.”
Jackal had only been prospecting for a few weeks, but he’d already made an impression on several of the guys, including Lynch. I felt bad for the kid, really bad, but none of us had the luxury of mourning his loss—not until we knew for certain that Kiersten and the others were safe. “What about Kiersten? Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s holding her own.” Hawk kept his voice low, but I could still hear the concern in his voice when he said, “Some asshole is talking to her. Can’t make out what he’s saying, but he’s going on and on about something, and he’s got his gun aimed at Braylon’s head.”
“Damn it. Any others out there with them?”
“Just one other guy, and he has his gun trained on Kiersten.” I wanted to barge through those doors and kill the assholes with my bare hands but forced myself to stay put and listen as Hawk told us, “Looks like they’re stuck.”
“Fuck.” Lynch grimaced as he asked, “What about Widow? Where is he?”
“No sign of him or Timms and Duggar.” We could hear random gunfire continue across the building, but none of us had a clue as to who was doing the shooting so Hawk suggested, “I know we’ve all tried reaching him and had no luck, but there’s still a chance that Widow has his phone with him. Send him a message and just see if he happens to answer.”
Menace nodded, then whipped out his phone. He punched a few keys, then we all held our breaths as we waited for him to respond. We were all relieved when seconds later, Menace’s phone lit up, signaling that he’d gotten a response. Menace read the message, then told us, “He and Duggar are on the opposite end of the building. They’re just waiting for their chance to make a move.”
Hawk motioned his head towards Menace’s phone as he asked, “Is it clear on their end?”
“Not sure.” Menace sent Widow another message, then waited for his response. “No. There are two, maybe three more of these guys, and they’ve got Widow and Duggar cornered. And to make matters worse, both Widow and Duggar are running low on ammo.”
“Fuck.” I was still trying to piece all the facts together, so I asked, “What about Timms? Where is he?”
“Didn’t make it.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, Widow didn’t go into detail about what happened. Just said he was dead.”
“Damn.” Hawk glanced back at us and asked, “So, how do you wanna play this?”
“I don’t see why we wouldn’t just bust up in there,” I answered. “We can use the element of surprise to our advantage.”
Clearly disagreeing with my plan, Hawk shook his head and grumbled, “And what happens when one of them shoots Kiersten or Braylon?”
“We kill them before they get a chance to pull the trigger.”
“There are no guarantees we can make that happen.”
“Then, what the fuck are we gonna do, ’cause we can’t just stand here with our thumbs up our asses and wait for these motherfuckers to kill them.”
“We could always go back outside and come in through the hallway door where Widow is.” I thought Lynch’s idea was absolutely senseless until he continued, “If we can take the heat off of him and Duggar, then maybe they can get to Kiersten and Braylon and end this thing.”
“That’s not a bad idea, brother.”
“No, it’s not.” Hawk eased the doorway closed. “But we need to move fast. Send him a message and let him know we’re coming. Need to know where these motherfuckers are before we go inside.”
Menace messaged Widow, letting him know the plan. Once we’d made it around to the other side of the school, Menace sent Riggs a messa
ge, letting him know that we’d be needing him to open a second door. By the time we made it outside, Riggs had replied and was waiting to trigger the door. Widow warned us that one of the men was standing close, so Hawk had his weapon drawn as he eased the door open. As soon as he spotted him standing in one of the classroom doorways, he pulled back on the trigger and fired, killing him instantly.
We’d barely made it through the door when the other two men immediately turned their attention away from Widow and Duggar and started shooting at us. I was done dealing with these motherfuckers. I knew we had to get them out of the way if we were ever going to get to Kiersten, so I continued charging forward as I fired off one round after the next. I didn’t even stop when a bullet plowed into my chest. Even with the bulletproof vest, it hurt like a motherfucker, but I kept pressing forward until I hit the asshole closest to me. Just as Lynch had done earlier, I shot him again to make sure he was down and stayed down.
Until then, the other shooter had been focused on Menace and Lynch. They were both positioned inside one of the classroom doorways, using it as a protective shield as they tried to take him down. Hawk was behind me, doing everything he could to cover me until the shooter turned his attention to us—forcing us both out of the hall and into one of the old classrooms. The guy either got really fucking brave or just downright stupid and stepped out into the open, giving Widow the opportunity he needed to take a shot.
As soon as the asshole hit the floor, the shooting stopped. Hawk and I immediately came out of the classroom, and with Lynch and Menace following close behind, we rushed over to join Widow and Duggar. Widow gave us a thankful nod as he said, “Don’t know who came up with the plan, but we sure appreciate the help back there.”
“You can thank Lynch for that,” Hawk replied. “It was his idea.”
“Well, it worked.”
I felt like we were finally making some ground until Widow motioned his head to the office. “We can’t do shit. At least not while he has that fucking gun pointed at Kiersten’s head.”
I looked through the crack in the door, and my chest tightened the second I spotted Kiersten. I knew she had to be terrified, especially with the asshole pointing his goddamn gun at her, but she was putting on a brave front. She wasn’t crying or trembling. Instead, she stood tall, trying to talk to him. While I couldn’t hear what she was saying, I knew her well enough to know that she was doing everything she could to put an end to this whole fiasco and do it without costing Braylon his life. My only concern was about getting Kiersten away from those men. I looked around, searching for a way to get close enough to help when I noticed that the explosion had created a gaping hole in the office wall. If I was right, we would be able to use that fucking hole as a means to put an end to Drake once and for all. We just had to get into just the right position without drawing his attention outside. It was risky, but it was our only chance.
“I’ve got it.” I turned to face the others as I said, “I know what we’ve gotta do.”
Sixteen
Kiersten
“You can have it all, Drake. Everything. It’s yours. I don’t care. Please let us go.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” A sinister smile crossed his face. “I let you go, and then you and your little buddies get your cop friends to come and take me out. That’s not going to happen.”
