Page 102 of Winter's End

At least my double-crossing uncle had been good for one thing.

Before committing cold-blooded murder, I closed my eyes.

I pictured my mother when she’d been young and healthy, her radiant smile showering Devon and me with love.

I pictured Devon before he’d let his abandonment carve out his center, when he had allowed light and laughter into his heart.

I pictured the last year, when I collected new parts of my soul with Winter, Cam, Shane, Drew, and Logan—like a backward horcrux; except now I was going to shatter those pieces apart. Maybe I’d find them again one day, like Harry did.

It took only a moment—three seconds, at most, but it centered me. My eyes flew open, and I aimed for my victim’s heart with pinpoint accuracy. The resounding cracks of two gunshots echoed through the passageway.

They weren’t mine.

Georgio dropped to the dirt floor with a grunt, his gun skittering to the other side of the earth. He clutched at his chest where blood flowed through his fingers and down the woven fabric of his cream suit.

The surrounding earth trembled with the blast and dust crusted my eyes as my mind tried to sort through what had just happened.

“Jonah! Mical!” Kellan commanded with authority. He scooped Janet up into his barrel chest. “Drop him off to the nearest emergency room. I’ll have his file sent up the FBI chain and get his charges expedited immediately.”

The twin soldiers responded in Spanish and did as he asked. Kellan shot back a few more orders in the same language. My Spanish wasn’t great, but it sounded like “remember our deal.”

He turned his attention to me.

“Travis—get them to safety. Get to Hillary’s place. You need to lie low for the next few days until I get this sorted. Cam is nearby, waiting for you.”

Following that confusing set of instructions, he took off on a jog behind my uncles, carefully cradling Janet in his arms.

“Wait!” I called after him, needing far more answers than he had given. “What’s going to happen now?”

He didn’t turn around and continued down the earthen shaft as if I’d said nothing. I let out a scream of frustration, my anguished cry absorbed into the dirt walls with little effect.

My muscles burned; the tension of the last twenty-minutes still clung to my body like an aggressive koala. My mind shuffled through a dense mist, unseeing or feeling as the adrenaline dissipated like vapor through my limbs.

“What deal, Kellan?” My voice was hoarse; hollow, with a tinge of hysteria. “What fucking deal?”

He paused in his tracks and reluctantly turned to face me. He was fifty feet ahead—maybe more—and it was hard to make him out in the dim light. But he had paused, at least.

I breathlessly forced my blendered body to jog down to meet him as he stood stock still, Janet hanging limply in his arms.

“Georgio will no longer be a problem for Cascade Falls,” he spat gruffly. This close, his blue eyes were frigidly cold. “My brothers will take over his operations on this side of the country, and set a new standard for the Carlos Cartel.”

My numb mind struggled to keep up. “But—how? Aren’t you FBI? What?—”

“This plan is bigger than me. Bigger than all of us. To cut off the head, you need to work from the inside.”

The head. Antonio? They were taking out Antonio?

“She needs medical treatment,” Kellan barked, shifting his weight to resume his jog down the hallway. “You’ll get more answers when the dust settles,” he called over his shoulder as I stood mutely in place, watching his form recede into the shadows beyond.

His evacuation kicked my ass in gear. I needed to get my family out of this forsaken place.

Winter and Logan had managed to stand, but their hands were still bound. I quickly untied them both and held them as tight as my trembling muscles would allow, crying relieved tears and thanking every god in the universe I hadn’t become a killer tonight.

“I love you,” I whispered against Winter’s lips, delicately holding her against me as salty tears poured into both of our mouths. “Fuck, I love you.”

“I love you too.” She forced a watery smile and sidled out of my arms. “We’re okay. We’re all okay.”

She was repeating the words to herself, but I needed the reassurance too.

---