Page 41

Forty-One

Roman

I jumped to the side as a bullet whipped past me. My heart jumped into my chest when I saw Quinn standing there with a gun aimed at me. I was thankful that I had been able to dodge it but also incredibly impressed with how accurate her aim was in the first place.

After I heard the first gunshot, I knew that I had no choice but to get inside. Little did I know that it was her in here and not Rosie.

“It’s me, Quinn,” I announced loudly, even though she could clearly see me.

I didn’t bother to look at her as I kept my focus on the man walking into the room.

His eyes widened as he saw the two bodies bleeding out on the wood floor, then narrowed as he looked between Quinn and me.

Before he could reach his hand up to grab his gun, I raised mine and held it steady in front of me.

“Don’t even think about it,” I said, using my foot to kick the door shut behind me.

Quinn blinked a few times as if she couldn’t believe I was there.

“Quinn, step aside,” I directed, moving in closer to the guy as I watched his fingers twitch at his sides. I knew he would make a move to grab his gun, and I couldn’t afford for Quinn to get caught in the middle.

She moved a few steps away from me and turned her aim to him. I knew she was focused again as I made it the last few feet and stood in front of him.

“Make one move, and I will put a bullet through your brain, just like my girl here did to your friends. Got it?”

He nodded, his glare as cold as ice.

I quickly relieved him of the guns in his shoulder holster before patting him down and removing a knife from his waistband. Once I was confident that he was no longer a threat, I stepped back and aimed the AR15 at his head.

“Go sit on the couch.”

He didn’t say anything and did as he was told.

Quinn was still standing there, holding her gun steady with both hands bound together. I wanted to cut her free but didn’t trust that he wouldn’t do something while we were distracted. She seemed comfortable enough, given that she had already killed two men while bound.

He dropped down onto the couch and then looked between us with his brows raised.

“Let’s just cut to the chase,” I said, widening my feet as I kept my aim. “Who do you work for?”

He rolled his eyes and looked away.

I clenched my teeth and stared him down. If he wanted to play games and pretend to be a tough guy, that was fine. We would see just how tough he was.

I glanced at Quinn and caught her eye for a brief second, nodding in his direction. She gave a subtle nod and kept her hands steady in front of her.

I returned my attention to him, picked a spot on the wall half an inch above his head, and fired.

He jumped up, his head whipping around to see the hole in the wall.

“That was the only warning shot you’re going to get.” I adjusted my aim, making sure he knew that it was now focused on the spot right between his eyes. “Start talking.”

“I don’t know anything,” he stammered, looking from me to Quinn as his eyes softened.

“Stop looking at her like that,” I snapped. “She’s not going to pity you, dumb ass. You helped them kidnap her daughter; there’s no way you’re getting out of this alive.”

“Tell us what you know,” she said coldly, lifting her hands slightly as she reminded him that she wasn’t interested.

“As I said, I don’t know anything. My boss—the guy with the bullets in him,” he nodded to the short guy, “he handled everything. We just did what we were told.”

“What were you told?” I asked, pulling his attention back to me.

“Take her out, and we would get $50,000.”

I raised my brows and glanced at Quinn. She frowned angrily, and I had to bite back a laugh. She was worth more than that, and we both knew it.

“What about the little girl?” I pushed. We didn’t care about how much they were getting for killing Quinn. We needed to know where Rosie was and what the price tag was for her.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t told anything about her.”

“Alright, what happens after you complete this job?” Quinn asked.

“We were waiting for the money. Once we had that, we were supposed to take care of the job and send them proof.”

“Send who proof?” I yelled, getting frustrated quickly.

“I. Don’t. Know.” He enunciated each word as if I were stupid and then turned to Quinn. “He doesn’t listen for shit, does he?”

She cocked her head to the side and then raised the .45 slightly before putting a hole in the wall next to mine. I smiled proudly at how accurate her shot was. It wasn’t the time to think about it, but suddenly I was imagining dates with us at the shooting range, seeing who could beat who.

“Fuckin bitch!” he shouted and jumped up from the couch.

“Sit your ass down before I put a bullet in it,” I demanded.

“As you can see, we both have remarkable aims. I would stop fucking around and tell us what we’re asking because I can guarantee you that if you don’t tell me what I need to know, I will put as many bullets in your body as it takes until I’m no longer pissed off.

And right now—I’m fucking furious,” Quinn warned.

He sighed and returned to the couch, suddenly looking defeated.

“I don’t know their names. My boss was handling it. If you want info, I would check his phone. He was supposed to send a picture, you know, proof that it was done.”

I looked around for the phone, then spotted it a few feet away on the floor, sticking out from under his arm.

I nodded to Quinn, suggesting that she be the one to get it.

Between both of us, I had no doubt that she could take him out if needed, but since her hands were still bound, I figured she might need the break.

She returned my nod, lowered her gun to the table beside me, then bent down to pick up the phone. I watched her through peripheral vision while I kept my eyes on him.

I could tell that she hadn’t dealt with many dead bodies as she nervously tried to figure out a way to retrieve the phone without touching him. Finally, she grabbed the end of it and pulled it out.

“It’s locked,” she muttered, looking up at me under her thick lashes.

“Does it need a pin or a thumbprint?”

She swiped her fingers across the screen, a look of determination on her face. Then she bent down, lifted the dead guy’s thumb, and tried not to gag as she pressed it against the phone.

It took a couple of tries before she got the angle right. Once it was unlocked, she dropped his hand and stood up, scanning the recent call log and text messages.

“There aren’t any names in here.” She looked helplessly at me. “It’s all code.”

“What are the codes?”

“Red,” she said and then looked at the guy on the couch. “What does red mean?” She held the phone in the air and shook it at him.

He shrugged and looked away.

Before the phone could lock again, she started looking through it and then gasped. Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at whatever was on the screen.

“What is it, Quinn?”

She turned the phone toward me. On the screen was a photo of Mike.

“Why is there a picture of your brother on his phone?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

Before Quinn could answer, the asshole on the couch decided to speak up.

“Because he’s the next assignment. The payout increases the sooner we deliver him.”

“We have to stop them,” Quinn whispered.

“It’s too late for that,” he snorted. “They sent a sniper in this morning.”