Page 54 of Max

I was done with this staking out shit. We needed to get in. I needed to take Skylar out to safety. I pushed through the barrier when I heard they confirmed that she was in there and ran right at Stone’s upturned palm that hit the center of my chest.

“Out of my way,” I reached up and pushed his hand away.

“We don’t know how many are in there, holding her,” he turned his head, listen to what Brody whispered, and tilted his chin up.

“Actually, we do know who’s in there.

“Her cousin,” I said something I already knew.

Why were we just standing around losing time, while Skylar was in there?

“And Barone’s mother,” Brody said.

“What?”

“She’s the one who’s behind it all.” the guys talked. “We took out three guys within minutes of arriving.”

I didn’t know how they managed to make them talk, but I was sure it included the visit to the hospital later.

“Fucking hell,” I muttered.

And then a shot fired inside the warehouse.

Skylar

I was on all fours. The bullet hit me in the arm, the burn unbearable. God, Max was going to lose his mind. This was his worst fear, and now it was becoming a reality.

“Now, now, Skylar, you can do better than that,” Irene chided somewhere from behind me.

She was enjoying this.

She wanted to prolong it as much as she could.

I didn’t feel the same. If she wanted to kill me, she will have to do it on my terms. I was not going to run anymore. I was strong. I had people now. I had a family. I was in control of my life. I had a say how I would live that day. Slowly, I hauled my aching body up. I turned. My aching feet carried me across the room until I stood in front of her. I didn’t get too close, but close enough, I could see her eyes.

Irene cackled, “Can you believe her? She thinks she can intimidate me by staring at me.”

Kiki’s eyes were wide, but she laughed on cue.

“Do it,” I whispered. “If you want to do it, do it. But do it while looking at my face.”

I don’t know where all that bravado came from. I just knew I was tired of being pushed around and told what and how to do.

Irene stopped laughing and said, “As you wish.”

She raised the gun, I closed my eyes, and I thought of Max. I jumped when a shot was fired.

Max

“Good hit, kid,” I said to Brody while I ran by him.

That was a fucking great hit. We opened the door, entered, and the kid took a shot.

I kneeled by her and saw blood. I pressed the wound on her arm with one hand and hauled her body to mine with the other.

“Bean?” I called.

“Am I dead?” she asked in a small voice.