Page 57 of Twice The Hate

8

Sebastian

I should’ve knownthis would happen. There are footsteps outside, more than one person. How the fuck did they find me? I’m not worried about myself, though.

I’m worried about her. She’s all that matters.

The safe is still open. I reach in with my free hand and grab one of two Glocks, flipping off the safety before pressing it to Bree’s palm. She gasps, but her fingers close around it.

I pull her over to the bed and force her to her knees before following her and wedging my shoulder under the bedframe. Pressing up, I reveal the hidden door to my escape hatch. “It goes underground and ends up in an old shed behind the shack. Stay in there. Don’t come out for anything until you’re sure there’s nobody here or I tell you it’s okay. If anybody comes toward the shed, get in the tunnel.” For once she doesn’t argue. I wait until she’s cleared the door before making sure it’s sealed.

My fingers close around the second Glock. I put Bree out of my head and tell myself she listened to me for once. That she won’t decide to do anything stupid.

I can hear three people out there. One walked around back and is probably standing under the bathroom window, which is too small for even Bree to fit through. One’s outside the kitchen window, a mouth breather I could hear a mile away.

Which leaves Jake. He’d want to make his entrance through the front door. It’s what I would do. Which is why I sit on the couch and wait for him, the gun half-hidden under my leg. Only the light next to the bed is on, leaving the front of the room darker.

He kicks the door open and marches inside like he’s hot shit. The thing about this situation is, he doesn’t know who I really am. Not even my actual name. Fuck, his name might not be Jake, for all I know. In this line of business, you have to be cautious.

I almost feel sorry for him when he storms in like I’m supposed to be afraid.

“Found you.” He flashes that smile all the girls get wet for. “You weren’t as careful as you thought. Or you didn’t pay enough to keep people’s mouths shut.” I guess he means the men who came out to help me renovate this place. After all this time, I figured they weren’t a threat anymore. Plus, I paid for their silence through the nose.

“Good for you. What do you want?”

“You know what I want. I want what you stole from me. I saw you out by the pool that night.” His smile hardens, turns nasty. This is the Jake I know.

“You own nothing I took that night, so how can you say I stole?”

“You fucking know how!” Spit flies out of his mouth. Good thing I’m too far away to feel it. “You’re the one who picked her! Do you have any idea how much money they’re bidding on her now?”

“I don’t care. Nobody’s taking her.” I flex my fingers around the Glock’s grip. “I’m going to give you the option of either leaving on two feet now, or leaving in a bag later. Your choice.”

His mouth falls open before he laughs. “Fuck you. Who the hell do you think you are? You think I came here alone? You think I won’t have my boys blow your fucking head off?”

The only part of my body that moves is my mouth. I smile at him, unblinking, waiting just long enough to unnerve him.

I shoot him in the left kneecap.

He’s still screaming long after he hits the floor. Long after his buddies come running in for me to pick them off one, then the other. There’s blood all over my TV now.

And my floor. Jake is crawling toward one of his dead buddies, probably trying to nab a gun. I stride over and step on his hand as he reaches out for one of them. “You’re a real asshole, Jake, you know that?” I crouch beside him, leaning down, craning my neck to get a good look at his face. “I used you so I could survive, but I don’t need you anymore.”

I use the gun’s muzzle to lift his chin so I can look in his eyes for this next part. “See, you thought you were running shit. You were a middleman, that’s all. I easily chose the girls who’d make the most money because—surprise—I have experience with this sort of thing. It’s one of many ways my family makes their living. There you were, thinking I was some nobody who you could use to hunt for you, when you were dealing with a pro the whole time.”

I raise my voice over his whining. “Even I make mistakes, though. Turns out this one belongs to me. She’ll never make a cent for you or anybody else. You’ll never see her again.”

I stand and stare down at him one last time. “You won’t see anyone again.” This time, I aim a lot higher than his knee. The shot reverberates in the air, but there’s nobody nearby to hear it. I check outside to be sure, sweeping the perimeter. But aside from Jake’s truck, there’s nothing out of the ordinary.

The shed door is unlocked.

“Bree? Everything’s okay now. I’m going to open the door.” I do it slowly, in case she’s freaking out over what she heard and her nerves are shredded. She’s holding a gun, after all.

When she sees me, tears pool in her eyes. I take the gun from her before pulling her into my arms. “You’re safe now. Nobody’s coming for you. I swear it.”

“You’re okay? You didn’t get hurt?” She searches my face. “You’re sure?”

“He had no idea how outmatched he was. All I needed was knowing I’d be able to get us out of here safely.”

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