Page 78 of Sweet Rule
“What are you talking about?” Honey asks, but I know Zeus isn’t going to tell her shit. His play for revenge is with me and he’s going to shoot before he gives her an answer. My fingers twitch, the energy shifting by the second. I’m going to throw Honey from the dais in a second. She’ll be safer on the floor while I take on Zeus.
Zeus looks her way but I know he doesn’t see her. Not really. The only thing he sees is another game piece for his use. He doesn’t see his daughter. Fucking prick.
“You married the man that destroyed our family.”
Honey makes a choking sound that catches in her throat. She didn’t expect him to say that. Neither did I, but it doesn’t matter. If he thinks this is between me and him, then it’s between fuckingme and him.
I know the security in the room is moving into place with the way Zeus’ eyes flick past me and to the mezzanine level.
I have a minute at best before Taylor is kicking down the door. It’s time to press Zeus.
“Is this about thatlittlefarm?”
His lips curl at the world little. “You know it is you bastard. The Promised Land was mine.Mine!Generations of Vlahos’ sweat bled into that ground for you to destroy it all! For years I’ve planned the way to kill you, but I think this is working out so much better than I dreamed.”
He holds out his hand. “Come here, Honey. Now.”
When Honey doesn’t move, Connie moves a step closer to Honey. I don’t look her way, but I know why she’s intent on switching sides. Zeus isn’t logical now. Failure and loss manifest in many ways to many people. I’ve seen it all in my line of work. Even before I was the head of a global corporation, I saw it. Thugs with shit product, Capos that made a bad alliance. Dealers when they finally realized there were no more moves for them. It was always someone else’s fault, always the luck of it, always because someone didn’t have their back.
None of them ever had the fucking spine to own their fuck up. Not even when it was me they were answering to. The excuses poured out of them like water, even while I put a gun to them. It’s remarkable the lies a person will make themselves believe, will tell themselves over and over until it’s gospel truth.
Zeus had done that. He’s convinced himself I’m the reason the rose farm is gone. That it’s a strip mall and some cheaply made apartments. Charlaine’s timeline of Zeus’ family losing the farm and my company purchasing it for resale are years apart.
“Honey, now.”
I nod at her. “Go on, princess.” She looks between us and I’m fine with her moving. It’ll take her out of the path of most danger. If she’s by Zeus, then I’m the only threat and I won’t hurt her. She moves when I put a hand to her lower back and nudge her forward. Another thirty seconds before Taylor is here. Connie moves with Honey as she crosses the space between Zeus and I.
It’s only when they’re beside him that Zeus gives me a triumphant smile. “You took what was precious to me and destroyed it.” He takes a gun out from the holster at his hip and lifts it. “And now I’m going to take what’s precious to you.” But when the fucker points it, the barrel doesn’t swing to me.
It’s on Honey.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
HONEY
Turns out I can set the record for how many parents will try to kill you in a single day. Actually, I don’t know if it’s a record, because some people do have more than two parents. But both of mine are bloodthirsty bastards that want me dead.
I’m kind of reconsidering if I should find my grandmother now. What if she wants me dead on sight too?
I stare at the barrel of the gun and raise my hands like I’ve seen people do in action heists in the movies. I don’t know what else to do, so I stand there like a fucking idiot with my hands up. Connie seems just as stunned as I am by where Zeus’ gun is trained because she’s not moving either, so at least I’m not the only one that didn’t see this coming.
“I’m going to kill you.” That’s all Law says before all hell breaks loose. There’s a shout behind us and I hear a bang. It has to be Taylor and Marco forcing their way in. Everything moves in slow motion and my stupid body freezes. The only thing I can do is stare at the gun that’s trained on me. The one that my father is about to pull the trigger on to get back at Law for something that was no one’s fault. I can’t follow the reasoning as to why he’s blaming Law or why he thinks killing me is going to be the revenge he needs. To be fair, that might be because I’m about to be shot, but who knows?
There’s another shout and I hear a shot fired but it’s not Zeus’ gun. He’s too fucking melodramatic to shoot like that. He wants to draw this out.
“I’m sorry it had to be this way,” he says to me and a shot is fired. I see Law move, but he’s fighting someone. He throws them onto the dais and they almost slam into Zeus.
“Honey, run!” Law yells, but I can’t move. I’m still stuck in place like my feet are in cement blocks. There’s more shots fired and one hits the floor beside Zeus before Connie kicks me square in the back, knocking me off the dais.
That stops Zeus in his tracks. She surprised the fuck out of him with that. Good. Asshole. It’s satisfying to know he’s surprised even as I slam into the ground and bust my lip. I roll onto my back but I can’t see much where I’m laying. I see Connie facing off with Zeus for a split second, then she drops.
“Connie!” I scream when I realize Zeus shot her. He didn’t even hesitate, not past that second of surprise before he emptied a bullet into her. I get to my knees and start to crawl towards her, the dais is still a few feet above me so I’ll have to lift myself up if I want to reach her to get her away from him. There’s people fighting and screaming. I was right that the boom was Taylor and Marco, I don’t know if they blew the doors to the club off but they’re here now with their men. Zeus’ entourage has scattered, their screams adding to the chaos of the room as they try to flee. There are others though that I don’t recognize that are taking on Taylor and Marco’s men.
“Fucker!” I hear Zeus before I see what’s happening. Then he’s landing on the ground beside me with Law on top of him. They’re fighting for a pistol and my heart is in my throat before Law jerks it free and fires a round, but it’s not at Zeus. It’s at the man that was running up on them, one of Zeus’ guards. Blood splatters and the man hits the ground with a thud. Law fires another shot and then another, still picking off the guards that keep coming. When the gun is empty, he pistol whips my father with it twice.
“Get to Taylor,” he orders me.
“I-I- Connie,” I stammer. “She’s hurt.”
