A Captive Situation (Kings of New York)

Jake looked ready to collapse as soon as he chose. My heart ached for him.

When they brought me in, I tried to let him know. I was sorry for running. I was sorry for not trusting him. I wasn’t sorry for helping Blake, but I was sorry I got caught. I was sorry for not thinking anything through, but there were other things I wanted to tell him.

I wanted to tell him all the things that I wasn’t sorry about. Meeting him. Kissing him. Falling in love with him. But it was almost over. The fight had started to drain from him and as soon as he said those words, an order was given.

EJ was dragged out of there.

That voice spoke, so emotionless behind me, “Take him to Presbyterian. Dump him in front of the ER, then wait for more orders.”

“Yes, boss.”

I hadn’t looked behind me. I’d only gotten a glimpse of some men in the warehouse before I saw Jake, and I hadn’t looked away from him. He was staring at me, his shoulders drooping in defeat. He’d had a plan. I saw it. There’d been something he was going to do, but the second he saw us, it changed. I watched it drain out of him.

I wished he would see that so many of the men were leaving. If we could do something, it would be now. EJ was safe, or would be safe. We could fight back.

Dammit. I had a bucket list. I was determined to go to the Aloha Festival in Hawaii. According to Google, it was famous. Him and me. We could still go.

We could do something, anything, and we could live. That’s what we did. We survived and then we did stupid things in bed together. I wanted to do that again. I wanted to be stupid with him. Let’s be stupid together, Jake.

I was silently pleading, but he shook his head, just slightly.

He was done.

All the hope left me. It’d been EJ. The sight of him stopped everything. Lane knew about his son. He would always know about his son.

He’d always be able to get to his son. That’s what Jake was thinking.

A swell of frustration and helplessness burst inside of me because we could kill him now. Then EJ would be safe.

I tried to look behind me. I wanted to see what this fucking monster looked like, but there was still one man behind me, and he growled, “Eyes front, bitch.” He used his gun to hit my face, sending me sprawling on the ground in front of him.

A savage growl erupted behind me. A body launched himself over me, and I heard fighting sounds. Grunts. Fists connecting.

Bang! “Enough. Stop this.” That was Lane. A body hit the ground at an angle, and my heart froze because was that Jake? Had he shot Jake? I knew by how hard that body hit and how that body wasn’t moving, they were dead. Whoever they were.

My jaw and cheek were throbbing from where the guy kicked me, and tears rushed to my eyes, but I held them back. I looked, rolling over a little bit to see who had been shot behind me.

I was staring into the dead eyes of someone I didn’t know. It wasn’t Jake.

Relief coursed through me, and a sob broke out.

I looked, searching. He was breathing hard, but he was still on his feet. We weren’t all the way gone. There was still hope. As long as one of us was standing, there was hope.

I didn’t want to die today.

So many stupid regrets flew through my mind. All of it was there in a flash. Stupid Beck. I didn’t love him. I didn’t think I ever had. Maybe I had. I must’ve at some point, but that died long ago. I hadn’t known. I didn’t care anymore. There was so much more in life. I wanted to do it all. Experience it all. Achieve it all. I had a bucket list of accomplishments I wanted to check off, but settling down in Bear Creek with Beck as my husband should’ve never been on that list. I was thankful for Manda now. I wanted to send them a gift basket, wish them well, and congratulate them on their coming baby.

I would never have to have kids with Beck. Thank you, Jesus.

I wanted those things with Jake.

I wanted to go whale watching with Jake.

Go to an elephant sanctuary.

See if zebras truly were mean or just misunderstood.

I wanted a home with Jake.

I wanted a career, whatever that would be. I wanted to find it, with Jake at my side.

I wanted all of it with Jake.

I wanted to have kids with him. We still had time. I was only one year his cougar. I wanted to have sex all day and all night long. I wanted to do it for a week. A fuck week. Go to Tahiti and never leave the hotel room because of all the fucking yummy delicious sex. With Jake.

I wanted to see my family again. Hug my mom. Laugh with Graham. I even wanted to give Maude a hug. It wasn’t her fault she was so grouchy, I didn’t think. I wanted to find out either way, but I couldn’t do any of that if we didn’t fight. I still wanted to get to the bottom of the family rift. I hadn’t mended it.

