Page 65 of Cherished Union

She clasps my hand, and we walk toward her car. “Whatever happens, Ade, you do not move from your seat.”

I nod. “I couldn’t do anything even if you wanted me to,” I reply with a shudder. “Sorry, I’m not helping.”

She laughs. “That’s okay. Some people can do this job, others can’t.”

We get to her car, and I climb in, not glancing back, knowing that if Hayden looks at me, he’ll want to know where I’m going. He should know that I’m safe with Jade. She’s his sister after all.

“I’m surprised he hasn’t called you,” Jade says as we exit the car.

We’re in the middle of nowhere. She drove us three hours out of the city to this wooded area, where there’s a huge log cabin that looks bigger than most people's houses.

“I didn’t bring my cell. I left it at home,” I tell her, and watch as she swings her gaze to me. “What?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t have mine either.” Her smile is filled with warmth and joy. “Oh well, Hayden’s going to be losing his mind. There’s nothing I can do about it now.”

I’m not sure why she finds that amusing, but she’s right, there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re three hours away from my husband and in the middle of nowhere. I have a feeling that when I get home, he’s going to be pissed.

“When the shit hit the fan,” she begins as we walk toward the cabin, “and Lila planted the bomb in my parents’ house, both her and her father disappeared. It’s taken me a while, but I managed to track the bitch down.” She walks up the steps, pulling out something metal from her back pocket. I watch in fascination as she squats down and starts jimmying the door open.

“Holy crap,” I whisper as the door unlocks and she opens it. “You’re going to have to teach me that.”

She grins at me. “No problem. It’s quite easy when you get the hang of it.”

I follow behind her as she enters the cabin, both of our shoes tapping against the wooden floor. We’re making it obvious that we’re here.

A blonde woman rushes toward us, her eyes wide with fear. “How the hell did you find me?”

Jade doesn’t hesitate. She reaches for the woman, her hand tangling in her hair. I step aside as Jade smashes Lila’s face against the mirror that’s hanging on the wall. Lila screams in agony, her fingers clawing at Jade’s hand, trying to pull her away. The glass smashes, and when Lila’s head is pulled away, blood coats the shattered mirror. I inwardly wince. God, that’s got to hurt.

“You didn’t cover your tracks, Lila. Did you really think we’d let you live after what you did?” Jade sneers at her as she shoves her head back against the mirror once again.

“What did you expect?” Lila yells. “You killed my brothers.”

“Eh,” Jade replies. “Actually, I didn’t kill any of them. Rocco killed Ian and Hayden killed both Douglas and Jamie.”

“No,” she says, still struggling to get away from Jade. “You killed Jamie. That’s why you went to prison.”

“Wrong again,” Jade says, smiling as she pushes Lila through to the living room. “I didn’t. Hayden did. I went to prison because I took the blame for my brother.”

“Your family killed mine.”

Jade throws her to the floor as I take a seat on the couch. “That’s true, we did. In fact, we’re nowhere near finished yet. But we wouldn’t have gone after you had your father not sent Jamie to take Hayden and I out. This war is down to your family.”

“We’ll kill you,” Lila screams as she pushes to her feet. Blood coats her face, neck, and arms. Her face is cut open, her nose is busted, and she’s missing a few teeth.

I laugh. I can’t help it, but I do. “You think this is funny?” Lila asks me, wiping blood from her lip.

“Yes. It’s funny how delusional you are. The Gallaghers have taken out almost your entire family, along with the men who worked for you, and yet you still stand there and act as though you have the power.” I glance around the room. There’s just the bare minimum here. “You’re on the run, hiding away like a coward. Your father too. And you still have the audacity to think you’re winning this war?”

Jade laughs. “See, everyone agrees. The Masters aren’t anything special. You have lost everything because you came after us. You should have known better, Lila. We aren’t any regular family. We’re the most powerful family in the world. You backed the wrong horse.”

Lila screams, her foot stamping on the ground, and she charges at Jade. My sister-in-law is a badass and sends her fist flying into Lila’s face, knocking her to the ground without much of an effort.

I watch with sick fascination as Jade pulls out her knife and begins to carve Lila up like a turkey. I wince when she slides the knife across her face, zigzagging across, giving her a matching scar to mine.

“If you’re squeamish, Ade, best turn away now,” Jade warns me.

I don’t heed that warning. I sit and watch as she moves her blade from Lila’s face down to her neck, and then her chest. The sound of Lila’s screams is something I’ll never forget. They’re shrill, bone chilling, and horrific.

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