Page 39 of Blue-Eyed Jacks (Destroyers MC: Skilletsville PA #1)

Kate

B ehind Shock was another man, one of his lackeys who’d accompanied him to Skilletsville. What was his name? Did it matter? I froze on the stairs. The tableau of my doom waiting for me at the bottom.

Cara, however, didn’t freeze. She opened fire.

I dove to my knees on the stairs, letting the suitcase slide down the carpeted steps where it crashed into the wall as the staircase turned ninety degrees.

The case broke open, and papers and photos spilled out.

More gunfire erupted, and Cara made a strange noise.

I glanced up just in time to see her face.

Her mouth was open. A bloom of red expanded across her shirt.

She staggered, leaning on the railing for support, and the gun in her hand slipped from her fingers.

It landed on the carpet with a dull sound.

Or was that imagined? Another blast of noise, this one bringing down paint and debris from the ceiling.

Cara tried to bend over to pick up the gun, but her balance was all wrong.

Instead, she fell against the banister. Her momentum dragged her down.

In a last effort to control the slide, she sat down, her shoulder against the railing, mouth open, eyes dead.

The lackey slipped on the piles of papers and then raced past me to shoot Cara point-blank in the head. Her body pitched backward to the carpet. “All clear.” His voice sounded muffled to me.

Bandit was his name. What a dumb time to remember useless trivia. I cursed silently.

I slid down a couple more stairs, my feet landing on the folders and carpeted steps strewn with photos. Faces, names, events, blackmail. One in particular stared at me. A woman… the Jane Doe who’d washed up along the river.

That would be Cara’s fate. Mine, too, if I didn’t act.

I scrambled to stand, but the pile under my feet was slippery.

Bandit beat me to the turn. He grabbed my arm and pulled me with him as he side-stepped the debris littering the staircase. Something caught his eye, though. He halted abruptly and picked up a photo from the pile. His face darkened with anger.

“What the fuck is this?” He held the photo up so Shock could see it.

“None of your business. Bring Kate here.” Shock scanned the scene. “Where’s the kid?”

My lips tightened, and I fought Bandit’s grip, going onto my ass so he’d be fighting my entire weight. But gravity and the slippery contents of the suitcase were my enemies. He dragged me down, rumpling papers and making the mess expand.

Meanwhile, Shock turned in a circle. “Zoe? Come out. We have your mom.” His tone turned into a sing-song. “Come out and play, Zoe.”

It shifted to his normal, more menacing one as he addressed us.

“Move your asses.” Shock pulled out his gun and pointed it at Bandit.

But Bandit was distracted by the photo in his hand. “Are you blackmailing Big G?”

Like a snake, Shock’s focus fixed on his henchman. I’d witnessed that glare before. It promised pain. I shrunk lower so I wouldn’t be caught in that tsunami of destruction.

“Bring Kate here.”

“That’s how you got Nonno to agree to make you regional president, isn’t it? You forced his hand.”

The casual way Shock took aim at his own man chilled my bones. “I’m giving you one chance because you’re a brother. Bring. Kate. Here.”

Bandit’s nostrils flared. I cowered at his feet, covering my ears because I knew what was going to happen next. He’d hesitated. Bandit’s final act was defiance. And Shock hated defiance. So much so he’d kill a member of his own club.

Bandit’s body slammed against the wall. He crumpled at my feet.

I cried out, not screaming but whimpering like some wounded animal.

I scrambled for the door. It was the only thing I saw in my tunnel vision of fear.

Not Shock standing there with a smoking gun, nor the new marble Cara installed on the floor that was slippery as heck, nor the papers and photos clinging to me like dark shadowy demons.

But one thing stopped me short.

Zoe.

She stood in the doorway of the office.

Run!

I willed it but did not speak it. I froze at the door, climbing to my feet to save my daughter. “Fuck you, Shock.”

I didn’t stop there. I spewed out a tirade of all the injustices he’d ever had a hand in.

From the vile way he raped me to the crimes I’d witnessed in my short time with him.

Even spitting on the floor and blaming him for Cara’s death.

“It’s all because of you. All this death.

All of this torture and loss are because you are the most vile man I’ve ever met. ”

The bastard smiled. “You finally noticed?”

