Page 53 of Killer Confections (Syndicate Killers #1)

My breaths are ragged and I feel like my heart is beating a hundred miles a minute. Every second feels like an hour as sound crashes all around me. My table gets bumped a few times and I jolt at everyone, praying it isn’t what finally takes my life.

I hear what sounds like Atlas fighting behind me and roll over onto my back, only for my eyes to connect with Kai’s wrathful gaze as his long legs eat the distance between us. I back peddle, pushing the table back with me as he raises the gun and aims at my face.

Before I can react or even think of how I didn’t get to say goodbye, a large figure slides across the dirt towards me and I’m wrapped in an embrace I know all too well. Atlas’s scent envelopes me and his arms squeeze me tightly as he covers me.

“ Atlas ,” I whisper in disbelief.

“I know, baby.” He says comfortingly in a calm voice. “Keep your head tucked. It’s gonna be okay. You’ve been so brave and now I need you to be brave again.”

My throat burns as I cling to him. Unshed tears dot my lashes as I curl my hands in his jacket. I shut my eyes tightly as a gun clicks.

There’s a beat of silence. Then another before I poke my head up over Atlas’s shoulder.

Bailey and Dom stand on either side of Kai, guns lifted to his temples as they prevent him from making another move. Both assassins are covered in cuts, bruises, and blood, but they don’t even look like they’ve broken a sweat.

“Think of pulling the trigger and we’ll end you,” Bailey spits.

Kai slowly lowers the gun, rolling his tongue on the inside of his cheek. “You have no idea what the fuck you’re doing—”

“She knows exactly what she’s doing,” Dom cuts him off, seeping hardly checked rage. “She’s taking back what rightfully belongs to her.”

Atlas keeps me tucked into him, but he shifts to get a better visual of the still-armed assassin behind him. He tangles a hand in my hair as if he can’t stop touching me.

Kai scoffs, “This shit again—”

“Yeah,” Bailey says, tilting her head. “This again. You couldn’t stand that your dad liked me better. I wasn’t even his own blood, and he chose me to take over the South syndicate, but you had to fuck up everything. You forged his goddamned will and made me think he left everything to you!”

Kai narrows his eyes on her. “And what makes you think you were deserving of the syndicate when you weren’t even a part of it until he let you in? For Christ’s sake Bailey, you left the moment things didn’t go your way!”

She bristles. “I left to live a normal life with my fiancé, you fuckhead!”

Dom tenses and I see his jaw work as he looks away from the fighting siblings, like he can’t stand to watch Bailey mention her future husband. My heart pangs for him and I get the idea that maybe his feelings are unrequited…

“And you never should have come back!” Kai shouts. “You don’t fucking belong here, Bailey! You belong barefoot in a fucking kitchen like our poor excuse of a mother!”

My mouth falls open as anger blisters in me.

How dare he fucking speak to her that way?

Dom must feel the same, because he grips the back of Kai’s shirt before shoving a black boot into the back of his leg and forcing him down to his knees.

He leans close to the man, his voice dripping with venom.

“She’s gonna put a fucking bullet in your head and take you for everything you’re worth.

Then you’re going to wish you were barefoot in a fucking kitchen. ”

Bailey raises her gun, pressing the barrel to Kai’s forehead with so much force I’m surprised it doesn’t cut him.

“Say hello to Jane for me when you get to Hell.” Then she smiles.

“Toodles.” Before the gun fires, Atlas tucks my head into his shoulder and I cling to him when the crack pierces the air.

There’s a moment of dead silence before a dull thud and then more silence. The whole time, Atlas clutches me like I’m his lifeline. I try to pull away, but he’s quick to stop me.

“There’s a lot of blood,” he says lowly. “Lots of bodies.”

I nod, standing with him slowly and keeping my eyes shielded in his chest as he walks me toward the door. He only stops when someone steps in front of us.

“Jesus Christ, Thalia,” Rowan snaps from behind us. There was so much going on I didn’t even know either of Atlas’s siblings were here. “You’re covered in blood.”

“What?” she asks. “I left a few alive. Like this guy here.” I hear hard breathing before there’s a scuffle and something— or someone —sounds like they’re dropped to the ground. “We can ask him about Addison.”

“Who?” a deep voice asks in a rasp.

There’s a sharp slapping sound and a groan.

Atlas sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Listen, I’m all for senseless violence, but at least hassle him a little for information before slapping him.”

“You pansies must get nothing done,” Thalia tsks. The man makes a gurgling sound. “Now talk! Where is Addison!”

Heavy breaths leave him as he stutters. “I-I don’t know! I don’t know who that is!”

There’s another loud slap, and I wince. It sounds like it fucking hurts.

“Help me,” Rowan mumbles, sounding like a disappointed dad.

“Brown hair and above-average height!” Thalia rattles off her description as the man she’s captured sobs. Loudly .

