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As I stand in front of him, the gun swinging towards my head, I know I should be afraid, but all I feel is relief that he is no longer focused on them.
The wild look in his eyes is matched by the trembling of his gun. Whatever he is planning here, I have to stop it. My life has only just begun to have meaning again.
But all my demons and past sins are coming home to roost. For a long time, I have lived in this bubble, believing the terrible things I did would never catch up with me, not truly. And yet, my crimes are about to be brought to account.
I swallow the lump in my throat, keeping my hands loose at my sides so he doesn’t have a reason to fire the gun.
Sophia is fussy, her little cries hitting me in the gut like a wrecking ball. I want desperately to go to her, but I can’t risk moving.
“Why the fuck would I let them go? Having them here keeps you in line,” Richardson says.
There are huge bags under his eyes, and the wired look he has tells me the man is not sleeping much.
Angry and exhausted… that is a dangerous combination.
“This is between you and me. I’ll go wherever the fuck you want me to go, but they are not a part of this.”
“It’s interesting to me that you think you have any right to negotiate in this situation.”
I hear the gunshot before the pain registers in my shoulder. White-hot agony spreads from my collarbone all the way down my arm and spine. My legs fail, driving me to my knees as stars spill in front of my eyes. The pain is intense, but all I can focus on is the scream Heidi lets out at the same time as the shot is fired.
Logically, my brain knows she has not been injured. The gun was trained on me, not her, but my gaze snaps to her, checking she is in one piece still. That terror in her eyes has morphed into something beyond that, and I hate seeing her fear. She was meant to be safe here. They both were, and now, I’m scared Richardson is going to torture me by slowly killing them.
“Shut up,” Richardson says.
“Everything’s gonna be okay.” I say this to Heidi, even as I keep my eyes locked on Richardson.
I hope she trusts me enough to get us out of this situation, because there is no way in hell I’m letting anything happen to her or my child.
“That’s an interesting promise to make,” Richardson says, “considering you have zero power in this situation.”
I press my hand against my shoulder, feeling warm blood pool beneath my palm. I can’t tell how badly I’m hurt, other than the pain, but I can’t waste too much time. The longer I’m bleeding, the weaker I will become, and I need all my strength to protect my family.
I glance at Bobby, who seems uninjured though clearly angry at the situation he finds himself in. His gaze finds mine and I see apology in it. I don’t need his sorries. I need him to help me get us out of this fucking disaster.
His hand moves slightly, and I follow it, seeing a hint of metal clutched in his palm. A knife maybe. Attacking Richardson with so many people in one space is never going to have a good outcome. There’s too much risk of the gun going off and hitting Heidi or Sophia.
But I also understand that we are in a terrible situation.
“Just tell me what you fucking want.” I glare up at him, blood trickling between my fingers from the wound to my shoulder.
“I’ll admit, the way you killed my men had a certain artistic flair to it. If I didn’t want you dead, I would’ve offered you a position in my organisation.”
“That’s an interesting proposition to make,” I mirror back his early words. “But I’ll pass. You’re going to die in this room, Desmond. There is no way in hell you get to walk out of here in one piece.” It’s a bold assertion to make, considering I am the one on my knees bleeding and he’s the one with the gun.
He throws his head back, cackling like a madman.
“No one is leaving this room alive.”
I ignore the tremor that works through me at those words. “Everything that has happened is your fault. You started this war, and you killed people who didn’t deserve to die.”
“We both know your hands aren’t clean either, so don’t pretend like you’re some kind of fucking saint.”
I glance at Heidi and try to communicate with her to move towards the patio door. If she can get into the garden, I can distract this lunatic long enough for her to run.
She shakes her head minutely, and I want to scream. Now is not the time for her to show loyalty to me. I need her safe. I need my daughter safe.
But despite her reluctance to leave me, she does edge ever so slightly towards the door.