“I noticed.”

If anything, his grin got wider and more macabre. “Then you won’t be surprised by this.” He lifted his gun and aimed it at me.

Adrenaline dumped into my system. But I had to distract him from my daughter.

“Surprised? No. I’m only surprised it took you so long to kill me.

Why?” Keep him talking. Feign interest into his twisted mind, cater to his fucked up ego.

I’d learned all of that from him. Now, I used that knowledge to buy time.

“You always were my favorite.”

Oh, spare me. “I’m sure that’s not …completely accurate.” I’d almost called him a liar. Survival instincts screamed at me to change my phrasing at the last second.

“I suppose not. Girls are a dime a dozen. But you were… how to say it?” He stared off into space for a theatrical moment, searching for the right words to cut me.

“Defiant? No. More like patient. You knew when to back down. But you were always searching for a way out. I never knew when you’d run.

You were only biding your time. That’s because, deep down, you’re truly like your father.

He was a patient man, too. Waiting for his time to strike. Eating my shit for years.”

Shock paused to rid himself of a bad memory that flashed on his face like he’d tasted something bitter.

“He went to the Feds. Right behind my back.” Shock lifted his head to the upstairs railing. “Thank God Cara warned me. That’s why he died. She did it.”

“She didn’t pull the trigger.” That was all his doing; I had no doubts about that.

That ugly smile came back. “She might as well have.”

Zoe tried to slip from the office to the kitchen hallway. It caught Shock’s attention. “There you are.”

“Shock.” I tried to get his attention, but he was having none of it. And I was too far away to throw myself on him so Zoe could get away.

“She’s pretty like you. I wonder if she blushes?”

“Leave her alone.” My voice didn’t sound like mine.

He noticed that. “Your mom was always such a shy, quiet creature. But I knew she had a backbone. I loved beating that fight out of her.”

Zoe’s eyes darted to mine for answers. I shook my head.

No, he didn’t beat it out of me. I would fight to the very last breath. But I’d do it my way. Patiently. Like water eroding stone.

“Do you take after your mother?”

“Don’t answer him,” I interjected.

“Aw, you can talk to me, sweetheart.” He turned on the charm.

“I repeat, leave her alone.” I stepped forward, hoping to draw his attention.

It worked. He refocused his aim on me. “Or what?”

“Or nothing. You don’t talk to her; you don’t touch her.”

“How are you going to make that happen?”

His leer sent a chord of terror through me. But I kept my face calm. “Whatever it takes.” I took another step forward. I was almost within touching distance of the gun.

“Try again. You’re old. Bred. Used. Using your body won’t work on me, Kate; you’re useless.

I’m thinking I need something newer. Fresher.

More… virginal.” His head tilted toward Zoe.

She edged away from him, moving back toward the office.

Her shoulders were hunched, and her hands tucked tightly in the front pocket of her hoodie.

I wanted to scream at her. Not that way.

Don’t walk like prey. Don’t come closer to me so he can shoot both of us.

Please . She took another shuffled step toward me.

Damn it. I spoke with my “mom” voice, “Zoe? I’ll do whatever it takes, but that’s my sacrifice, not yours.” I meant it.

Her eyes locked on Shock. Her eyebrow, the crooked one, lifted. It was so similar to Jackson’s that my heart hurt. Whatever she was planning, it wasn’t good.

“Zoe, please,” I begged her to listen to me.

Shock laughed. “Teenagers, huh? They never listen.”

Zoe straightened, her hands sliding out of the pocket of the hoodie. They met in front of her. In them, she had Gina’s tiny gun. The one I’d thought she’d set on the ledge by the gun range hours ago when Nonno interrupted us. Zoe must have grabbed it when we scrambled into hiding.

Shock’s laughter died. “What are you going to do with that thing? Shoot m—”

Bang!

He stepped back, reeling from the impact of the bullet.

Bang . She fired again. Then she emptied the clip into his chest, not stopping until she stood over him, and the trigger clicked over and over again as she tried to pump more bullets into his corpse.

I approached her to take the gun from her hand, but she flinched and nearly pointed the gun at me, still pulling that damn trigger.

I held my hands up. “Zoe, it’s me. Mom.”

Her eyes were empty.