Let’s fight, Jake. Go out in a blaze of glory. I’d be down for that, as long as it was with him.

But to do that, he needed to fight. We needed to fight.

We could do anything together.

I was trying to relay all of this with my eyes, and he was reading it all, but there was nothing looking back at me. He was lying down for Lane.

Then he winked at me.

I gasped, and regretted it. Stupid duct tape.

But he winked. I saw it. He winked.

Okay, okay. I was wiggling around, trying to throw myself up on my knees. I was doing a hell of an impersonation of a turtle flipped on its shell. My limbs somewhat flailing around.

I was ferocious.

“Get her up.”

I manifested that, just not quite this way. Two rough sets of hands took my arms and hauled me to my feet. I was jerked around, this time facing Jake and Lane.

Ugh. I could see which one was him right away. Short. Grotesque. No wonder Blake was running from him. He had a belly on him and he was sweating profusely. He was so dirty inside. I could tell. He had a gun in his hand too, but it was pointed at the floor. He wasn’t man enough to handle us without a gun, huh? All his men he paid weren’t enough for him? Or he was going to shoot us instead—

He spoke. “Take the tape off her. You can both have a moment. Say goodbye. It’s the least I could do for family.”

That little sweaty guy was not Lane.

It was the kid next to him. The kid! What the hell? He was a kid. How old was he? Then again, Blake was young too, but this guy? Really? He looked like any other young twenty-year-old. He could’ve still been in college. I mean, he was good looking in an “I’m dead inside and don’t care about putting a bullet in your forehead” kind of way, but him? Him?

He didn’t even have a gun. And he was half standing, as if bored by the whole fiasco. He looked more ready to pop on some headphones and take a stroll outside listening to music on his way to some party. Maybe I was exaggerating how young he looked, but he didn’t look old enough to be the evil and heartless monster that he was.

Rough hands grasped my head. I had one second’s notice and the tape was ripped off.

“Aghhhhhyoufuckingpieceofohmygodthatfuckinghurt,” I screeched, sputtered, and whined, bending over to breathe out through my nose. I was going to kill Lane. I was going to kill the dude who took that tape off. I was going to kill the guy who kicked me, oh—he was already dead. I was going to kill everyone, and I glared around the warehouse to let them all know.

They were so terrified of me they didn’t dare let it show. Good. Right. Don’t let me see how much I unnerve you. I was still going to kill them all.

Just needed a fucking plan to do it.

“I hope she kills you one day,” I hissed. It hurt to talk.

Lane turned that lifeless gaze my way.

I flinched because it was eerie to have that stare on me.

“I changed my mind.” He raised his gun swiftly—Where did that gun come from?

“No!” Jake got in his way, stepping between us. His back to me. “Jesus Christ, Lane! She’s going to die. Of course she’s going to try and say something. She doesn’t go down easily.”

Lane sighed. “This has taken too much time already. Say your goodbyes.”

“I want to hug her.”

“You want to hug her?”

Jake was firm. “Yes.” He’d stepped back, close enough to touch me. I didn’t look at Lane again. I didn’t want to see that zombie-looking pretty face anymore. Jake was all that mattered. He stepped farther into me, and brushed the back of—what was I feeling?

I mean, his vest was rubbing over my breasts and he was kinda getting them excited.

Vest. He was wearing a vest. The lightbulb clicked on.

This was Jake’s plan.

We could get out of this.

He was bargaining to get my hands freed. I was only half listening, because he was rubbing against me in the slightest movements. They were tiny and he was trying not to draw attention to it, but he was being purposeful about it.

What was this extra bulge I was feeling? It was pressing under my sternum. That’s what he was rubbing over me. He wanted my attention drawn there.

Was that . . . My hands were still tied together. No matter what, I couldn’t do anything until they were freed.

“Fine. Fuck’s sake. Cut her hands free. Let them hug. Then kill them while they’re embracing. I want to get on with this and find my toy.”

