Page 78 of Merciless King

“I’m going as fast as I can. I take it Gabe’s got the kid?”

“Yes.” The weight of the world crashes down. I should have dealt with him when I had the chance, should have made sure he could never hurt Piper or Elysse again. I fucked up.

I immediately call Danny. “What the fuck?"

“We just got here. I was about to call."

"And you let her walk in?"

"She said it would be worse if I went in with her. The guy told her no one should be with her, or the kid would suffer.”

I acknowledge he’s in a tough position. If he goes in and Piper and Elysse die, I’ll blame him. But right now, he’s her only hope.

“Can you tell what’s going on?”

“Things are quiet.”

“I’m on my way. If something starts to go down, you save them, Danny…” Fuck! Why aren’t we there yet?

“Will do.”

I hang up and take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. I can't let my emotions cloud my judgment, not now. Piper needs me to be strong, to think rationally. We have to approach this situation carefully, or I risk losing both of them forever.

I close my eyes, my mind racing with possibilities.

As the car speeds through the city streets, Matteo's knuckles white on the steering wheel, he glances over at me. "Can we end this asshole once and for all this time? I’ll do it if Piper doesn’t want you to."

“We end him.” I’m not afraid to go to jail. But if there is a way to do this without being arrested, I want to try it. Finally, an idea hits me. I’ll pull out my phone and call Jones, one of the policemen on my payroll.

After a few rings, his gruff voice comes on the line. "D'Amato. What can I do for you?"

"Jones, I need a favor.”

A few minutes later, I hang up. I glance outside, wondering how much longer until we get there. It feels like a fucking lifetime.

“So you’re going to have him arrested?” Matteo sounds disappointed.

“I’m protecting our asses.”

Matteo nods, his expression grim. "And what about Gabriel? What happens to him when they bring him in?"

I clench my jaw. "Hopefully, when they bring him in, he'll be in a body bag."

Matteo pulls up to the curb outside Gabriel's house, my heart pounding in my chest. The street is eerily quiet. The house more so. I don’t hear crying or screaming or yelling. I don’t like it. It feels like I’m too late.

Danny meets us as we exit the car.

"Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to go in through the front, confront Gabriel directly. Matteo, you sneak around back, see if you can find a way in without being seen."

Matteo nods. "Got it.”

I turn to Danny. “You’re backup. If this goes tits up, I want you to kill Gabriel.”

He nods.

“Promise me that motherfucker won’t survive this.”

“I promise.” Danny glances at Matteo. He probably wonders about my sanity, losing my mind like this over a woman. But Piper isn’t any woman. She and Elysse are my life.

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