I tried again and put a little more force into my words. “Your mom . You know, the woman who almost had you in the back of a squad car because you decided to be born in the middle of an ice storm?”

She blinked.

Her hand shook.

I took that as a sign to take the gun out of her hand. “It’s okay.”

She hit my chest like a freight train, hugging me so hard I had trouble breathing.

The weapon in my hand was hot. I shifted it away from her so she wouldn’t get hurt. Then I wrapped my free arm around her so she’d be safe. So she’d know she was loved, no matter what. I whispered it into her hair. “I love you.”

“Mom.”

The word caught in her throat. I tucked the useless gun into my pants pocket to hold my baby. Damn, all the safety tips Gina had drilled into my head. Hugging Zoe mattered most right now. I figured the gun had been dry-fired enough times to prove it was harmless.

Seconds later, I wished I hadn’t tucked it away.

Bandit groaned.

I spun, pushing Zoe behind me, and dug for the useless gun. Maybe he’d been out cold long enough that he didn’t know it was empty. Or maybe I could bluff my way through this bullshit.

He was slow in sitting up, making all sorts of noises a healthy young man shouldn’t make.

He rubbed at his chest. “Fucking bullshit cheap-ass vest…” he spat out as he struggled to catch his breath.

I kept the gun trained on him. He finally noticed.

“Don’t shoot.”

“Then don’t move.” I sounded calm on the outside, but inside I was wondering what the fuck would happen next. This night rivaled some of my worst nightmares.

“Don’t plan on it.” He leaned heavily on his arm. As he did, he stared at the flotsam of blackmail surrounding him. He shifted a page to see what was underneath. “We need to pick this up.”

He was on his own with that. “I don’t think we need to do anything. You can.” I lifted the gun a bit higher.

He squinted at me. “Woman, I heard at least seven shots. That gun’s empty.” He shifted and displayed his weapon. “And this one ain’t.”

“Zoe, this time, listen to me. I want you to run. I don’t care where, and I certainly don’t want your opinion on it. Just do it.”

Bandit set the gun on the floor. “Damn it. I’m not going to shoot you. I just… need some help.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“I didn’t stutter. Zoe?”

She glanced up. “Cara had the keys to the van. He could catch up to us on foot.”

My daughter had a point. “I don’t suppose that boyfriend of yours taught you how to hot-wire and drive his motorcycle?”

“I wish. If Dad were here…”

See which one fills up faster… “He isn’t.”

“Then maybe one of us should help him and the other one get the keys?”

That was a dilemma. Send Zoe upstairs to deal with a dead body? Or let her be close to an asshole biker with a gun? I’ll add, a place where she could be used as leverage? I opted for neither.

“Not until he’s tied up. Go in the office, see if there is any packing tape, cord, you name it, something.”

Zoe followed orders and came back out with a roll of clear packing tape. Probably not the best tool, but not completely worthless.

I approached Bandit cautiously. He might be faking. “Toss your gun into the foyer.”

His incredulous look was not comforting.

“I’ll slide it, okay? After it’s unloaded.

” He took his time, first ejecting the clip, then clearing the chamber.

He tossed the clip to the floor by Zoe’s feet.

It landed with a clatter, and one bullet inside popped out and rolled to a stop against Shock’s body.

Bandit then held the empty gun out to me, handle first. “We’re cool, okay? ” He held out his hands to be taped.

No, we weren’t. I passed the gun to Zoe, who picked up the clip and reloaded it. That single lesson with Gina was coming in handy for her. I grudgingly admitted she paid attention. If only that also applied to her schoolwork.

Which would not happen unless we got out of here and somehow magically made it home. And then, somehow magically stopped a bunch of bikers from tracking us down again. Maybe Cara had a good idea?

“Pass me that suitcase.” He’d landed within arm’s reach of it.

With a little more complaining and a very delicate hand off, I had the suitcase. I flipped it on its back and began stuffing papers at random into it. We were almost done when a noise above us made me freeze.

“Cara’s dead, isn’t she?” Zoe asked.

I sighed. “I fucking hope so.”

“Yay, Mom, way to get ruthless.”

I side-eyed my daughter. We waited—Bandit, Zoe, and myself for the next shoe to drop.