Page 78 of Red

Panic ran through Melinda. They were discussing power and territories, while her father lay bleeding onto the cold pavement. She’d just found him; he couldn’t leave her, not so soon, not yet.

Justin turned an angry expression on Nico. “You forget about Clarissa. You get out and you never come back.”

Nico started to argue.

“Nico’s gone,” Erik stated, his tone flat and distant. He might as well have been talking about a stranger.

“Erik—”

“He’s gone.” Ian stood beside Erik, his eyes trained on Justin.

Nico took a step back, his gaze searching franticly around the lot.

“Go,” Justin said, pointing his gun at him. Nico swiveled on his heels and ran across the parking lot into the darkness.

“He needs a hospital.” Melinda’s voice cracked, and she shuffled on her knees toward her father.

“Get him there,” Justin said.

“You don’t make another move toward my wife or her father.” Erik kept his gun trained on Justin.

“You stay out of my business, and I stay out of yours. I have no quarrel with you, but Jansen will need some help accepting me as head of this family.”

“That’s your problem to deal with. I’m out of that shit,” Ash said firmly.

“You’ll get no help from us, either,” Ian added.

“That’s fine. Just stay make sure you stay out.”

“Erik. Please.” Melinda picked up her father’s head and laid it in her lap. She pressed her fingers to his neck, searching out a pulse. “Please. Help me!”

Sirens blared in the distance. Justin and the other men scrambled into their cars and peeled out of the lot, leaving them.

“Go.” Erik nodded to Ash and Ian.

“I’m not leaving you,” Ian stated with force.

“Ian, I’ll take you to the hospital. That’s where they’ll be.” Ash smacked him on his shoulder.

Lights flashed, and Melinda looked up at Erik. His eyes were finally on her, finally locked with hers.

“Please. Don’t let him die,” she begged. Tears ran down her cheeks, blurring her vision, blocking out the sounds around her.

Chapter 29

Melinda stood at the window in Erik’s office, watching the cars roll past the house. People walked past, buses still ran; no one seemed to understand the darkness that had descended around her.

“Melinda.” Erik’s voice penetrated the thick bubble of seclusion she’d immersed herself in.

“Yeah?” she asked without turning around. Outside, everything remained the same as the day before and the day before that. The world hadn’t crumbled outside.

“Your grandmother called.” Erik’s voice was tender, cautious. He tiptoed around her like she would explode at the smallest spark.

“What did Grams want?” Melinda asked.

“To talk to you,” he said. She felt him behind her. The warmth emanating from his body, the strength of him wrapping around her.

Melinda huffed. “Did you see the newspaper?” She motioned to the folded-up paper on his desk.

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