Page 27 of Final Reckoning

13

Fire

“He’ll come for her,”Bree says.

I stare at her. Bree, what the fuck? Santiago says, “You sound confident.”

“I know his type. Not sure what he’s been busy with, but he’s not finished with her.”

Brianna’s my twin; I know when she’s lying. She believes every word she just said.

Santiago finds her convincing too. “In that case, I don’t need you.”

I leap in front of Bree when he swings the gun her way, while she, in turn, shoves Jade behind her. “Let them go,” I say with more calm than I feel. “You’re right, you only need me.”

“But why should I let them go?”

Thinking on my feet is more Brianna’s strong suit than mine. I’m an introvert; I need to plan my words. “You know the Adamos are protecting us,” I say slowly. “I don’t know what you’re doing right now to distract them, but it’s only temporary.”

“Your point?”

“Sooner or later, you’ll answer for this. It’ll go easier on you if you showed some hint of compassion or mercy or human kindness.”

His face darkens. “You overestimate your precious Adamos.” He aims the gun right at my heart. “This calibre is strong enough to go through all three of you. It would be … amusing to kill you with a single shot.”

I’m out of ideas. Reaching back, I grab my sister’s hands, trying to tell them without words how much I love them. Santiago’s finger tightens on the trigger.

His phone rings.

For a long moment, I think he’s not going to answer it, but finally he does. “Yes?” His face changes, and I see – actually see – the madness come into his eyes. “Mr. Mathiesen. How good of you to call. I’m with a … friend of yours.”

He listens, and his hand tightens on the phone until his knuckles turn white. “Threatening me is a bad idea, Mr. Mathiesen.” A pause. “Very well.”

Ending the call, he glares at us, then slowly lowers the gun. “We wait.”

I don’t move from my place in front of my sisters.

* * *

I’m halfway to town,my gut curdling, when it strikes me to try Santiago’s phone. Sure enough, he answers the damn thing. So I tell him what I need to.

“If there’s so much as a scratch on her when I get there, I’ll make you cry like a little girl and scream like a baby before I gut you with my bare hands – and burn you alive.”

Santiago’s deathly afraid of fire. And he knows I mean every word. As I end the call, my phone pings with a text from Carlo: They’re in the bakery. We’ve got it surrounded.

I text back: He knows I’m coming. Wait for me. Seconds later, I’m back on the road.

As I power down the freeway, I remember I’ve got a ton of vacation built up from this undercover gig. Right now, I’d like nothing more than to take it all at once and spend the whole damn time in bed with Quinn.

Hang on, babe. I’m almost there.

* * *

Santiago’s twitchy.

Whatever Matteo said to him, it’s got him coming apart at the seams. He keeps glancing at us, mumbling under his breath, gesturing with the gun. I keep hearing something that sounds a lot like “Fucking cunts.”

I’m still guarding my sisters. They haven’t tried to dissuade me; we all know Santiago’s barely holding it together. If he thinks I’m essential to his plan to get Matteo, then hopefully he won’t shoot me.

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