Page 99 of Diamond in the Rough

Jake pulled the trigger.

Chapter 19

Maddox was a few meters down the jetty when the shot rang out. He froze, and Amber and Tom stopped beside him. Their guns were drawn—they knew the danger they were strolling into—but the gunshot in the distance knocked the fight from Maddox. He’d come so close and failed at the last minute.

He heard shouting from the trees, different voices, none of them Jake’s.

“Boss?” Amber said.

Maddox could see movement in the trees, figures coming closer. The plane had caught their attention, and their arms were up, guns pointed. They didn’t know who the newcomers were. If they did, they would’ve fired first.

Maddox pulled the trigger. Too far away to hit his mark, but enough of a deterrent to have the figures sinking back into the trees.

His gun was out, and the replying silence was welcome. Maddox reloaded his pistol and lifted his chin. “I’m gonna kill them all. It’s up to you if you follow me.”

Tom gulped audibly on his left, and Amber smirked on his right. They were outnumbered, but when he walked forward, Amber and Tom matched his stride. They were going to descend into hell together.

They heard the panic and the confused voices calling out for each other.

Maddox pointed in the direction of one stuttering voice. Tom and Amber nodded, and they approached the target.

Amber popped her head out. “Hello, sweetie…”

The man stumbled back and fired. Amber ducked and rolled her eyes.

The man was blasting away, bullets thumping on trees, whistling through the air. He focused on Amber’s striking red hair flicking out from behind her chosen tree. Her lack of returning fire and movement must have fed his confidence, and he topped up his gun and blasted again.

No longer cowering but standing straight, eyes fixed on the red hair in the wind. He marched closer, and Maddox could see the desire pulsing in his eyes. He wanted to see his handiwork, wanted to know Amber was dead and look at the gore he’d created.

He got to the tree, rushed to face Amber’s corpse, then froze. Her red wig was snagged on the bark, and the guy didn’t have time to process before his brains were leaving his skull.

“Bloody amateur.” Amber snorted.

Maddox smiled at her. “Nice work.”

“On to the next one.”

Amber and Tom crouched behind trees, waiting for the next man to waste his bullets. Maddox circled low to the ground, attention fixed on the sweating man heaving for breath.

He was out of shots, and the second he realized, the colour drained from his face. He was a ghost, blubbering and quivering in the wind. He twirled on the spot, bolted for more cover, but Maddox was quick. It only needed one shot with bull’s-eye accuracy.

The shot cut through the air, silencing the madness around them for a split second. It was a finality, an abrupt ending, and it finished with a red spray staining the air. The man’s body jolted, the power of the blast disrupting his movement, then he fell and hit the sand.

Maddox gritted his teeth, snarling at the body of his first victim. It stained the sand red and dispersed the scent of iron into the air.

Amber joined his side and glared down at the sorry excuse for a man. “You’d think he would’ve paid professionals…”

“I’m glad he didn’t. Means Jake might still be alive.”

It was systematic takedowns. The three of them creeping through the trees, covering each other. Billy’s men were unordered, undisciplined, and Maddox came across them one at a time. They didn’t stand a chance one against three, and the odds were turning in Maddox’s favour.

“Group together!”

It was Billy’s shout, and Maddox shook with rage. He headed towards that voice, towards where he was attempting to get to grips with the situation. The trees were densely packed, and the angles were abysmal, but he wasn’t going to use his gun to kill Billy. He was going to do it with his bare hands. Shots rang out, men yelled in pain, leaves were shredded by the constant firing—it was all white noise. Maddox had heard Billy, had picked out his skinny figure dashing through the trees.

He heard thepipand dived forward, but he didn’t avoid the shot completely. It caught his arm, and the hot pain burned. He scrambled on his hands and knees to a tree big enough to shield him and cupped his wound.

“Is that really Mad Dog Maddox?” Billy snorted.

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