Page 117 of Blue-Eyed Jacks
Zoe asked, “Did you find Tina?”
“Who?”
Zoe looked at her mom to answer.But I knew, almost before Kate replied.
Kate’s eyes squeezed shut, then she dug deep for a brave face.“One of Shock’s hookers.She came with us.Cara killed her.”A nod toward the top of the stairs at the dead woman’s body gave me a name to put to the corpse.
“Who killed Cara?”
“Shock.Or him.”Kate indicated Bandit.
“Well?”I asked.
“I’m pretty sure it was me.”Bandit didn’t look pleased about his confession.
I scrutinized Shock’s bullet-riddled corpse in the middle of the foyer.There was more blood on the marble than in his body.“Who did that?”
Kate turned redder.Zoe blanched.
With a grab and tug, Kate pulled Zoe close.“I did,” Kate said.
“Mom.”Zoe’s face betrayed the truth.
Meanwhile, Bandit tried to stuff papers into a suitcase with his bound hands.
I stood on the final step and put the gun in my hand against his head.“What the fuck are you doing?”
Bandit froze.“Picking up the pieces.”
“You can stop that for a bit.Keep those hands in the air.”
If no police had arrived through this entire bloodbath, I highly doubted any would.
No sooner than I thought that, headlights flared through the windows as a vehicle turned from the road.I peeked out the huge-ass window but couldn’t tell whether it was a cop or not.“Zoe, Kate, get the fuck out, now.”
Neither listened.Zoe peered out one of the door’s side windows, keeping her body out of sight.I couldn’t have done it better myself.“It’s an SUV.”
“Is it the cops?”I asked.
“No, I think it’s Nonno.”
Kate threw her hands up in the air in disgust.“Fucking great.Another biker.Someone just shoot me now?Please?”
“Babe?You might not want to say shit like that,” I spit out.I was happy as fuck she was still alive, but now was not the time.
She had the nerve to glare at me.“If you knew half of what happened to us tonight, you’d mind your words, mister.”
Bandit snickered.Then he tacked on a hasty, “sorry,” and tried to hold his hands up.
“Well?Someone fill me in.”
Preferably somewhere other than here.“On second thought… Kate, Zoe, let’s get the fuck out of here.”
The door swung open wide.Nonno and five of his fucking bodyguards strode in and stopped dead in their tracks as soon as they saw Shock’s body.Nonno caught my declaration.“You’re not going anywhere, asshole.”
“And you’re not my boss anymore, so fuck off.”I turned to put him in my sights and get closer to my family.As I stepped past Bandit, I made sure to stay out of tripping distance.Kate gathered Zoe to her side and guided her until we finally were together.I pulled Zoe in for a one-armed hug.Then, I told her, “Stay behind me.”
Nonno stared at Shock’s body.“Did you do this?”
