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Chapter Twenty-Three

SKYLA

Kalani dives to the floor. “Get down!”

She hasn’t even fully touched the ground when gunfire explodes all around us.

I drop down behind my desk, once again grateful for the heavy wood as the bullets shatter glass through the construction office.

Blindly, I open the bottom drawer, reaching for the button that opens the hidden compartment in it.

I pull out my gun and check the magazine as everything goes silent.

Footsteps tap against the wood floors.

Silence.

Did they leave?

A gunshot and a groan.

I guess not.

I creep to the door, gun in hand.

Kalani has crawled under one of the other desks, and I signal for her to stay put.

A dark shadow moves across the door.

One of the lockers out in the main office opens and slams shut.

I shift around the doorframe, aiming the gun and pulling the trigger as the shooter appears from around the corner of the bank of lockers.

The bullet sinks into his right biceps, and he drops the gun.

Kalani scrambles out from under the desk, grabbing the abandoned gun and aiming it at the man glaring at us. She looks over at me, her chest heaving as she keeps the man glued in place.

I advance on him as he clamps a hand to his wound.

Blood stains his shirt and creeps down his arm, seeping through his fingers.

“Who the fuck sent you?” I aim the gun at his heart.

He smirks and presses his lips tight together, dark eyes boring through me like he would kill me with nothing but his gaze if he could.

I tilt my head to the couch behind him. “Sit.”

Two of the men who work for me come rounding the corner.

One of them is shot, his hand clutched to his torso, though it seems to be doing little to stop the blood.

“Need help, boss?”

“No. Just get him to the hospital and send everyone else home for the day.”

My men leave while Kalani stands taller, her finger wrapped around the trigger of this guy’s gun.

She keeps the gun steady while the man moves to the couch and sits down.

I drag over a chair and sit in front of him, aiming the gun at his crotch. “You’re not going to bleed out from the wound in your arm, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to kill you if you don’t tell me what I want to know.”

“And what do you want to know?” He smirks, draping his injured arm over the back of the couch and allowing blood to trickle down the beige leather.

It’s going to leave a stain that’s going to be impossible to get out.

“Who sent you?”

He shrugs. “You seem like the kind of woman who would have a lot of enemies, from what I hear.”

“And you seem like the kind of man who values your life to some degree.” I shift the gun to my other hand and pull out my knife, stabbing it into his thigh, grinning when he screams. “That will heal too, but I doubt that it’s going to be easy. I seem to have cut through a muscle or two.”

He grits his teeth, the muscles in his neck straining as he looks at the knife like he’s torn between leaving it in or ripping it out.

I make the decision for him, pulling out the knife and laughing when blood spurts out. “That’s going to be more complicated for the doctors to fix. If I were you, I’d tell me what I want to know.”

“You’re not going to let me live either way.”

“You’re right about that.” I wipe the bloody blade on his pants. “Would you let someone live if they tried to kill you?”

He clamps his hands down on his thigh. “If you’re going to kill me, there’s no reason to answer fuck all.”

“See, I think there is.” I lean forward, dragging the blade down his forearm, leaving a deep cut. “If you tell me what I want to know, I promise I’ll make your death quick. You’ll barely even know it’s happening.”

He presses his lips together in a tighter line and shakes his head.

Apparently, whoever sent him paid him enough money to earn his loyalty. To some degree, at least.

But everybody has a price, and I’m going to find out his.

Instead of dealing with him now, I pull out my phone, calling Joshua. “You know, this little business partnership you have is starting to become a real problem for me. I can’t have people showing up at my door all the time and looking to start shit with me.”

Joshua sighs. “And why do you assume I have anything to do with it?”

“My life was peaceful before you came into it. People left me alone. And I didn’t have to look over my shoulder every second of every day. Now that you’re here, it seems like a full-time job.”

“I still don’t see how people wanting to kill you is my fault.” He makes a noise in the back of his throat, and the distinct jingling of his car keys comes from the background of his call. “Where are you? I’m coming to deal with this.”

“Too late.”

I end the call and turn back to the man in front of me.

His eyes narrow, and his nostrils flare.

I drag the side of the blade down his face, his skin opening and blood oozing as I go.

“You know, it’s been a long time since I cut someone’s face off, but I think, for you, I would be more than willing to make an exception. I’ll even make it extra fun for us by doing it a piece at a time. Maybe start with your forehead. It’s going to hurt. You’ll probably pass out from the pain.”

His eyes widen, his body drawing away from me.

He doesn’t say anything, but it doesn’t matter.

I can smell the fear seeping from his pores the closer I get to him.

He knows I mean it. He knows I will.

It’s finally becoming clear to him that it is up to him how painlessly he dies. Because he will die, and he knows it just as well as I do.

But I gave him a choice.

And now he needs to decide…

How he wants to die.

How brave he’s willing to be.

How much loyalty money can really buy.

I keep dragging the knife down his face. “But don’t worry. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on anything. So, I’ll stop each time you pass out and wait for you to wake up. It’s more fun that way. We could really enjoy our time together.”

His arm drops from the back of the couch as he shakes his head.

“No? Aw…” The sweetness of my voice disappears. “Then tell me what I want to know, and I’ll make your death as quick as I can. It’s that simple.”

“Grady Granville.”

“Thank you.” I stand and put the gun to his temple, pulling the trigger.

The body goes limp against the couch.

Kalani sighs and tosses his gun into his lap. “I’ll call the cleaners to come deal with this mess.”

Joshua walks into the office while the cleaners are taking the body out. “I told you not to kill him until I got here. Do you ever fucking listen?”

