Page 78 of What Doesn't Kill Us

Bang.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Toni

Istillcan’tbelievethat asshole tossed me overboard. He was almost gleeful about it, making jokes, chuckling, and then waving goodbye to me from the main deck. I was glad to have my little handheld motor to assist me in my swim because it felt like I was out there for far longer than expected before anyone came along to retrieve me.

By the time the boys locate me, I’m beyond annoyed. Matt’s bullshit about being close enough to snag me relatively quickly seems to have gone awry, and the first thing out of my mouth is going to be a demand for an explanation, but when I get into the helicopter, there are a few extra men onboard. And then, within a few seconds, there’s an explosion in the distance. None of the men on the helicopter so much as flinch, so I finally give Tony a shove and ask, “What the fuck is going on?”

“Sorry, Nettie. We had a last-minute change of plans and had to run a relay from New York to get these fellas. Somehow, Vincent found out you’re not dead, and he was sending a team out to finish the job. Luckily, we caught wind of it and were able to run interference, and in the process, we found out a bunch of information about Vincent, his father, and his entire operation. It’s some seriously shady business.”

“This doesn’t seem like news to me.”

Tony makes a face and rolls his eyes a bit as he continues, “Turns out there are far more people on his payroll who would rather not be there than be there. Which means we have an opportunity to pull one over on him—an opportunity we cannot pass up.”

I don’t like the sound of this, but that won’t stop us from taking any advantage we can. “What do we need to do?”

“We need to give these guys something of yours to bring back as proof you’re dead. Something Dare would recognize.”

A shiver of foreboding runs down my spine as I consider the likelihood that Vincent will brag to Darius about my demise. I’m not sure he’ll believe him at first, but he’ll have enough information to make it sound workable, and that will 100% send Darius over the edge.

I shake off my unease and reach into my wetsuit, pulling out my kit Dare stuffed in there not too long ago. “Have someone make it look wet and bloody before showing it to him, and Dare should react in a believable manner. What was that explosion?”

“That was one of our rendezvous ships,” Matt answers, his lips twisting as he stares out over the horizon. “It was insured.”

By the time we make it near land, it’s full daylight. The helicopter lands on a yacht anchored offshore, and we have to wait a short time for a close contact of Tony to pick us up on his smaller fishing boat. The helicopter with Vincent’s men refuels and heads off to give Vincent the good news of my untimely death.

I’m lucky to find a change of clothes on board, and by the time I’m changed and ready to roll, Tony’s buddy is there, and we’re on our way. I won’t deny that I’m incredibly nervous, maybe even a little scared. Not because I care about what happens to me, but because I can’t bear the thought of something happening to Darius.

When we make it into port, we get a message from Jayme stating he dropped Darius and Agatha off over an hour ago. We really left little margin for error in terms of timing, and the unforeseen delay has thrown things off significantly. By the time we make it to where Darius and Agatha are being held, my stomach is in knots. There’s no way to tell what’s happened if we’re too late. I don’t believe Vincent intends to kill Agatha because she’s worth far more alive, but if he’s smart, he’ll take out Darius sooner rather than later.

I’m counting on him not being smart. He’s a braggart and a blowhard, too intent on patting himself on the back to understand that, sometimes, you’re better off getting it over with a bang.

We enter the warehouse stealthily, making our way through the building as swiftly as we can. I hear someone talking up ahead, so we stop to listen. Sure enough, Vincent’s running his mouth—again.

We move closer as we listen to him spouting off to Darius that we’re all dead. Everyone he ever cared about is dead, and he’s going to be next. Darius has some choice words for him, and Agatha is less than convinced. I wish they’d both shut their mouths before he overreacts and does something rash.

We stop outside the doorway, and I peek around the corner. I see them on the other side of the large room. Darius’s back is to me, and Vincent is obstructed by an inconveniently placed beam. I glance around, looking for a way to get a better sight of him, but then Vincent raises his gun and points it at Dare.

My heart stops in my chest, my hands squeezing the handles of both pistols that are suddenly in my hands. I look at Tony and Matt, and they both give me a nod, so I turn back and silently enter the room.

There’s no hesitation on our part. Tony turns left, Matt turns right, and I step forward, raising both of my guns so I can get Vincent in my line of sight as I move closer. He’s still running his mouth, and he still has the gun pointed in Dare’s face, who’s snarling at him, calling him a coward, daring him to duke it out one-on-one. Of course, we know he’ll never do that. Men like Vincent can only get ahead by subterfuge and duplicitousness.

Vincent is so focused on Darius, on taunting him before killing him, that he doesn’t see me coming. His gun hand tenses, the barrel raising up and moving closer so it’s right in Dare’s face, and he’s talking about seeing him in hell.

Bang.

He jerks back; the gun going flying as he cradles his now bleeding hand against his chest, and he curses, shouting out in pain and anger.

Bang.

He stops talking.

He blinks a few times.

He stares at his bloody hand in shock, then brings his other hand up and touches his neck, his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish. I stand unmoving, guns still raised but frozen in place, waiting to see if he’ll make another move.

He drops to the floor.

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