“I don’t know!” He wails.

Another slap.

“God dammit,” Bailey curses as she joins our huddle. “Glen, did you see this girl? Did y’all kidnap someone with her description?”

“W-what?” He gasps. “No! We didn’t kidnap anyone! I swear!”

My hand tightens on Atlas’s shirt, and I draw his attention to me. “Where is she then?”

He smoothes a hand over my hair. “I’m not sure, Short Stack, but we’re going to find out.”

I bite my lip as I nod, trying to keep my tears contained for the time being. My stomach sinks further and further, but I hold myself together.

“It’s a possibility whoever took her brought her back to Texas,” Dom says. “We can get a team together and help Bailey get situated.”

“Good idea,” Rowan agrees. “Take Ross, Micah, Dale, and the twins. Report back as soon as you can.”

“Come on, big boy,” Bailey drawls. “Let’s get a move on.

” People move around us, some barking orders, while others attempt to clean up the mess.

Atlas talks to a few people, getting everyone on board with helping Bailey transition over to the South syndicate leader.

Before she can leave, he pins her with a stare from hell.

“Put my wife’s life in danger like that again, and the fucking South won’t be your only problem.” He growls. “I know who your fiancé is, Bailey. He isn’t untouchable. Harm what’s mine again and I’ll fucking erase your future.”

My husband’s threat doesn’t faze the woman as she nods. “Yeah, yeah.” She looks down at the dirt, kicking a boot through it. “I haven’t told Liam yet…”

Dom stops dead in his tracks, whipping around to Bailey. “You haven’t told your fiancé? Does he even know you’re a part of the syndicate?”

Her eyes narrow on Dom. “Trying to be my daddy now?”

A muscle in his jaw jumps before he says something Bailey obviously isn’t expecting. He leans close to her, his voice low and guttural. “If I were your daddy , you wouldn’t be able to talk back with my fucking hand wrapped around your throat.”

No one else hears except Atlas and I. We exchange a look before returning to the soap opera in front of us.

Bailey gasps, her plump lips parting as she stares at Dom with a conflicting expression. “Excuse me?”

He shakes his head, closing his eyes tightly as if he just made the biggest mistake. “Get in the fucking car, Bailey.”

She looks around before leaning into him. “We’re talking about this—”

“About what?” He feigns ignorant before calling the other guys over. He walks out of the warehouse, leaving a shocked and dumbfounded Bailey behind.

Slowly, she turns to us. “What the fuck…”

We could get into the logistics of it all, but Atlas and I only shrug.

“No idea,” I lie.

“He’s a Capri-sun,” Atlas shrugs .

Bailey and I blink at him. I quirk a brow. “Did you mean a Capricorn ?”

He snaps his fingers. “That’s it! He’s a Capricorn.”

I tilt my head, running a hand through his scruff. “You’re lucky you’re pretty.”

He smiles down at me before kissing my temple.

“Well!” Thalia claps her hands and I finally get a good look at her. She’s dowsed in blood. Like from head to toe. Just looking at her is making bile rise in my throat. “I could use a drink. How about we open Dale’s while he’s out?”

A few cheers of agreement come from the other members as everyone files from the warehouse. Atlas wraps an arm around my shoulders, keeping my head tucked as we walk to his car. Turns out they all parked half a mile away, hoping to keep the element of surprise.

As the crisp nighttime air touches my lungs and I finally get a moment to think, my thoughts wander back to my friend.

“Is Addison going to be okay?” I ask.

Atlas hums. “Bailey isn’t going to let anyone hurt her. She’s already called a search for her on the grounds. Give it a few hours and she’ll be on her way back.”

“You sound so confident…”

He stops us, grabbing my chin as he tilts my head up. The moonlight glints off his pale blue eyes and I take in those ruggedly gorgeous features I’ve come to find so much peace in. He really is my person.

“I’m only confident because you make me feel confident, Short Stack. Knowing that you trust me, it does something to me. It makes me want to be better. To make better decisions. Part of that is trusting my gut, and my gut says that she’s okay. Do you trust me?” He asks.

My chest aches as I answer. “Of course. With everything in me.”

His look turns tender as he gives me a soft smile. “Then trust me, she’s okay. They haven’t had enough time to do anything. If she were killed on their grounds, a case would be filed and I’ve had Alana and Connor scanning their database for hours. They haven’t found a single thing on Addison.”

Relief washes over me, and I practically slump against him. “Oh, thank god.”

He rubs my back, chuckling. “Trust in me, baby.”

I look at him, feeling like everything in the world has aligned perfectly, from us meeting to us reuniting. “I do.” I whisper.

He leans down, his lips ghosting against mine. “This is it. Forever.”

“Forever,” I agree, pushing up to my toes and letting him steal my breath in a kiss.