Page 7 of Once Upon a Villain

"You keep telling yourself that. You may be king now, but that doesn't change what you are. You don't deserve her." I spat the words. For whatever reason, EJ's gorgeous green eyes popped into my head.

Rex fisted the front of my shirt and got in my face. "What am I? A beast?"

"We can use your word."

The large double doors to the bar creaked open. The old man strode in and didn't even react when he saw Rex and I ready to go at each other.

"Mikey took the girl. The brother's crew is going after him. We need to get in there before they kill him," he said matter-of-factly.

Two people's lives were at stake and the old man couldn't even muster a wince. I shoved Rex away from me. "Where did he take her?" I asked on my way out.

Rex fell into step next to me, checking his phone. "Looks like they're headed to the hospital."

"Where's the car?" I asked.

"It's coming now." The old man practically walked in front of the Escalade to make it stop.

I hopped in. Two seconds later, Rex did too. "What the fuck is Mikey's problem? He's acting like an idiot."

"He wants a new family."

"We are his family." Rex tapped the seat in front of him. "Go."

Zack means well, but he's an idiot.

EJ's words repeated in my head over and over. Zack had already done a handful of stupid things trying to get the funds they needed to pay for their mom’s medical bills. What would he do now that Mikey was threatening both EJ and his mom? I didn't know Zack at all, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

Mikey was as problematic as Zack. The two of them together were an explosive combination. As soon as we pulled into the hospital garage, all my conjectures were confirmed. Zack's crew and Mikey were in a full-on shoot out. I slammed my hand on the door to let out some of my frustration. When I faced Rex, he handed me a gun.

"What's the plan? I want them alive." I rubbed the hollow ache in my chest.

I had literally known EJ for a day and she was already in the crossfire because of me. I had no control over Mikey or her brother, but we were here because I got wasted in Ibiza and agreed to Mikey's fucked-up plan to get back in the game on our own terms.

"Shoot Zack in the leg." The old man gripped the steering wheel.

"Yeah, I guess that would pacify Mikey, make him think he's won." I turned to Rex. "Can you talk him down?"

He braced a hand on his thigh, while the other tapped the seat in front of him. "This ends tonight." He climbed out of the car.

I rushed after him because I didn't trust him. Rex wanted both Mikey and I to come home. If that meant killing EJ and Zack, I was certain he'd be more than willing to go there. I did a quick check on my gun and then cocked it. As soon as Zack came into view, I aimed for his ass. It would hurt like hell, but he would live.

He fell to the cement floor with a cry. Across the way, on the ramp to the top floor, I spotted three of Zack's guys making a run for it. They hopped in their race cars and zigzagged their way down the ramp and out of sight. But to my surprise, the shooting didn't stop from the other end.

For a moment, the deafening blast of Rex’s AR-15 was the only thing echoing in the space. I took the opportunity and ran toward Mikey. Though instead, I found EJ's form tucked behind a tire.

"What happened?" I crouched next to her. "Why are you shooting at Zack?"

"I'm not. These aren't our guys." She pressed her shoulder to the car while she reloaded her gun.

"Where's Mikey?"

"He took off. He went that way." She pointed to the ramp behind us.

"The asshole left you here?"

"He looked panicked." She touched a trembling hand to her forehead. “Is it over?”

“Yeah, you’re safe.” I brushed my index finger down her cheek.

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