“Everything is fine!”I yelled toward the door, and the goon paused and glanced back at Carlos and me.“Just doing some redecorating before Dad moves back in.We got into a little argument about paint, and I knocked over a lamp with the roller.I’ll stop by when I’m done, Mrs.Thurman.”
Carlos grabbed me by the hair again.“You’ll learn only to speak when spoken to.”Then he nodded at the goon.“Kill the old bitch.No witnesses.And make it quick.We’releaving.”
Another protest left my lips as Carlos dragged me toward the back door, right beside a tarp wrapped around what had to be mybrother’sbody.
When I struggled to untangle his fingers from my hair without success, he growled in my ear.“If you don’t cooperate, I’ll send someone to the rehab facility to kill yourfather.”
He dragged me out the back door and down the steps into thebackyard.
Dazed, I fixed my gaze on the rosebushes.My dad had planted one every year on my mom’s birthday.They lined two fences now, and I wished I’d been here to help him do it instead of spending so much time away.Maybe then I would have had a clue what was going on, and Heath wouldn’t have done whathedid.
Carlos jerked to a stop, and I stumbled in front of him.He wrapped an arm around my body and pinned me to his front as a familiar voice rumbled in a menacinggrowl.
“Lethergo.”
Rhett.
63
Rhett
Icouldn’t geta clear shot.First the trees, and then Ari being too close to the target.Now that I saw her face, bruised and bloody, I cursed myself for not takingtherisk.
“He killed Heath,” she croaked.“They’re going to kill Mrs.Thurman from across the street.You have to stop them.”Her wrecked voice matched her appearance.“Don’t let themhurther!”
One of the crew peeled off and ran for the front of the house as Carlosgloated.
“You won’t take the shot, Hennessy.Too worried about harming the woman whose brother killed your father.Pathetic.”
Heath killed myfather?
The information sliced into me but I didn’t let it show.Right now, all that mattered was getting Ari away from him and taking thismotherfuckerout.
The back door to the house burst open and shots rang out.A round punched into my shoulder but I ignored it and did the only thing that made sense.I dived at Carlos and Ari, knocking them to the ground before he could pull hisweapon.
Bullets flew over our heads as Ari snapped into action, maneuvering her body and wrenching Carlos’s wrist back to get him in an arm-bar like she had the morning I saw her with Carver.I leaned up and landed a punch tohisface.
“You don’t fucking hit a woman.Didn’t anyone teach you that, you piece of shit?”Blood spilled from my shoulder, and I hoped like fuck itblindedhim.
“You’re going to die,” he said, his accentthickening.
“Wrong, asshole.That’syou.”
When I reached for the gun in my ankle holster, Carlos yelled, “Killthem!”
As I rolled back up, Ari’s entire body jerked and she lost her grip on Carlos.He shoved up to his knees and I didn’t hesitate.I pulled the trigger, putting a bullet right between his fucking eyes.His body fell sideways as I crawled toward Ari.Bullets still flew, but all I saw was the blood gushing fromherneck.
“We need a fucking ambulance!”I roared the words as I yanked her shirt up to put pressure on the wound to slow the bleeding, but her eyes wereclosed.
Someone behind me unloaded on the last man standing, and the gunfirediedaway.
“Ari, wake up,” I pleaded.“Stay with me.I won’t fucking lose you now,goddammit!”
Rix skidded to a halt beside me.“Ambulance won’t be quick enough.We gotta get hertherenow.”
I ripped my shirt off and wrapped it around her neck before we lifted her and carried her totheSUV.
“Five minutes.She’ll be there in five minutes.”Rix met my eyes.“She’s gonnamakeit.”