A man approached, grabbed my arms, and jerked me to the side. He took a knife, cutting through the tape. I released a breath of air when I had feeling in my hands again, which then were immediately filled with pins and needles as the blood drained back down. I hissed again, wiggling my fingers.

Jake turned to face me, his eyes intent on me. He spoke low under his breath, “Back flap.”

I frowned, whispering, “What?”

His face cleared. “My back flap.”

Where he’d been rubbing against me. A flap.

Holy Gods of Everything Against Mafia. He had a gun there. Or a weapon. I was hoping it wasn’t a knife because we were screwed if that was the case. I had no knife-throwing skills.

“Hug, fucking hell.” Lane’s patience was done.

Jake stepped into me, his eyes going over my shoulder.

He had something else planned, but I knew my mission.

Our chests touched, my hand slipped under his shirt, found the flap, yanked it open and shoved inside. As soon as my hand closed around the end of a gun, Jake growled in my ear, “Now!”

He reached behind me, grabbing the guy that was there as I stepped to the side, his gun coming out of his vest and in my hands. I aimed it right at Lane, who didn’t move except his eyes widened only a little bit. A spark lit.

There was a slight scuffle behind me, but another body hit the ground. I heard the safety being taken off a gun. Crap. Right. I needed to do that too. I’d forgotten.

Jake yelled, as the rest of the men in the warehouse drew their guns on us, “No one fucking move!” Then he shot three times. Three thuds sounded right after. He moved to block me. “We have one gun on your boss and I’ve got the rest of you in my sights. Don’t fucking move.”

No one moved, but I was betting those three thuds were guys that had moved.

My heart was soaring. This plan was awesome. We were going down fighting.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop killing my men, cousin. Though, maybe you’re weeding my infrastructure, making it more sturdy? In that case, thanks.” Lane flashed his teeth, biting out that word before the corner of his mouth turned down. He studied us. “What do you think is going to happen here?”

Jake expelled a harsh sound. “I think we’re going to walk out of here and we’ll continue this fight another day. That’s what I think is going to happen.”

“I still have your son, Jake.” Lane’s face still never showed any emotion, but that spark was there. Faintly. But no other emotions. No fear. No surprise. If anything, he seemed a little befuddled, but that was it. He wasn’t perturbed. His face was still flat.

“When he’s dropped off at the ER, when your men get back, we’ll walk out of here.”

“I’ll send them after him again.”

“Then Sawyer walks out of here now.”

Lane’s mouth lifted in a smile. It was startling. “Yes. You’ll let your woman get a running chance, won’t you? And you’ll stay here, holding my men off because, as you’re aware, I’ve done my research. You think I didn’t know what our family first trained you to become, but I do. I’m glad that you’ve decided to show it to me.” He sounded genuine.

Jake’s eyebrows bunched together, momentarily. “I can see the antisocial diagnosis, but were you also diagnosed as a sociopath?”

Lane grunted. “Not quite.”noveldrama

Jake made a noncommittal sound, his lips pressed together. “Psychopath. Good to know.”

I was bouncing between them. What did this all mean?

Jake went back to being Mr. Killer Man, but the random question got Lane’s attention. His gaze lingered on my man, a different look starting to edge into his gaze. I couldn’t place it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to even try, but he kept studying Jake.

“This was supposed to be a suicide mission, wasn’t it?” Lane could not look away from Jake. It was as if he were a new puzzle to him. “Killing me was the only way to ensure those you love would live.”

Jake didn’t reply. I could feel the tension and anger rolling off him in waves. It was filling the warehouse up, adding and doubling when it was meeting the tension from the rest of the men. All the men. All with guns. All pointed at us, and we were holding off certain death with Jake’s shooting skills.

If we got out of this, the first thing we were doing was booking our trip to Tahiti. I really wanted to fuck my man right now. And then we’d talk about this fucking asinine suicide mission, because what the fuck? I was finally living my life, and he was going to end his?

I don’t fucking think so.

He couldn’t give me the sun and take it back.

Everything stopped in the next breath because Lane said, “I’m going to call your bluff.” He began to raise his gun.

My stomach dropped.

Then two things happened at once.

A minivan roared into the warehouse, and I pulled the trigger.