Page 23

22

GUNN

T he drive to Chelsey isn’t long, but the torture seems eternal. With my knees nearly touching my ears in the tight backseat of Gideon’s Bentley, I’m in contortionist hell.

I stare at the side of his smug face and my molars grind painfully. I’d love nothing more than to punch him right now. I swear he’s hitting every manhole on the road just to annoy me.

At least he’s keeping his mouth shut.

We pull up to a five-story building. Scarlet has to wrench me out of the vehicle, and even when I’m freed from that death trap, it feels like my limbs are cramped tight.

“I swear on my own grave that one day I’ll repay him for that and stuff him in a nice little box.” I smile, imagining the way he’d scream as I jam his legs into a tiny cube.

Scarlet doesn’t think it’s funny. “Now isn’t the time. We have to get him to agree to let me go willingly.”

“Mr. Black,” the valet greets Gideon when he hands him the keys. “Miss Scarlet.”

We follow Gideon through the doors of what looks to be a normal apartment complex reception. As normal as any rich asshole’s place can be, that is, with marble floors and big chandeliers and staff dressed in tuxedos.

But nowhere in sight are the armed men and bulletproof glass I expected. Even Luca has a full security detail on the grounds of Briar House.

I lean close to Scarlet. “Where are the guards?”

“You’re looking at them.”

“Tuxedo guys?”

“You didn’t think Gideon would have them wearing jeans in a place like this, did you?” Finally, she cracks a smile.

“Of course not.”

“Keep up, please.” Gideon waves us over to the elevators.

“Nice place you have here,” I say when we reach a penthouse that’s right out of a movie. “Pay for it with all the money you stole?”

He snickers. “Tell me, Gunner. How did you pay for your place? For that matter, how did you fund the purchase of the Keaton Orphanage? Because I know it wasn’t mortgaged.”

“Right.” I peer out the window at one of the most beautiful views I’ve seen. “Except, I didn’t kill people for it.”

“Didn’t you?” He goes to a wet bar and pours three shots of whiskey. “Pot, don’t call the kettle black. Bad is bad.”

I take the shot he’s handing me stare at it. No fucking way I’m falling for this shit again.

“So, can we talk,” Scarlet says, holding onto her drink too, apparently thinking the same thing I am.

Gideon tosses his back. “Sure. Give me your pitch. Why should I let my right-hand, the woman who knows enough about me to bring down my entire empire, run off with my enemy? And I assume you’ll want money too.”

Scarlet grabs my hand and tugs me to one of the leather sofas placed in front of a large fireplace. Gideon sits on the opposite side, leaning back casually, his arm on the backrest.

“We don’t need money,” Scarlet says. “Just the promise that you won’t come after us.”

“Where would you go?”

“New Orleans,” Scarlet says at the same time as I say, “Costa Rica.”

We look at each other and Gideon bursts out laughing. “God, you two are so fucked. Even if I don’t go after you, Luca will. And he will find you.”

“Not if you tell him where Sofia is,” I say.

His smile vanishes, instantly replaced by controlled fury. “I will never give up Sofia’s location.”

“Take something else. Anyone else,” I insist. “You love Scarlet. I can see that now. This could mean her life.”

“No!” he booms.

“Sofia is nothing to you.”

“I said no! Don’t ask me again, Gunner. Sofia is mine and that is not up for discussion.”

I turn to Scarlet. She’s focused intently on the fireplace, her hand tight around the shot glass. She swallows hard before she speaks without looking at him. “I think it’s me that means nothing to him, Gunn.”

Gideon stands and throws his glass into the fireplace. “Dammit, Scar. If that was true, you’d be dead right now.”

“Fine,” she says, her voice choked. “Then just let us go. I swear to keep all your secrets. You know I will. All I ask in return is that you don’t follow.”

“And in return?” Gideon urges. “What do I get for my loss?”

Scarlet shakes her head. “What do you want?”

“A favor. Each.” He paces back and forth in front of us as he comes up with his plan. “I will let you go, but I won’t lose track of you. So that when I need to, I will call in my favors and you will comply. If you don’t, the price will be Gunn’s life. And this time, I’m not giving you the order, Scarlet. This time, I’ll do it myself. Is it a deal?”

Scarlet and I glance at each other.

“What kind of favors?” I ask.

“The kind that will get blood on your hands,” he confirms. “Why else would I bother?”

“It’s a deal,” Scarlet says. “For me.”

