Page 109 of Wanted

“Hadley?” Shit, no wonder Broderick knew all my movements, at work Hadley is my right hand, she carries my agenda, all my affairs pass through her hands.

“Surprise,” she says, approaching Broderick with the firmness of someone who is marking her territory, pulling on his neck to give him a kiss that he answers almost lazily. Shit.

She comes wielding what looks like a long knife.

This shit is a tangled mess, this was definitely not a last-minute plan. Thirty years is a long time to strategize.

Grudge is written everywhere.

“This poor girl was nothing but a chess piece, a pawn. But I’m the queen.”

She couldn’t be more wrong, the queen is still Stella, only Stella. My wife.

A thunder-like noise is heard, and in a second hell breaks loose. The tattooed man falls to the floor with a clean shot between the eyebrows, Stella falls to the floor while Broderick and I run toward her. Unfortunately, he’s the one who arrives first and immediately places her in front of his body.

Coward.

We have lost the element of surprise, now Broderick knows that we are not alone.

But his cards are also on the table.

“Tell your partner to come out of hiding,” Broderick yells, raising the gun to Stella’s temple, who looks at me with pleading eyes, full of fear.

Her face is white, like she’s about to throw up. My heart breaks for her. Stella is a strong woman, but she’s also pregnant. It must be hard for her not to collapse.

I am so proud of her. As soon as I get a chance, I will let her know. Because I know I’ll have that opportunity.

“Put down your gun.” I’m not going to do one thing or the other. I can’t lose what little advantage I have, that would be the same as signing my death warrant.

I’m not going to give up without a fight.

“You say you love her, but you don’t hesitate to use her to cover you. What kind of love is that, brother?”

He laughs, as he lowers the barrel of the gun down the side of Stella’s face. “I’m playing with yours, not testing mine.”

Damn, he knows she’s my weakness.

“And you, Hadley?” Stella says, drawing the attention of my assistant. Fucking rat. “You say I’m just a pawn, but look, all the attention is on me. They both love me, you were just a piece for Broderick to reach his goal.”

The black eyes of my PA shine full of fury, Stella has touched a sensitive nerve.

“Why did Broderick never want to marry you?” she keeps baiting her. “After all, it wasn’t his name that was going to appear in this farce, it was not bigamy.”

The girl’s face has turned red with fury, she’s about to cut off someone’s head and that someone is Broderick.

“Do you know he came back to find me as soon as I got back to Carrollton? Me!” Stella goes on with whatever she has planned. She’s turning them against each other, she knows Hadley is more impulsive, easier to manipulate than Broderick.

“Stupid bitch,” Hadley yells, raising the knife as she goes for her.

Fuck.

I run to stop her, but in the blink of an eye, Broderick drops his human shield. And the dagger in the girl’s hand goes straight into his abdomen.

They both fall to the ground in a bloody mess.

“Fuck!” Hadley yells at Stella, trying to get up, but Davis has appeared from somewhere and is already taking charge of catching her.

I hug Stella, happy and relieved to have her against my chest again. She’s fine, breathing and without a single wound.

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