Page 35 of Murder & Mayhem (Bloody Desires #9)

JAMESON

T hey had a swing out there. Not like one of those at a park, but one of the wooden benches.

I guessed they were called a porch swing, but this wasn’t on a porch; it was just kind of in the middle of the grass.

I had a feeling Gideon had had something to do with that.

The yard was nice and so very normal. There was a fire pit and a grill and a lot of seating.

It both seemed to fit them perfectly and made no sense at the same time.

In so many ways, the brothers were so . .

. I didn’t want to use the word normal, but it was the only one I could think of.

And then there was their side job of murder.

But even that made a warped brand of sense now that I knew their history.

I could totally see how someone who’d gone through the shit they had, I had, snapping enough to take matters into their own hands when it felt like all the systems in place always failed.

I pulled out the switchblade that I had in the pocket of the hoodie. Mad as I was at Dominic, his hoodie was giving me some sense of comfort and I couldn’t bring myself to give it back to him.

I flicked the blade open, then closed it against my thigh, the blunt side down. But fuck it was tempting to switch it. If I didn’t have to be ready for Bailey . . . I would give in to that release I needed.

I flicked it open again and ran my finger along the blade.

Fucking Dominic. How dare the asshole try to stop me from doing this.

And I was really thinking about trying something with him when this was all over?

At least I’d learned how much of a controlling dick he was before I did something I’d regret.

And okay, I get that he was worried, but I’d known the dude for two days. He needed to get a fucking grip.

My pocket vibrated, and I froze. Vibrations. My phone. It was too soon for the handoff, so any call was questionable.

It vibrated again and my mind snapped online.

It was another unknown number, and I clicked accept.

“Hello?”

“Oh, Jamie? Thank God.”

Bailey. He was whispering, his voice shaky and nearly hysterical.

“Bailey? Bailey, what’s happening?”

“I-I think I killed him.”

I jumped to my feet. “Killed who?”

“The guy . . . the guard or whatever. After the call, pirate pervert left and he was dragging me back to the container, but he got distracted so I got loose, and I-I think I killed him!” He was practically crying now.

“Shh, Bails. It’s okay. It was self-defense. Don’t worry about that now. Where are you?”

“I-I don’t know. A few blocks away from where they kept me. They have other kids, but I was so scared, I grabbed his phone and then I ran. ”

“That’s good. That was real smart. Don’t worry about the other kids. We’ll make sure they get help, I promise. But Bails, where are you? I need to get you.”

He paused. “Um, I don’t know.”

“Okay, that’s fine. What do you see? Is there a store or something? I need a landmark.”

“Uh, there’s a bar. Tank’s Tavern.”

I quickly put the name in my GPS. He was fifteen minutes away.

“Is there somewhere you can hide? I’m close.”

“Y-yeah. There’s an alley nearby.”

“Good. Hide there. Do you have a weapon?”

“No.”

“Try to find something. A pipe, a heavy branch or piece of wood, whatever. And then stay hidden. I’m coming for you, okay?”

“Y-yeah.”

I walked out of the side gate on autopilot. The driveway was long, but it gave me time to call an Uber, since I couldn’t fucking drive. Thankfully, there was one close. By the time I walked down the driveway and to the main road so I wouldn’t have to give the address, the Uber was there.

I got inside after confirming the driver.

It was about five minutes after he’d taken off that I realized what the fuck I’d done.

I had a house full of killers and a few more on the way.

I had people who could help me. They had experience and the skills to protect us and get us safely away, but I’d gone into immediate survival mode at the plea in Bailey’s voice.

Even if I was pissed at Dominic, I was fairly certain he’d handle everything.

And I’d just left on my own. I hadn’t been thinking.

Bailey had called and I’d reacted. I wasn’t going to be one of those dumbass teens in a horror movie, thank you very much.

I went into my contacts, trying to figure out a way to reach them, since I didn’t know their numbers, and then saw Dominic, Gideon, and Ari were all listed there.

Fucking Dominic. I could only be thankful that he was an overbearing shit, though, and I quickly dialed Gideon’s number, not ready to deal with Nicky.

“Hello?”

“Gideon, I fucked up.”

