A loud bang is heard, and he drops his hand and turns it to the side, to where the sound came from.
I smile, knowing full well what it was.
“What did you do?” His head swings back to me. “I’ll kill her… is that what you want?” he screams, stepping back, so he is behind her now.
I step up to Everly, she’s now right between us. My hand touches her stomach where he hasn’t hurt her and I grip her. She knows it’s me straight away and her breathing deepens.
“You won’t be able to kill her, Roberto. You’ll be dead.”
His head whips to the side again at another loud bang. I reach for the knife in my pocket and slice the material holding her in place, she drops right into my hands.
Roberto backs up as Everly clings to me.
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” he says, raising the gun. I move her around behind me and she manages to stand while holding on to my body as it blocks any more harm coming her way.
Just before he opens his mouth again, the front door opens, and I don’t even bother looking because I know who it is.
“Jasper, you’re dealing with him?” Roberto states while shaking his head. “I’ll double whatever his offer is.”
Jasper walks up to me, and when he does, I grip Everly tighter, knowing full well she’s now safe.
“Oh, yeah? What are you offering?”
Everly grips me harder from behind.
Roberto smiles. “I’ll offer you everything but the runs. I want the runs,” he says, referring to the drug and gun-running.
Jasper turns to me with a grin and I smile back.
“He already has it,” I say, watching as the smile falls from Roberto’s face.
“W-What?” he stutters.
“I told you I was phasing that part of the business out. What did you think that meant? I want to succeed in the right way. I want a clean business, all my way. That wasn’t my business, it was my father’s.”
Roberto goes to move toward me, but before he can, one of Jasper’s men comes up from behind him and slams the butt of his pistol into his head, making him drop, and his gun falls from his hand, sliding across the floor to land at my feet.
I turn to look into eyes that hold all of my fucking heart and I see pain, so much pain. “I need you to wait outside, I’ll be there soon.” I brush my fingers across her face and she nods.
I’m in love with my ex-wife.
And now I’m about to kill for her.
22
Everly
So much pain, it radiates through me as if it’s happening all over again.
“Oh my God, Everly.” Hands touch me and a jacket is placed over my shoulders. I look up to see Isadora with worry written all over her face. “Are you okay?” She gently touches me and I flinch. “Oh God, you aren’t. I’m such an idiot.” I look back to the house and shake my head as I start to walk back, each step more painful than the last. No one stops me, and each step feels like my body’s on fire.
But I have to see, I have to know what they’re doing to him.
As I reach the door, I hear Gunner’s voice. Who would have thought that hearing Gunner’s voice would become a thing of comfort for me? The minute I heard him I knew I would be all right. I knew he would save me. My hand touches the door handle and I turn it ever so slowly, the jacket Isadora gave me is hanging from my shoulders as I step inside.
“You think you can touch what’s mine and you can simply walk away?” Gunner adds with a laugh.
I hear a grunt, and something drops, and as I walk in, I see Gunner standing over a very bloody Roberto. He leans down, whispers something in his ear, and I see the glint of a knife as it goes into Roberto’s side, making him scream out in pain. Jasper’s standing next to them, not fazed at all with what’s happening, and two men, who I think are dead, lay near him on the floor. I never saw either of them when I walked out. Who are they?
“She doesn’t want you,” Roberto manages to say while grunting in pain. He stays on the floor, but his head turns and sees me standing at the door. “Do you, love? You don’t want him anymore.”
All heads then turn to me. Gunner walks my way, his hands covered in blood go to touch me, but I take a step back. I don’t want those hands on me with that blood. The blood of the man who I didn’t want touching me, and who took that liberty without my permission. I have enough of my own blood on me right now. Gunner drops his hand, his features sadden at my reaction, which he takes as rejection.