Page 85 of Sin With Me

“And where exactly is the money?”

“You think I’m stupid enough to carry over a million onme?”

“If you’re coming to make a deal with me empty-handed, youare.”

“My money was with the guy that bitch kidnapped. Listen, I’m sure we can still work this out. You get me that heart tonight and I can get another million. Simple asthat.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work thatway.”

Oh, how I wished I had my gun on me! That, and all three of my brothers at my side. These bastards wouldn’t stand a chance. But they were both nervous, looking around and constantly checking to see if they’d been followed, which was good news for me. It meant that I still had a chance to turn this night around, and at least to save my own life. One or two guns didn’t scareme.

“I get the heart, or we have nodeal.”

“How the fuck am I supposed to get it? You want your heart, then you go back to the warehouse and get it from the charredvan.”

“I didn’t make a deal for organ shish kabobs. I agreed for a vital heart and a surgeon, of which you don’t seem to have either.”

“Sue me, then,” he laughed. “I’m out of much more than just your fucking heart. But I can always serve you yours on a platter. Come to think of it, you’re a pretty healthy guy. I’m sure we could make a few bucks out of you.” He scanned from the bottom up as if he were adding up the money he’d make out of my lungs, kidneys, and more. Unfortunately for me, I only had one kidney, and I wasn’t parting with thatone.

“You can’t be saying what I think you’re saying.”

“I ain’t going back home empty-handed.”

But he sure as fuck was willing to go home without balls, because the way he throwing threats around, his dick was quickly becoming number one on the chopping block.

Blue and red lights flashed on the bridge above us as another cop car sped toward the warehouse. Both men looked up. I used the moment of distraction to grab Aaron’s gun, and it fell on the other side of the vehicle. Hulk and the driver both flew at me with punches, but this time I was ready. I took a few, but gave a dozen extra more. The driver was passed out on the ground, Aaron was looking for the gun, and Hulk wouldn’t give up no matter how hard I hit him. By then, my face must have been permanently altered and I could already feel the bruises forming on my body where I’d taken some hits. As soon as I had the chance, I ran toward the bank and jumped over thewall.

I dove into the river. The good news was that the water wasn’t frozen but my body seized the moment it cut through the surface. I didn’t come up for air until I was sure I was too far away for a bullet to reach me. Except I was wrong. One did reach me, and it hit me in the side where one of my kidneys used tobe.

The pain seared through like a heated iron rod from a forge. I pushed through the water toward the shore while Aaron screamed from behind, “You’re going to pay for tonight, Madden. I’m going to hunt you down, skin you alive, and feed you and your family to my hounds piece by piece.”

Fuck!

When my feet touched solid ground I felt spent. My body shook from the cold shock. I jogged through a park as fast as the wound would allow me to, toward a road. At least the bullet wasn’t inside, because I had an entrance and an exit wound, but blood was gushing out quickly. A set of headlights flashed ahead, and I stepped onto the middle of the road, waving and praying that it wasn’t one of Cortez’s cars. It wasn’t. The older gentleman drove me to the address I gave him. My brother left him a month’s worth of salary to stay quiet about the evening, then got on his phone while my other brother tended to my wound, pressing a cloth at the front andback.

“What happened?”

“A shitload. We’re not safe here anymore. None ofus.”

My father rolled out of the living room on his wheelchair, and I felt a thousand apologies loom in my eyes and on mylips.

“I shouldn’t have let you go through with it,” hesaid.

“You know I would have, even if you disagreed.”

“Son, I’ve ruined yourlife.”

“You did nothing of the sort but we need to leave this house now. They’ll be heresoon.”

My younger brother was already standing in the doorway with a silver suitcase that had everything we needed to move on and survive.

“We’ll drop you off at Mom’s. They won’t find you there,” he said to our father. Our parents had separated when we were young. After we were born, mother fell into depression and developed a fetish for a much younger generation. Mother used her wits to grow a very successful business venture, but one we chose not to partake in. She was the queen of disguise, and while everyone knew about her, no one really knew who she was. It was pure talent.

“Dad, I’m sorry,” I repeated.

“Don’t be. Just get yourselves to safety.”

“I’ll find them before they find us. I promise.”

“Come on. This place will be history in a moment. Hold this.” Dean, my youngest brother, pushed my hand onto the towel and helped me up from the floor.

Wrapped in bandages, I stood up. My head spun and my knees felt like rubber, and I wondered how much blood I’d lost. And if that wasn’t enough, as we pulled out of the driveway and onto the street, I saw my childhood home blow up into millions of pieces. Then nostalgia took over and I lost consciousness.

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