“Jamie?” Suddenly, he was all business, “Where are you?”

I relayed everything, and after minimal cursing, Gideon told me to stop the Uber and wait for him.

“Nah, I’m not doing that. I know I screwed up, but I’m halfway there now and Bailey is terrified and alone. Meet me there, I’ll text you the address.”

“Jamie, I swear to fuck?—”

“Bye, Gid. I really hope you get there quickly.” I hung up before he could say anything else and quickly texted him the tavern name.

Gideon came back almost immediately with the “You done messed up, A-a-ron” meme, but then a thumbs-up and a “we’re on our way” seconds later, so I allowed myself to relax a fraction, even if we weren’t out of danger.

I vowed I wouldn’t do anything too reckless. I’d assess the situation. I’d get to Bailey and I’d wait until Gideon and crew got there. I’d make sure they knew about the other kids and the possibly dead guard and let them deal with that.

I wondered if Dominic would come with Gideon and if I even wanted him to.

I knew the answer to that. Of course I did because I was a fucking sucker.

I was going to end up like my mom, wasn’t I?

Ignoring all the red flags for a pretty smile and a little bit of praise?

Though, Joey’s smile had never been pretty, and the kindest thing he’d ever said to Mom was “stupid bitch,” so maybe we weren’t so alike after all .

Augh, this shit was too confusing. Once I had gotten us away from Joey, I’d vowed I was staying far the fuck away from anything resembling a relationship, or even a hookup.

They were more trouble than they were worth.

And this proved it. I mean, we weren’t even together.

I’d jerked him off once and we were already down each other’s throats.

It was toxic and fucked up, but even knowing all that, I had no idea if I was strong enough to walk away when this was over. God damn you, Dominic fucking Vecchio.

The Uber driver pulled up in front of the bar. He turned around and raised an eyebrow at me skeptically. He was an older guy, probably in his late forties, and he was looking at me like I was one of his kids about to do something I shouldn’t.

“You sure this is where you want to go, kid? Are you even old enough to drink?”

“Not that it’s your business, but yeah,” I lied. It wasn’t like I planned on getting anything.

He sighed. “Whatever. Not my problem. Just be careful, okay? In this kind of place, a lot more than drinking goes on.”

A shiver ran down my spine. I was well aware of what went on in places like this. I couldn’t wait to get Bailey far the fuck away from it. “Thanks.”

I slid out and slammed the door shut before he could say anything.

The car hesitated only for a second before speeding off.

I gripped the switchblade in one hand and my phone in the other as I headed for the alley on the side of the bar.

That seemed like the most logical place for Bailey to hide.

It wasn’t until I felt something sharp cut into my foot that I realized I was barefoot.

No wonder the driver was giving me looks.

I was a fucking mess. I picked the rock out of my bare sole, glad it wasn’t glass or something worse, like a needle.

I was more careful about my steps as I moved forward .

I glanced around my surroundings, but the street was quiet and I didn’t notice any immediate danger. Still, I kept my eyes peeled and ready. I squinted into the darkness, trying to find my brother.

“Bails?”

Nothing, then some rattling, then a quiet, “Jamie?”

I used the flashlight on my phone to watch as Bailey crawled out from behind the dumpster. “Oh fuck, Bailey.”

In seconds, my little brother, who was actually two inches taller than me but we’re not talking about that, threw himself into my arms with enough force I stumbled back.

“Jamie!” He sobbed, clutching the back of my hoodie with both hands.

“I’m here. You’re safe.”

Bailey shook his head, “They’re gonna come for me again. They won’t let me go. Especially after what I did.”

“I won’t let them,” I vowed with more conviction than I felt. After all, I’d let him be taken once. How was I going to stop it now? “And don’t worry about anything else. We’ll fix it.”

Bailey shivered hard, and for a long moment, I held him, my own tears freely flowing down my face.

Fuck, he was here. He was alive and relatively unharmed and here.

For the first time since I’d gotten the text, I allowed myself to feel all the fear and worst-case scenarios I wouldn’t allow myself to think about.

Eventually, I pushed him to an arm’s length away so I could get a good look at him.

