Page 59 of Twisted Empire

Logan focused on me more steadily. “I’m okay.”

“Youwillbe okay once I get the bleeding stopped,” I said, putting on my best medical professional voice and tuning out my panic. “It’s deep, and it’ll leave a scar, but it hasn’t hit anything vital.”

I groped around for something to bandage the wound and grabbed the two pillows from the head of the bed. Once I’d yanked both of the pillowcases off them, I folded one into a thick pad that I pressed against Logan’s shoulder and tied it in place with the other as firmly as I could.

His head bowed toward mine, his mouth almost brushing my cheek. “I got everything we need. It’s all good.”

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I couldn’t focus only on him. Doom’s Seed had started chuckling as he pushed himself straighter against the doorframe.

“Do you really think I’m finished now, boy?” he spat at Beckett. “You’re going to regret every second you spent challenging me.”

“Me challengingyou?” Beckett said incredulously. “You’re the one who’s rampaged through my territory and tried to destroy my reputation. I might be young, but I’ve been raised to become the Storm since the day I was born, and you’d better believe I won’t stand back while my empire is threatened.”

Doom’s Seed snorted. “Yourempire? I hardly think so, especially after the conversation I had with your father. Now, he’s a man who knows what’s good for him.”

“Then it’s a good thing he’s not the one really in charge anymore, isn’t it?” Beckett’s eyes glinted with anger. “Withdraw now and give all your territory in this state over to me, andmaybeI’ll overlook all those transgressions. Otherwise, it’ll be your empire in ashes.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” the other man said disdainfully. He pointed a thick finger at Beckett from where he was still slumped against the bookcase, his arm steadier than I’d have expected. “You haven’t mastered this business yet. You haven’t earned the throne. I have all the power here.”

Beckett gave a rough laugh, and my pulse hiccupped at the twitch of Yvonne’s hands. She still had the gun aimed directly at Beckett’s chest, but he didn’t show the slightest sign of worry.

“Are you kidding me?” he said. “You haven’t been fighting this battle with my dad. You’ve been fighting it with me, and you know it.Everybodyknows it. But you’ve never been man enough to come directly to me to work out shit. You target my friends. Mydad.That’s not strong. It’s pathetic.”

Doom’s Seed glowered at him. “It’s a strategy. One you’ll need to learn if you haven’t already. Until you shed your weaknesses, you’ll always be a weak little boy. Now get out of my sight before—”

A figure sprang through the doorway with a shout, gun brandished. I had only an instant to recognize him as one of the Storm men Beckett had brought along before a bang split my eardrums.

But it wasn’t from his gun. Yvonne swayed with the recoil of her shot, her pistol immediately jerking back toward Beckett, and the guy in the doorway crumpled. The top of his head was nothing more than a mash of flesh, blood, and shards of skull.

My stomach lurched. “Don’t look,” Logan gritted out, as if I could heed the warning now.

I dragged my gaze back to Yvonne, a sharper queasiness welling up inside me.

She wasn’t just posturing with the gun. She was totally prepared to use it—and her aim was good.

“Mom,” Logan said, his voice still strained, but it was Doom’s Seed who answered him.

“Don’t go guilting your mother,” the older man snarled. “No fucking respect. Aren’t you grateful that she arranged for me to save your life?”

Logan stared right back at him. “I’d rather have died than have someone else die in my place who didn’t need to.”

Yvonne’s mouth twisted, and at the same moment, I noticed Slade creeping around the edge of the room. He looked like he was getting into position to lunge at Yvonne, maybe hoping to grab the gun. But he only got halfway there before she pulled out of her momentary distraction and caught the movement too.

“Get back by the door,” she snapped at him with a wave of the gun.

Slade froze and slowly eased backward again. Then Yvonne’s attention whipped to Dexter. “And you. Whatever you’ve got behind your back, toss it down the stairs.”

Dexter froze where he’d been reaching behind himself. Frowning, he stepped backward and tossed something that clattered down the steps—some kind of weapon, I had to assume.

Doom’s Seed pushed himself all the way onto his feet with only a brief grimace. Yvonne’s gaze flicked back toward him, but not for long enough for any of us to take advantage. Seeing him mobile, her lips pursed.

Abruptly, she gestured with the gun at all of us. “Out of the room! Every one of you. Out of the goddamn building, as fast as you can go,now!”

When we stalled, gaping at her, she stomped her foot on the floor. “Now, or I’m going to start shooting.” She glanced at Logan. “I don’t feel any need to protect your friends, especially after all the trouble they’ve created for us.”

Every muscle in my body balked at the idea of giving up, but I couldn’t see how to get the upper hand.

Logan gripped my arm with a meaningful squeeze. “We’ll go,” he said. “No need to shoot anyone else.”

---