Page 29 of Hartley

“Why not you? After everything… fucking end them. I know where they are, their habits. I can tell you exactly how to get to them.”

“You do it then.”

He shook his head. “I can’t. My mom… She wouldn’t have wanted that. She hated the violence. Hated what he did and didn’t want that for me. The money was for me to get away, not to bloody my hands.”

Jesus. He had fucking morals. I, however, really wanted those fuckers dead.

Before I could answer, Hartley put his hand on my arm to get my attention. I peered over my shoulder at him, my eyebrow raised in question.

“You can’t take his money.”

“Excuse me?”

“It wouldn’t be right.”

“I assure you, I can and will.”

“Just kill them and let him keep it. He didn’t harm your family. He was stuck in a shit situation and wants to be free of it.”

“I’m not the hero in this story. I don’t rescue people who can rescue themfuckingselves. The only reason I’m contemplating this is to witness their fucking blood run like a river and get a hefty payday once it’s done.”

“You’ll have the money as soon as they’re dead,” Lane rushed to say, drawing my attention back to him.

Fuck’s sake. I growled. “I want the money donated to East Dremest, to the foundations and charities within it. I’ll kill your family for it.” Fucking soft. That was what I was, and it made me so goddamn angry.

“Thank you, Jordan,” Hartley whispered.

How could I even get turned on in a situation like this, but here I was, my dick stirring at the thought of the ways Hartley would thank me when we were alone with Vail in the hotel room.

I waved Sheldon and Oleander off. They put their guns down. “One wrong move, and I’ll blow your head off,” Sheldon said.

“I have no plans to hurt anyone. If I wanted to do that, I wouldn’t have hidden and wouldn’t be unarmed.”

“You have a gun somewhere,” I stated. He didn’t have the kind of life he did and not have at least one fucking weapon on him when he ran.

“It’s hidden in brush close by. I knew better than to bring it with me inside. I didn’t want to give you a reason to kill me.”

“I still don’t trust you.”

“I wouldn’t either, if I were you, but I’m telling the truth. With them still alive, they’re not only a threat to me, but to you and your partners. They’ve never forgotten about what happened, about how they were stripped of everything they loved because of the role you played. Your death was all they wanted. You not only lived, but you thrived, as did your son.”

14

HARTLEY

There was no doubt in my mind Lane told the truth, but where did that leave us? Jordan had to put an end to them, and I wouldn’t even blame him. After what they put him and his son through, after what he had to do to his wife for playing a part in it, there was no other way. They were going to come after Vail and me too. Jordan would never let that fly.

I glanced over my shoulder at Vail, who gave me a curt nod. He knew what had to be done too. There was no other way.

Vail and I were living in Jordan’s world, where the rules weren’t the same. Where people died for double-crossing others. Where Jordan would burn it all down if anyone tried to come after us.

With Lane knowing where his brother and father were hiding out, Jordan could put an end to it.

“Where are they?” I asked.

“West of here, not too far. Before I left, there was talk of waiting until one of you came down here or all of you andambushing you, but they don’t know you’re here yet or I would have seen them outside before you pulled up.”

“I’d put a bullet between their eyes,” Jordan growled.

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