I nod. “Fine. It’s?—”

Gideon’s phone rings and he lifts a finger at me when he looks at the screen. “Hold that thought. I have to take this. Gideon,” he answers the call.

Whatever is being said to him has his brows pinched together so tight they might as well be a unibrow. Then, he lifts his cold hard gaze toward me.

“What?” I mouth.

“Where are they now?” His tone is controlled, but something about it tells me he’s been given disastrous news. “Keep them there as long as you can.”

“Who was that?” Scarlet asks.

Instead of replying to her, he rams into me. Scarlet jumps off the couch, barely missing getting kicked in the head as Gideon and I struggle.

“The fuck!” I yell, punching him on the side. He manages to get a left hook in before I fling him off.

I’m instantly up, ready for him this time. When he lunges for me again, Scarlet gets between us. “Stop it! What the fuck is the matter with you?”

“They followed him!” He points at me.

“Who?”

“Luca’s men. They’re in the building. I don’t know how long my team can keep them from the penthouse.”

“Fuck!” I curse.

“How?” Scarlet asks. “No one was behind us.”

“A tracer.” Gideon narrows his stare on me.

“You patted me down. You made me take my fucking shoes off!” I remind him.

“I missed some—” Tugging the Glock he took from me out of his holster, he inspects it. There, beneath the barrel, black and almost imperceptible, is a tracer.

Scarlet snatches it from him and shows it to me. “Did you know about this?”

“What? No. Luca gave me the gun before he…” I trail off, remembering, feeling stupid as fuck for wanting to trust him even after what he did. “He was never going against Carina. It was their plan.”

“You fucking idiot!” Gideon screams. “You led him right to us.”

Shoving Scarlet aside, he throws himself on me again. We go down hard, fists pounding. If he’s doing damage, I don’t notice. I’m too focused on knocking him out.

Everything is tuned out, nothing but white noise in a tunnel with a single sight. Gideon’s face.

Somehow, we manage to stand as we fight. Small hands grab at me, but I don’t pay attention, easily pushing past anything in my way. Somewhere in the distance I can hear screams, but again, it’s too far away and unimportant. The only thing that matters is killing Gideon.

“Stop!” I hear the begging voice say. “Please.”

For a fleeting moment, I do pause. But before I can turn my ear toward the sound, I’m pummeled within an inch of conscienceless.

“Please.”

Blood spurts from Gideon’s mouth after I elbow him in the jaw. Without missing a beat, Gideon socks me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I bend over and am hit in the head repeatedly before going down. But I don’t stay down for long, using the momentum of the fall to ram into Gideon.

We’re well matched, and this battle is going to last a long while. And I’m fucking ready for it. Ready to fight to the death.

“Stop. Stop. Stop!” It’s the desperation in the tone that makes me look, but it’s the horror of what I see that has me reacting.

Scarlet is standing several feet from us, one of her eyes and her lips swollen, her hair a mess as if she tried to come between us. She did try and we were too far gone to realize it was her.

But that isn’t what has my blood running cold. It’s the slashes covering her arms, and the knife in her hand as she continues to slice as she screams, “Stop! Stop! Stop!”

“Scarlet!” Gideon snatches the knife from her hand.

I’m right there with him, wrapping my arms around her and lifting her to her feet to keep her from flailing. “I’m here. I’m here.”

Blood pours from her wounds, instantly soaking my clothes, making me want to scream with rage because we allowed this to happen.

“Gideon,” she calls out weakly.

“Fuck!” he curses. “Why did you do this?” He’s standing in front of us, his face bruised and worried. His gaze roves over her body, and the worry is replaced by shame. “Scarlet.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “You didn’t stop and I was scared and I couldn’t stop you.”

“Get her—” Gideon doesn’t get to finish that sentence because in that moment, there’s an explosion so powerful, it rocks the entire building. “They’re here.”

“Shit.” I scoop her legs up, cradling her to me. “She’s bleeding heavily.”

Gideon snatches the gun off the floor. He rushes to the side of the fireplace and pushes what looks like a regular set of shelves, revealing a secret doorway. “Through here. This stairwell leads directly outside. Get her the fuck out of here.”

“Wha abou you?” Scarlet asks, her words slurred now.

“I’m so sorry.” Gideon’s lips tighten and he smooths back her hair. To me, he says, “Get her out of here. Protect her with your life, or I’ll fucking end yours.”

I give him an oath; one I don’t intend to break. “If anything happens to her, I’ll end it myself.”