“It’s not safe.” The words were barbed wire in my throat.
“I’ll stay with Davis,” she said quickly, desperately. “Please… I can’t do this. I can’t be here for one more second.”
Her eyes darted toward John’s body again, and she shuddered. My hands dropped to my sides, all the fight draining out of me. I watched her flee, her soft sob slamming into my chest more keenly than any knife. Through the broken door, I saw her hail a taxi and jump inside, putting as much distance between us as possible.
Numbly, I turned to face the gory scene in my tiny apartment. Only minutes ago, I’d held Allie in my bed. Now, blood splattered the walls and coated the kitchen tiles, oozing into the rug beneath my couch.
I stared at my dead cousin for a few long seconds before my body began to move on autopilot. I had a job to do: a body to dispose of. That was a familiar task, something I’d done more times than I could remember.
Allie was probably only a few blocks away by now, but we’d never been farther apart. This bloody reality was my life. I’d known that I wasn’t worthy of her, and now she knew it too.
CHAPTER 11
Max
I forced my body to remain relaxed as I waited for Fitzgerald to show his smarmy face. In a few minutes, I’d either be shot on sight, or I’d finally complete my mission to blackmail the mayor.
I rubbed at the ache in the center of my chest. I should be buzzing with anticipation of my triumph, but all I could think about was the horror in Allie’s lovely eyes as she’d stared at my bloody hands.
Had that awful scene really only been this morning? It felt like agonizing days had passed in the hours that I’d been separated from her. The need to follow her had been a maddening itch beneath my skin, but I didn’t know where her friend Davis lived. If I put my mind to it, I’d be able to figure it out, but she’d made it clear that she didn’t want to see me.
So, after I’d taken care of John’s body, I’d turned my focus back to my most important task: reclaiming my birthright. Once I held power over Fitzgerald, I could go back to my father and tell him what I’d done, that I’d killed John and wanted permission to finish things with Paulie. They’d defied his orders to leave Allie alone, but I wasn’t certain that Father would accept what I’d done to my cousins. They might be rabid dogs, but they were still family.
The best way for me to protect Allie was to earn my father’s confidence and kill Paulie. She wouldn’t be safe until he was eliminated. Even if she was terrified of me, I would be the monster that she needed me to be, no matter how she might protest.
You are a monster, Max. She’d been right when she’d flung that accusation like a dagger to my heart. She’d convinced herself that she’d been wrong, but she’d been lying to us both. I would never be the man she thought I was: someone good, someone worthy.
I tugged at my sleeves, uncomfortable in a suit when I was accustomed to my leather jacket. That’d been destroyed when I’d gone into the fire to save Allie, but I couldn’t have worn it tonight, anyway. I had to blend in with the crowd of people leaving Fitzgerald’s fundraiser.
I ran my fingers through my hair, ensuring that the dark curls covered the most obvious damage to my face. I didn’t want to attract any attention, and my scar was horrific enough to make people stare. For now, they were all busy making their way home, most of them a little tipsy after enjoying Kelvin McCrae’s free Champagne.
Dozens of people got into cars and waiting cabs, leaving McCrae Tower in a steady stream. I remained near the door, leaning against the wall as I waited for my target to emerge.
My palms were sweaty and my heart was in my throat by the time Fitzgerald finally came outside, making his way toward a waiting black limo. I stepped directly into his path, pretending to stumble against him drunkenly. A bodyguard at his back exclaimed as Fitzgerald grabbed my shoulders to steady me, his mayor’s smile carefully in place despite the irritation that flickered in his eyes.
They widened when they caught on my scarred cheekbone.
“Invite me into the car with you if you want your daughter to live,” I murmured, the threat ashes on my tongue.
It was a gamble; I couldn’t be certain that Allie hadn’t reached out to him since she’d left me. But she’d said she was going to stay with her friend, and I knew how angry she was with her father. I was betting that he had no idea where she was.
He paled, and I knew my gamble had paid off. Just as his bodyguard grabbed my elbow, Fitzgerald lifted a hand to stop him from pulling me away.
“It’s okay,” he assured the guard. “This young man is a friend of mine.” His mayor’s smile was more strained now, but he managed to keep it in place as he said to me, “I’ll help you get home.”
We walked the short distance to his waiting limo, and I held the door for him, gesturing for him to get inside. His hands shook slightly as he passed me, obeying my subtle command. I followed, shutting us both inside the car. I finally had him right where I wanted him: trapped and vulnerable. Forced to sit quietly and listen while I played the blackmail recording that would secure my triumph over him.
Anticipation should’ve fizzed through my veins, but something toxic pumped through my body instead, poison pulsing from every beat of my ravaged heart.
Despite my anguish, I smoothly followed through with my plan. After a brief glance to ensure that the privacy window was closed, hiding us from the driver, I grabbed my gun from where it was holstered at my side. Fitzgerald blanched when I trained it on his heart.
He swallowed hard, but his eyes glinted as he demanded, “What have you done to Allie? Where is my daughter?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, grasping at the anger that swelled at the thought of how he’d broken her with his lies and corruption. Anger was far more comfortable and familiar than the pain that twisted my insides.
“If you don’t know where your daughter is, that’s your problem,” I sneered.
His fists furled at his sides, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “I will kill you for touching her. If you hurt her—”