Page 49 of Wrecked With You

“You prick!” She burst away from Tony and even as he reached out to yank her back, the Serpent shifted his stance and as he fired,

Tony was reminded the silencers in real life are nothing like the movies.

Dozens of birds shot upwards from their shelter in the trees to flap and caw in the dark sky as Thea stumbled and fell to the ground, the two quick shots hitting her dead in the chest and shoulder.

Tony raced to her side, wincing when he saw the wounds. It was bad—very bad, and he pressed his hands over them, trying to staunch the flow of blood.

“Idiot bitch,” The Serpent said. “Just like that one,” he added, training the gun on Emma, who’d moved to stand by Tony. “Another one who’s good with the pillow talk, just like me.”

“You fucker,” Tony snarled. “She’s nothing like you.”

“No? Then maybe you can tell me why she works for Dailey, too.”

“What the hell?” Emma’s voice was practically a snarl. “What kind of a fucked up game are you—”

“Dailey hired her to take out Billy Cane. Cane’s been skimming funds, and our Emma’s been working for Dailey for years cleaning up those kinds of messes.”

“Tony,” she said. “No.”

But he couldn’t hear her, not really. Not with The Serpent yammering and Thea gasping as he pressed hard, keeping pressure on the wound.

“But I can solve that problem,” The Serpent said, twisting toward Emma. “I can do that little thing for you and get rid of the bitch.” As he spoke, he lifted the gun, ignoring Tony’s shout for him to stop, to stop, to just fucking stop.

A split second later, The Serpent was howling, the gun clattering to the ground as blood flowed from the gash on his wrist. It took a second for Tony to process what had happened, but then he realized that Emma had hurled the steak knife into his flesh—the remarkable accuracy a testament to her skills—and then vaulted across the space so that she was now almost at The Serpent’s side. She thrust up with her leg, catching him under the chin and forcing him to stumble back as she dove for the gun.

He managed to recover and kicked it away, sending it tumbling into the underbrush. Emma dove for it—and The Serpent spun and bolted down the path, long legs churning. Seconds later, the roar of a small boat engine fired, the sound disappearing as the craft sped away.

Emma stood there, gun in hand, her chest heaving as she shook her head. “It’s not true. None of it. Dammit, Tony. Tell me you know it’s not true.”

He didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t believe it. So he ignored it—for now. “Call the main building. Tell them to get a medical team here.”

“No service,” she said, looking at her phone. “I’ll go.” Then she was gone, sprinting through the trees to the main house. And somehow Tony knew that she wouldn’t come back. He’d fucked up. For a moment—just a moment—he’d let himself believe the worst. And not even about her, not really.

No, what he’d feared was that he’d lost his edge. That he’d spent so many years looking only for The Serpent hidden in the shadows, that he’d been unable to see real danger when it stood in front of him in the light.

But Emma … oh, God, Emma. How could he have entertained such a horrible thought even for a second?

“It’s true.” The small, weak voice came from Thea. He’d taken off his shirt to try to staunch the blood, and now the cloth and his hands were soaked as he kept pressure on the wound, and he smiled down at her, murmuring bullshit about how she shouldn’t talk. That it would be okay.

“It’s true,” she repeated. “He…told me. Before. You’re…her…mark.” She gasped for air, blood bubbling at her lips.

“Just hush. Save your strength.”

“I was s-supposed to tell you. Wh-when we were alone.”

“Why?” He couldn’t help asking the question, and immediately shifted. “No, no, stay quiet. Save your strength.”

“Your…father,” she whispered, as he heard the distant sound of a Jeep engine.

He called out for them, urging them to hurry, then focused again on the girl. “What about my father?”

“A—live…father…Morgan. He’s…alive.” For a moment, her eyes went wide. “Forgive…me?”

He sat stunned, never releasing the pressure even though he wanted to scream, to cry, to pound hard against something. But he nodded, even as tears streamed down his face. “Yeah,” he said as he felt the last breath of life leave her.

As the paramedics sprinted around the corner to tend to the dead, Tony took a step back, realizing now that he had a new mission—to find his father.

And that, once again, he was all alone.