“Not often.”

He rolls his eyes and looks at the bloodied couch. “Who was he working for?”

“You get one guess.”

The color drains from his face as he looks between me and the couch. “The Granvilles.”

“Grady, specifically, but yes. Your future father-in-law is now trying to have me killed.” I cross my arms over my chest, trying to hold the irritation at bay so I don’t lash out at him.

I’ve been so good at not killing Joshua when he pisses me off. Sure, it’s crossed my mind, but I’ve never acted on it. I don’t know if I even could.

He’s not like my normal victims—beyond the pissing me off part.

I like having him around. He quiets the voices in the back of my mind that want me to do horrible things to people.

The cleaners come back in the room, grabbing the couch and heading out the door.

I take a deep breath, moving away from the stench of the bleach they used to clean the floors. “I told you I was getting tired of this, Joshua, and I mean it. If I have to end this myself, then that’s what I’m going to do, but it’s not going to be pretty.”

“You need to get yourself together. You can’t just go and kill him.”

I stare at him, mouth dropping open before snapping shut. “You’ve got to be kidding. You’re going to stand here and say that I can’t do that when your importer just tried to have me killed?”

“Look, I’m going to handle this.”

“How? Because I’ve seen your version of handling things, and I can’t say I’m impressed so far. Right now, if it weren’t for Kalani, I would be dead.”

Andrew strides into the room, a look passing between him and Joshua. “Trouble incoming.”

I throw my hands up in the air, pacing away from the two of them. As I glance out the windows, the cleaners’ black van pulls away, the catering logo bright and cheery on the side.

Nobody in their right mind would think that there’s a crime scene in that van.

And that’s when Logan’s car pulls into the parking lot.

“Trouble’s a fucking understatement.” I haul open the fridge and get out an energy drink, cracking the top and pouring some back.

I’m going to need all the caffeine I can get if I have to deal with Logan this early in the morning.

Joshua steps to the side while Andrew leans against the wall in the empty space where the couch used to sit, scrolling through his phone.

Andrew turns the phone to me, a couch on the screen. “This one is going to be more comfortable for your clients. The old one was atrocious.”

Logan walks in the door as Andrew is speaking. His gaze cuts to me, and there’s a smug smile on his face.

“You’re right. But the one I’m having delivered should be good enough. And the old one has already been hauled away, so it’s too late to change my mind about what should be here.”

Logan looks between the four of us.

Andrew and Kalani filter out of the room to go discuss a replacement coffee table that will match the new couch I still haven’t picked out.

I put on my most welcoming smile. “Is there something I can help you with, Logan?”

His gaze darts around the office before it locks on me. “You know, this is going to be a messy battle in court once I’m done with you. I’m going to be handing over everything I have on you, and once the lawyers are done tearing you apart, you’re going to rot in jail.”

“Officer, could you tell me what crime I’m being accused of now?” I keep my tone sweet while I look at him. “And is there a warrant for my arrest? Because if there is, I would like to see it.”

His lips press into a thin line. “You know what you’ve done.”

Joshua steps forward, seemingly looming over his brother even though he stands a few feet away. “If you don’t have a warrant to serve, then you’re here outside of an official capacity to harass her. Imagine what your superiors are going to think when they hear about that.”

Logan’s face turns a deep shade of crimson, his lips becoming an invisible line on his face. “I’ve tried to save you more than once, Joshua, but you’re going to go down with her if you keep picking the wrong side. You’ve got no clue what she’s done or what she’s capable of.”

I’m about to step forward and say something, but Joshua gets there first, taking Logan by the collar and slamming him up against the wall.

Logan groans, his face contorting.

Joshua draws closer to him. “This is the last time I tell you to leave this alone. I’ve been more than lenient with you, and I’ve grown tired of it.”

For the first time since I’ve met him, there’s fear in Logan’s eyes. If nothing else, he knows what his brother is capable of, and he’s not willing to cross him.

Logan swallows hard. “I could have you arrested for this.”

“Try it.” Joshua slams him into the wall again. “You’re going to leave my wife and her family alone.”

He drops Logan, letting him scramble out the door before turning to me.

Running a hand down his face, Joshua rubs at his eyes before looking at me. He sighs, shoulders slumping as he draws closer.

“I’m going to deal with all of this.”

“How?” I step closer, putting my hands on his chest and sliding them up, linking them together behind his neck as his arms circle my waist. “We can’t keep letting this continue.”

Andrew steps back into the room. “Boss?”

“Go after him.” Joshua doesn’t pull his gaze from mine. “Make sure he keeps what happened here to himself and remind him that I own his ass.”

Andrew nods and leaves, Kalani trailing behind him with a gleeful smile.

It’s been a long time since she was able to wreak some havoc of her own. Now might just be the right time to turn her loose.

After she and Andrew are gone, Joshua lifts a hand to push some of my hair behind my ear.

He places a kiss on my jaw just below my ear. “I’m going to kill them.”

I study him for a moment.

His words ring with the same sincerity that shines in his gaze. “Do you want to come to my family dinner, Friday night?”

“That’s all it takes?” His tone is teasing before he brushes his lips over mine. “All it takes to get you to melt is promising to kill people?”

“There’s a certain appeal to you handling business so I don’t have to.”

“And that means that I get to spend more time with your family?” He smirks and touches his lips to mine again, lingering a little longer this time. “That hardly seems like a fair trade.”

“What would you like instead?”

He pauses for a second or two before a solemn look comes over his face. “I want to tell your family the truth about us.”

Everything around me freezes.

This can’t be happening.

Why does he want to ruin things when they’re finally getting good?