“No, that’s crazy. Why would I bring the cops here? I wouldn’t want them seeing all this.”
“Oh, you should know I’m too smart to fall for that bullshit. With the kind of money you’re bringing in here, I’m sure you have the cops in your pocket.”
The shooting down the hall suddenly subsided, leaving the entire building enveloped in an eerie silence. I had no idea if that was a good sign or not. I prayed that Duggar, Timms, and Widow were still alive but had no way of knowing for sure. I’d been trying so hard to keep Drake preoccupied, saying anything I could to keep him from pulling that trigger and killing Braylon, but I was afraid my time was about to run out. Out of pure desperation, I tried, “It’s not too late. We can still do this. We can go into business together. We can do whatever you want.”
“Is that right?”
Drake immediately reached over and grabbed my arm, yanking me over to him. He leaned in and ran his tongue from my lower jaw along the side of my cheek. When he grabbed my face and pulled me in for a kiss, I panicked. I placed my hands on his chest and gave him a hard shove. A sinister chuckle vibrated through his chest as he growled, “I knew you were full of shit.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he lifted his hand and struck me across the face. “I’m done with you and your stupid fucking games.”
I brought my hand up to my face, covering it protectively as I watched him start to pace back and forth. He waved his gun in the air as he started ranting to himself. “Stupid fucking cunt. Playing all these fucking games with my head.”
Most of what he was saying was incoherent, but it was clear that Drake had gone off the deep end. One minute he was trying to make a play for me, and then he was committed to taking over the Manor and making it his own. Time was running out, and I had no clue what to do. My mind was reeling as I continued to watch him talk to himself. “Enough of the bullshit. I’m going to do what I came here to do. I’m gonna take what’s mine, and no one is gonna stop me.”
Without warning, he whipped around and aimed his gun at me. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, I pleaded, “Please, Drake. Let’s just talk this thing out.”
“You had your chance.”
“But until tonight, I didn’t even know what you wanted from me.” There was still no sound coming from the back hall, and I started panicking that they were all dead. I hadn’t seen Widow, Timms, or Duggar since the shooting began, and considering they hadn’t come to our rescue, it was impossible not to think the worst, and that chilled me to the bone. To make matters worse, Drake’s friend still had his gun aimed at my head, and Braylon wasn’t looking good at all. His face was pale, and his clothes were soaked in his blood. I tried to buy us both some more time by distracting Drake. “If you’d only been honest with me and told me what was going on, then I would’ve been more open to the idea of us working together.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” Drake roared. “From day one, you wanted nothing to do with me. You were repulsed by me. I could see it in your eyes whenever we talked... and I can see it in your eyes right now. You’ve always thought you were better than me, but I’m here to prove you wrong.”
I thought we were alone until I noticed a strange movement out of the corner of my eye by the crumbled section of the office wall, but it was too dark to see much of anything. I wanted to believe it was Widow or one of the others coming to save us but figured the possibility was slim at best and convinced myself it was only my crazy imagination. I turned my attention back to Drake with a defeated sigh. I was losing ground with him, and I didn’t have a clue how to turn the tables. I kept my voice low and steady and said, “You’ve already proven me wrong, Drake. Clearly, there’s more to you than I ever knew.”
“Damn straight there is! I’m—”
Before he could finish his sentence, there was an unexpected roar of gunshots. I froze as I watched Drake’s eyes widen and his head fall back. At first, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening, but then I saw the blood and realized he’d been shot—right through his temple. He stood still like a statue with his eyes locked on mine for a split second, and then his body collapsed to the ground—right next to his partner in crime who’d had his gun trained on me for the past half-hour. I was stunned. They’d both been shot at the same time and were lying dead on the floor. It was difficult to make sense of it. One minute Drake and I were talking, and in the next, he was lying dead on the floor. I didn’t move. I simply stood there in utter dismay. I didn’t even notice that Widow and Duggar had walked up until Duggar asked, “You two okay?”
Still in a daze, I nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m fine, but Bray’s h
urt. He needs to get to the hospital.”
“I’m okay,” Bray argued. “Right now, I’m more concerned about you.” He lifted his hand up to my face as he said, “You’re bleeding.”
“I’m fine, Bray. It’s just a few scratches.” Noting his seeping wounds, Duggar took off his shirt, then knelt down next to him and quickly wrapped the fabric around Bray’s thigh. It was clear I wasn’t the only one who thought his wounds needed to be checked. “You, on the other hand, need to get to a doctor and have them check you out.”
“Bullet went straight through the shoulder, and the other is just a fucking graze. I’m fine.” Sorrow filled his eyes as he looked over to Jackal. “Is he?”
Tears stung my eyes as I watched Widow go over and kneel down next to Jackal. Anguish marked his face as he rolled the prospect onto his side. Widow laid his hand on his brother’s chest, then muttered something under his breath. My heart was breaking as I told Bray and Widow, “He died trying to protect me.”
“I’m not surprised. He was a good kid ... a damn good kid.” Widow stood, then stepped back over to us. “He did what he came here to do.”
“Same for Timms,” Duggar announced, causing my heart to drop to my stomach. “He put up a good fight. Even took down one of them with him.”
I’d done my best to keep it together, but the second I learned about Timms, the dam broke, and I started to cry. He was like family to me, and I hated that he’d lost his life trying to protect me and the Manor. I was sobbing when the front door swung open, and Grayson and Menace charged inside with Hawk and Lynch following close behind. Grayson’s eyes were fixed on mine as he made his way through the others and over to me. He took me in his arms, holding me close in a protective hug. “Tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m better now.” With a sniffle and a quick inhaled breath, I brushed the tears from my cheek. “I can’t believe you came.”
