Page 67 of Bleeding Blackheart

Dallas runs his hand down his face. “Fuck if I know. Said something about a tennis class. I swear, if I find out she’s fucking around on me, I will kill her slowly.”

I laugh to myself, surprised that Dallas and Cali are still together. They got married a week after they met each other, and I knew the moment he introduced me to her that they weren’t going to work out. “You should just divorce her.”

He leans against the counter, looking in deep thought. “Hmm. Should I divorce her, or should I kill her?”

I shake my head, knowing that he’s genuinely considering both. “I don’t know. But whatever you decide, I want no part of it.”

His laughter rings through my ears as I turn to head back upstairs.

28

Montana

Iwalk behind Gunner while we head up the steps to my father’s house.

It’s weird calling it my father’s house when it’s the house that I grew up in. My bedroom is still here, probably made up the way it was the day that I ran off six months ago to Washington. I’m both repulsed and eager to see my old space. The space where I’d board myself away for hours reading or wondering what it would be like to be anywhere else. Coming back here is bittersweet. Sweet because of the brief joy I had when I was a child, and bitter from all the years that followed.

I wanted Gunner to bring his rifle, but it’s in the Camero. He just has two guns on his hips, worried that his big piece will bring unwanted attention if anyone’s watching us come up from the security cameras inside.

Growing up, my dad had guards, but I don’t see any of them present. I also don’t see any of my father’s cars in the driveway. It’s like we’re here all alone.

Gunner calls out to me over his shoulder while he keeps a hand close to the gun on his right side. “I need you to stay close to me, Montana. Let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary, but stay with me.”

I keep my hand on his lower back, and he pulls my fingers in his, dragging me to the front door beside him. When we get to the doorbell, he rings it, trying to appear as a normal houseguest. As I expect, no one answers, and I put my thumbprint up to the keypad. “He’s not home. But this will alert him that I’m coming inside. So we need to be in and out of here quick.” Gunner nods his head, following me in the house.

I knew my father wouldn’t be here. He’d just be a sitting duck if he was. But with us alone, maybe we can get an idea on where he might be. My father doesn’t like to travel too far from home, and he only has a few houses he frequents.

Gunner checks the foyer, keeping his eyes peeled while he whips his head around. “It took fifteen minutes to drive down the road here going sixty miles per hour.”

I head for the stairs by the doorway. “We should try and be out of here by then.”

Gunner grabs me by the back of my shirt dress, yanking me down two steps. “You stay behind me, Montana. The entire time. I’m serious.”

I hang onto his hand while he leads me upstairs, and once we confirm the hall is clear, I point him to my bedroom.

We shouldn’t waste time in my old room. We should be going through Mason’s office or bedroom for information. But I know it’s a waste of time to check anything there as my father has never been obvious about his plans. No, he likes hidden clues. He likes to make people work for information. Mason Barnes thinks he’s the smartest man on the planet, and he loves to see if anyone else can come close to his level of intelligence by tests and challenges he puts in place.

I can feel Gunner’s silent question, wondering why I want to revisit my old space, but he lets me anyway, standing by my bedroom door while I look around. I thought I’d cry if I ever came back here, but there are no tears. It’s almost like I have no feelings about this room at all.

Gunner keeps an eye on me while I wander through my bedroom closet. There’s so much shit in here I’ve never worn. So much stuff bought by my father. I grimace and turn to find my things, snapping up my favorite pairs of jeans, running sneakers, and T-shirts. After I’ve got mybelongings shoved in a bag with some of my lingerie I left behind and a nice dress or two, I go back into my room and take a seat on my bed, looking out the window.

I almost laugh at how well kept the property is. My father cares more about his land than any human life. If I could ask my mother anything, I’d ask her why. Why him? How did a bastard like him sweep her off her feet?

Maybe he didn’t sweep her off her feet. Maybe he used his money and resources to blind her. To manipulate her and coerce her. Maybe she never had a choice.

Gunner takes a step closer to me, glancing around the room. “We should probably get out of here, baby.”

I stand up, knowing he’s right, but feeling like there’s something here. Something I’m missing.

It’s when I turn my head and look toward my dresser across the room that I see it. A red poker chip. The same ones they use at my father’s casino in Las Vegas.

I take a step toward it when something grabs my ankle, causing me to trip and slam into the floor. I don’t know who the man is or what he looks like. All I know is that I feel him dragging me, but he’s stopped when Gunner shoots him, not killing him but wounding him.

He releases me from his grasp when I see him bleeding from his shoulder. He opens his mouth to speak, andGunner points his weapon at the man’s mouth, firing while I cover my ears to stifle the noise in my small room.

After the second shot, my body’s shaking, and my ears are ringing. Out of all the gunshots I’ve heard recently, this is the first time my ears are ringing after. I stand up feeling dizzy when Gunner scoops me up. I hear his voice, asking me if I’m alright while my eyelids get heavy, closing on their own.

I wake up in the Camero feeling groggy while Gunner drives down the road.

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