Page 150 of Cruelest Contract
Elsewhere, Angelo is pushing everyone’s buttons with more of his bullshit. Getty roars at him to shut up or lose his tongue.
I don’t care if it’s bad manners for us to leave Christmas Eve dinner early. We’re leaving anyway.
But before I can say another word to my wife, a thunderous explosion rattles the walls and shakes the dishes. Someone who didn’t know better might believe it’s an earthquake but I know it’s not. I react instantly, dropping out of the chair and taking Cecilia to the floor with me. I cover her body with mine, just as I’ve done before.
The other men in the room have no one to protect. They are bolder about going to the windows. There’s plenty of cursing but no shooting, and no sign that the house itself has been breached.
Slowly, I lift my head and see a ball of fire lighting up the night. It’s not too close but close enough. Definitely one of the ranch outbuildings.
My father is already on his way to access the safe behind the bookcase. We keep it filled with loaded weapons and bullet proof vests. Nobody will argue this explosion could be an accident.Buildings don’t spontaneously combust, especially not with the entire security network strangely inaccessible.
Sonny was right to caution against coincidences.
I should have been better prepared.
36
CECILIA
Everything happens at once and I’m reeling.
I’ve been wrenched back in time to the day when unimaginable horrors shattered my family. All I can hear is the sound of blood roaring in my head. The pulse of overpowering terror smothers all other senses. Voices are muffled and I can’t gulp enough oxygen.
“Cecilia, look at me.” Julian cups my face in his hand. “It’s okay, baby. Breathe. Just look at me and breathe.”
My husband peers into my eyes. Our babies roll inside my belly.
“That’s it,” Julian says with relief when I take a deep breath. He kisses my forehead.
Panic is not an option. I cannot give in and curl into a terrified ball. I’m going to be a mother and mothers need to be strong.
“Cici?” Gabe touches my arm and his face is tense with worry.
“I’m fine.” I swallow and breathe again as the underwater sensation fades and I’m back in the moment. “What happened?”
Julian steers me over to the wall, far away from the windows. Gabe follows. There’s an ominous reddish orange glow outside.
Elsewhere in the room, there are multiple things happening. Sonny shouts that the shutters will need to be rolled down manually. Fort hops up on the deep windowsill and reaches for a series of switches that release the shutter panels. Tye and Getty are dragging Angelo away from the table. Caleb, the youngest of the ranch staff, gapes in open-mouthed shock as events unfold at lightning speed.
Meanwhile, Julian’s father has removed a small painting of the mountains to expose a black keypad. He presses a few buttons and to my astonishment, the large bookcase along the wall creaks open, revealing a secret compartment containing a combination safe as tall and wide as three grown men.
Getty and Tye have Angelo pinned to the floor. My brother thrashes and his face is already bleeding.
“Get off, you fucking ogres!” Angelo howls. “I didn’t do this.”
“Tell it to Abe Lincoln,” Tye growls and twists Angelo’s arm until he yelps.
While Tye keeps Angelo restrained, Getty extracts a phone from the pocket of Angelo’s jacket and tosses it on the floor. Fort’s boot promptly crushes the screen.
Next, Getty looks around for Gabriel and snaps his fingers. “Yours too, asshole. Hand it over.”
“But I didn’t do anything!” Gabe sputters.
“Then you won’t mind cooperating,” Julian declares with ominous finality.
Gabe’s face scrunches into a pout. He looks to me for help.
“Do it,” I tell him. I know Gabe isn’t responsible for whatever is happening but this isn’t the time for a debate.
