Page 165 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
Parker shook off Taylor’s warning to stalk Claudia as she crab-crawled away. On the ground, Emily sat dazed from hitting her head against the hardwood floor. Michael moved to intervene, and, keeping his gun trained on Taylor, Liam rushed up behind Parker to stop him.
But a small voice had everyone halting instantly.
“Daddy?”
Wearing a pretty floral dress with a matching ribbon woven into her braid, Madison clutched her teddy tightly to her chest as she watched them from the doorway. “Why’s Mama crying?”
Parker didn’t look away from Claudia. “Go back downstairs so Ms. Jessica can take care of you.”
Madison stuck her chin in the air. “No, Daddy.”
Baring his teeth, Parker turned to Madison, and Claudia used the distraction to her benefit. Popping to her feet, she got one good punch to Parker’s nose, but paid for it dearly. As if swatting a fly, Parker knocked her into the wall, where she went crashing back down to the floor.
Madison screamed and tried to run to her mother, but Emmett caught her from behind.
“Take her to the stairs, Emmett,” Michael ordered. “But don’t go down until I join you.”
“Yes, sir.”
With a kicking and screaming Madison secured in his arms, Emmett left as Parker went for Claudia again. Out of instinct, Jamison shouted for him to stop, but Liam let off a shot right above Parker’s head. The bullet struck high on the ceiling, cracking the plaster and freezing the entire room.
“If you touch her again, I’m going to paint the walls with your brains,” Liam said in an eerily calm voice. “Now, get the hell back.”
Hands in the air, Parker stepped back and waited.
“Why is he even alive?” Taylor pointed at Liam as she rounded on Michael. “Can’t you do anything right?”
Taylor stopped short when she came face to face with Michael’s gun inches from her nose. “Yeah, I can do a lot of things right,” he told her softly.
Jamison was sure Taylor was about to get a bullet point blank to the face, and she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting the gruesome image stuck in her head. But when no shot went off, she risked a look and sawLiam moving closer to Parker while Michael smirked at Taylor, who was turning purple.
“You son of a bitch,” Taylor hissed. “I knew you weren’t totally down with my plan, but I never thought you would turn to their side. They hated Cecilia, and she hated them!”
“No, she didn’t.” Michael wagged his gun toward the room’s empty corner. “Now, wait over there while we discuss what to do with your pet.”
Surprisingly, Taylor obeyed, storming to the far side of the room to sulk like an angry child. “When I tell my father about this, that’ll be it for your men. You might be dead soon, but it’ll be Bruce, and the rest of them he’ll hunt down.”
“Sorry, Taylor, but Daddy Dearest is dead.” Michael shrugged with a hint of a smug grin on his lips. “Or should I call you Brandy? Your dad always hated how you used the name Taylor, and it just feels wrong not to honor his preference now that he’s rotting away in his own shit and piss on some hotel floor in Tulsa.”
Taylor’s hand flew to her mouth. “What are you talking about?”
“The shit and piss? That’s what happens when you die,” Liam said casually, pressing the barrel of his gun to Parker’s temple when he again tried to advance closer to Claudia. “So, what are we doing with this one?”
“Claudia?” Michael didn’t look in her direction when he said her name, keeping his focus on Taylor. “It’s your choice.”
Cowering on the floor with her sister, Claudia stuttered as she spoke, barely able to get the words out. “My choice?”
“Parker is dead either way, but you’re the one he used,” Michael explained gently. “The only question is whether you want to pull the trigger or do you want me to do it?”
Claudia’s tears overwhelmed her, and she held onto Emily. “I can’t. I just want my daughter. Just give me Madison, and let us leave.”
“You’re so fucking weak. Manipulating you was probably the easiest part of all this.” Parker sneered at Claudia. “Poor, lonely Claudia Fairweather. I expected a challenge, but you’re so emotionally starved for affection that it took less than a month to convince you to have my kid. No ring, no questions asked. You just wanted someone to love you.”
Emily tensed beside her sister, but Claudia didn’t even flinch. Parker’s words seemed to be doing the opposite of what he wanted, building herstrength instead of tearing it down. She openly glared at him, looking like she might want to be the one to have Parker’s kill shot instead of Michael.
“How many times did we laugh and ask ourselves, is Claudia blind or just stupid? Turns out, it’s both.” Taylor tossed the insult down at Claudia, laughing wildly as she continued. “News flash, bitch. No one will ever love you, and you will ruin that beautiful little girl. Madison will one day hate you the way you hate your own mother.”
Standing on shaking legs, Claudia dragged Emily to stand with her. “Michael, you can be the one who kills Parker. But I have one request.”