His eyes were bloodshot from tears or exhaustion, and there was a nasty looking bruise on his cheek, but otherwise he seemed okay.

He was still wearing the clothes he’d had on when he’d been taken, and though they were dirty and a little worse for wear, they weren’t torn, and I hoped like hell that was a good sign.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere else?” Besides his face, I meant. “Did they . . . ?”

Bailey shook his head. “No. They didn’t touch us, besides shoving us around. I’m okay, Jamie. I promise.”

Relief hit me so hard it was painful. He wasn’t okay, not really, but it could’ve been so much worse. Bailey knew firsthand how much worse it could’ve been. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to process everything.

We weren’t out of danger yet, so I only gave myself a few seconds to feel and then I shut it all down till later. Till I was positive Bailey was safe and this was all behind us, and then I would fall apart.

“Come on. Let’s go somewhere less in the open. Gideon, one of the guys who’s been helping me, will be here soon.”

Bailey gave a short nod but froze in place, eyes wide. I didn’t need to ask any questions to know why the sudden change because the cold, blunt barrel of a gun pressed into my head at the same moment a hand wrapped around my mouth, holding me completely still and silent.

“Don’t fucking move or your brother gets a bullet in his brain,” someone snapped at Bailey.

That voice. I knew that voice. It still haunted so many of my dreams and was ten times worse than any gun to my head could ever be. O’Malley ground the gun into the base of my spine, causing me to wince despite myself.

Bailey was frozen in place. I tried to meet his eyes, to tell him to run and that it didn’t matter what happened to me, but he either didn’t understand my unspoken pleas or was ignoring them. Knowing Bailey, it was the latter.

“I won’t. I’ll cooperate.” Bailey’s voice was quiet but steady, calm overtaking him in this flight-or-fight moment.

I wished I could feel the same, but Bailey had always been better in these situations.

While I shut down, he remained in control, strong in the face of adversity.

It was one of the many ways I’d failed him as a big brother. I was never strong enough.

“Run!” I tried to scream through the hand over my mouth, but O’Malley slammed the pistol hard into my skull.

“Shut the fuck up! You two whores caused more trouble than you’re worth. You’re coming with me.” I wondered if he realized that Flame and the rest of the Wraiths were looking for him by now. Probably.

“Let’s go.” O’Malley started to drag me out of the alley. I automatically grabbed his arm, not really to fight back, but so I didn’t fall. “No funny business,” he snapped at Bailey.

“I won’t.” There was something off about Bailey’s tone, like he was planning the exact opposite. I tried to catch his eyes to tell him not to do anything reckless, but he was blatantly not looking at me.

I was dragged backwards, my bare feet scraping across the uneven ground. I dug my heels into the pavement, hoping I’d bleed and leave a trail. A warped version of “Hansel and Gretel” for when the brothers finally got there.

He pulled us out of the darkness of the alley, not worried about being on the main street. I managed to twist enough to see behind him, and there was a windowless van with the sliding door open and a huge dude with a rifle waiting. No one was going to fuck with that, not in this neighborhood.

My fight finally kicked in. There was no way we were getting into that van.

O’Malley didn’t want us dead, otherwise we would be by now.

This newfound clarity lit a fire in me. I didn’t need to win this fight, but I had to slow it down until backup showed up.

I met Bailey’s eyes and gave him a please fucking run look, then I slammed my elbow back with as much force as I could manage into the fucker’s solar plexus.

“Ungh.” O’Malley’s grip loosened slightly. I dug my nails into his forearm and tugged down as I aimed a kick at his shin.

My foot missed and I lost my balance, but I was still free from the gun against my head. Bailey screamed as the guy in the van came barreling forward.

“Run, Bailey! Find Gideon. He’s a big ginger dude. He’ll help you.”

O’Malley got control again, his fist striking me in the side of my face. “You little fucker!” he snapped, his fingers curling in my hair and painfully tilting my head back. I swung blindly, desperate to get him off as he nearly tore every strand out of my scalp.

A gun went off. Bailey screamed. I connected to flesh with one of my fists. Then another hit to the side of my head made my vision swim. I heard Bailey call my name.

“Bailey, run! Run!” Then, more blinding pain exploded before darkness took me.