Page 100 of Diamond in the Rough

Maddox pressed the back of his head to the tree and turned to speak. “You better believe it.”

“How did you get out?”

“I had a burning desire to see you,” Maddox growled.

“How’s that arm?”

Maddox lifted his hand off the wound, and the blood bloomed from the slice. It hadn’t entered, only skimmed a bloody gorge in his bicep. “Nothing but a flesh wound.”

“I was aiming for your head.”

“You should’ve been quicker.”

Maddox held up his hand for Amber and Tom. He couldn’t see them, but hoped they’d see him and stop firing. They stopped, and he circled his finger in the air, getting them to back off and creep around.

The one-sided pops and bangs grew tedious, and he sighed at the panicked onslaught. “Where did you get these guys?”

“Cease fire!” Billy yelled, but shots continued to zip through the air. “I said stop firing!”

“No control at all,” Maddox remarked.

“And you had no control when I touched your bedroom buddy.”

Maddox narrowed his eyes. “Carl?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t there when it happened. I was in hospital, but Liam called me. He let me listen. He moaned like he enjoyed it at first—maybe that’s something you’d conditioned him to like—but then the fire must’ve really taken hold of him, and he screamed, so high-pitched it made me wince.”

“He was a good guy. Loyal, trustworthy, and he’ll have my unwavering respect until the day I die. What about you and that blond bitch, huh?”

“What did you say?”

Maddox grinned. “The blond bitch, Antonia? I hear she decorated my bland apartment, added some colour. I really should thank her.”

“You set a trap,” Billy said.

“I did, and it went off perfectly. You shouldn’t steal from Mad Dog Maddox.”

“The joke’s on you, someone else ripped those diamonds from Antonia’s ears and cleared out your safe.”

Maddox smirked and knocked his head back. “Did they really?”

“Yeah, I was gonna kill him, cut him up for getting involved, for taking Antonia’s diamonds—”

“My diamonds.”

“But you know what, I’ll let him live, let you feel the humiliation that some pathetic shop worker, some nobody—”

“Jake’s not a nobody…”

Maddox saw a flicker of movement and scrambled out from his tree. The gunman took aim, bullet sailing into the tree where his head had just been. Maddox aimed, fired, and saw the blood spray stain the leaves.

He had his back to Billy, who came out of nowhere. The gun was smacked from his hand, and Billy booted him in the face.

His teeth knocked together when he hit the sand, and his mouth filled with warmth. Red water fell from his lips, dripping down his chin and onto the sand.

Maddox got to his feet and launched a fist at Billy’s face. It connected, and the pain in Maddox’s knuckles flared to life. Billy staggered, tried to retaliate with a blow to Maddox’s ribs, but he dodged it.

Next thing he knew, Billy’s hand moved lightning fast and heregistered the slice to his face, then to his chest. He grappled with Billy for the knife, but blood poured from his brow into his eyes, and he couldn’t see. Maddox pushed Billy towards the beach, breaking free of the trees and landing on the sand. The grains soaked up his blood and stuck to his clothing as they rolled. Maddox was blinded by sand and blood and tried to grip Billy, but he wriggled free. He felt the blade plunge into the meat of his thigh and cried out.

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