AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With speed, Brendan reached out, grabbed Genevieve’s arm, and flung her toward Killian.
Genevieve screeched in surprise before screaming, “What? Brendan, no!”
Brendan sprinted toward Marshal, lifting the pistol. He hoped Roxy would elbow Marshal’s ribs and he’d get a chance to fire at least one shot at him—to leave Genevieve free of Marshal was the best he could hope for as he left this world.
“Ow,” Killian wailed behind him and began to cough like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. “Ms. Gen, don’t!”
As if in slow motion, Marshal leveled his gun next to Roxy’s shoulder, still using her to shield his body like a coward. Brendan wasn’t going to get the satisfaction of a shot. Too bad. I love you, Gen! He closed his eyes, ready to meet his fate.
A sharp tug on his shoulders reared him back, and his eyes popped open. Genevieve’s body flew in front of him, and a shot rang out, echoing through his eardrums. No! For a painful second, his mind processed what was about to happen with no way to stop it. Roxy screamed, and Genevieve crumpled onto the desert floor.
Brendan fell to his knees beside her, dropping his gun. “No,” he cried out, gathering her into his arms. “No, no. Baby, no, please. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was supposed to be me.” Blood pooled across her upper right shoulder, soaking through her blue blouse. He ripped his shirt off and applied pressure to the wound, hopelessly repeating, “It was supposed to be me.”
Genevieve groaned in pain and paled, her eyes fluttering. “No, it wasn’t,” she murmured weakly. “This is my mess, not yours. I always planned to cut off the head of the snake. Take the recording from my bra and put him away for me, Brendan. Don’t let him hurt anyone else.”
Sounding more annoyed that his plan had been thwarted than that his so-called fiancée was dying, Marshal ground out, “Guess we’ll go with the ending where I let you live, office freak, so you can bask in your lovesick misery.” Still shielding himself with Roxy, he shuffled slightly closer, peering down at Genevieve. “You should have accepted your fate in my arms, dove. You had to know the only other way this could end… If you’re not with me, you’re not with him. One of the two of you had to die. I just never thought it would be you.” He sighed heavily, masking what appeared to be ego-driven regret with a subtle smirk. “Such a shame, but I always win one way or another.” Roxy twisted her body around, trying to break free, and he tightened his hold. “I’ll take your mom with me for now. Need a hostage after all.”
Genevieve whimpered and tried to sit up.
“No, baby,” Brendan pleaded in a soft whisper, “stay down and hold still. Let us handle it.”
Settling back down, Genevieve closed her eyes in exhaustion. Thankfully, her chest continued to rise and fall. Brendan applied more pressure to her wound, praying it was enough to keep her alive while blocking out the grave image of his now deep-stained, blood-red white shirt.
Killian stepped protectively in front of Genevieve’s crumpled form. Brendan thought about handing Killian the pistol by his side, but he didn’t want to take the pressure off Genevieve’s wound.
Marshal scoffed. “Never pegged you for a traitor, Killian.” He raised his brows. “Offering yourself up as bait? You’re just as stupid as King.”
“Now, Roxy,” Killian shouted.
As if she’d been waiting for the command, Roxy knocked the gun out of Marshal’s hand. “Mr. King,” she yelled, “take Genevieve and go. Get to the hospital.”
There were still too many threats for him to move Genevieve, but at least Marshal no longer had a gun.
Killian stood tall, shoulders relaxed, exuding an air of unshakeable confidence. “Let Roxy go and surrender, Marshal, or we’ll shoot you. You’re unarmed and outmanned.”
Marshal chuckled. “You’ve got to be joking. Seems to me you’re the one who’s unarmed.” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “And outmanned, Killian, really? How do you figure?”
“You’re clueless about loyalty, Marshal,” Killian drawled out. “I can assure you that you’re outmanned right now. I didn’t get it for a long time, but I do now. When push comes to shove, it’s about caring and love, not money and power. Last chance.” He gestured firmly toward Genevieve’s mom. “Let Roxy go.”
Marshal snorted out a laugh and signaled the thin man to his left with his chin. “Mateo, kill him. He’s gone soft.”
So that was Mateo? Lanky and strong with legs like a distance runner, Mateo looked like he could travel at inhuman speeds—no wonder he’d caught up with them outside The Outlaw. Analyzing Mateo, Brendan’s confidence wasn’t in line with Killian’s. Though Brendan agreed with Killian’s revelations about loyalty, he still didn’t understand—how exactly weren’t they outmanned? Besides him, Mateo was the only one with a gun, and Brendan wasn’t going to be able to pick his up off the dirt fast enough.
Mateo aimed his pistol at Killian’s chest before lightning-fast swiveling the barrel toward Marshal. “Let Roxy go, Señor Marshal. I run with Killian. If he’s gone soft, so have I.”
Oh, damn, okay, that’s how. Killian’s got strong allies, too. If we live through this, he’s definitely earning triple.
“Yeah,” Roxy cheered, “that’s right, Mateo. Tell him who’s boss.”
Marshal unleashed a venomous sneer. “Fucking bunch of softies. Momma Dear’s blood is on your hands. She’ll die as soon as I’m safe.”
“Boss,” Luke called out in an urgent tone from the terrace, “we’ve got to get out of here.” He raised his gun while analyzing the bloodshed scene. “Full artillery is coming down the drive in addition to the choppers, and they’re closing in fast.”
With his arm still looped around Roxy’s waist, Marshal began to shuffle toward the terrace. “I’m unarmed, Luke,” he shouted. “Cover me.”
Luke fired a few shots that pelted the dirt about three yards to Brendan’s side. Clearly, Luke was a technical guy through and through, not a skilled marksman.
Bullets began to fire out of the Hummer’s driver-side window toward the terrace. Quill! As to be expected, he, too, was not so accurate, but it worked. Luke ducked and ran through the French doors into the house. Quill had finally gotten in on the action. His best friend probably had Marshal’s men running for cover the whole time the three of them had been wedged against the side of the house.
