Page 87 of Damon

“My wife was an innocent woman looking forward to becoming a mother. And you took that from her, from us, all because of your drug addict, shithead brother. I’m a police officer; I catch criminals.”

“And you consort with them.” His focus moves to Hunter who has joined Russell at the bar. “Though everyone gets their due eventually, some sooner than others.” My line of sight follows his, and we watch Russell lift a fresh beer then drink. He places the bottle back on the bar. Within seconds, he falls to the floor.

Hunter drops down beside him as Harrison, Connor, and Greyson descend on the scene. They lay him out in the recovery position as he lies on the floor motionless. “Justice is always served, Chief Constable, don’t you think?”

The sensation of a knife touching my spine brings me up short. “What do you want, Brenton?” I growl. “You’ve already taken one of the most important people in my life.”

“Now, now, I am not sure your new girlfriend would agree with that.” When my eyes move over his shoulder, Emma is standing with Moreno at her side. She looks heartbroken and terrified. The feeling of guilt that has been building since I snapped at her earlier intensifies. “The restaurant is busy, so shall we take this somewhere more private?” He glances over to where Russell still lies. “Your friends are busy dealing with that.”

A man appears at my side dressed as a waiter; he takes my elbow, and I pull it from his grasp. Emma whimpers, then I see the blade strategically placed on her hip, the point pushed a little through the material of her dress.

“I would come quietly, or your little tart may gain a few scratches,” Moreno says with a grin. “After our conversation earlier this year, you obviously decided she wasn’t too young for you. I hear you’ve been enjoying this bleating bitch. Does she take a cock all the way down her throat?” I narrow my eyes. “I plan to try later, maybe you could watch.”

Our small group walks out of the main restaurant via a door behind the stage. It takes us into a large office space with a huge desk at its center. Moreno pulls Emma to one side then throws her down on a sofa pushed against the wall. He sits down beside her and places a possessive hand on her thigh. I move toward them, and the man at my back pushes his blade forward piercing my skin. “One more step,” he says, “and I’ll make sure you’ll never walk again.”

Brenton stands behind his desk and claps his hands together, bringing all attention to him. “We are gathered here today…” He bursts out laughing. “Who am I kidding? We are here today to enjoy hurting the people who hurt us. You, Damon McKinney, took my brother.”

“And you murdered my wife, I’m pretty sure that makes us even.” He cocks an eyebrow then shakes his head.

“Perhaps we would have been if you didn’t interfere with my business dealings. But everywhere we try to expand or diversify into, you pop up like a fucking jack in the box. Disposing of you will make my life so much easier.” His attention then turns to Emma. “And you, young lady, caused a lot of heartache for my dear friend.” He gestures to Moreno.

“Ten years,” Moreno growls then grabs her face between his fingers. “Ten years you owe me. Because darling, I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to keep you for my pleasure.” The men in the room all laugh, then Moreno wails in pain. When I look back to him, a short silver object is protruding from his neck—a shortened knitting needle. Emma has kicked off her shoes and is running for a staircase at the back of the office. She hitches up her dress and leaps up them two at a time.

I swing my elbow and connect with the man behind me in the chin. He stumbles backward as I take the chance to run for the same stairs. Moreno rolls around on the ground screaming as Brenton and the remaining guards chase us.

When I get to the top, there’s a door lying open to the night sky. Aware of footsteps behind me, I burst out onto the roof of the building and find Emma running around the edges attempting to find an escape route.

The bullet hits the concrete at her feet, and she stops. “Emma,” Brenton says, “there is no walking out of here. But if you come back downstairs quietly, I will ensure Moreno isn’t too hard on you.”

“He’ll be dead,” she hisses back.

“Unfortunately not. I don’t think you hit any major blood vessels with your weapon. Though I admire your tenacity.” He turns his gun on me as I pull the hidden handgun from my waistband. I shoot, and the bullet hits his leg. He stumbles backward to the roof’s edge. His men run to him, and I disable them one by one with shots to the thigh.

“You’ll die tonight,” I tell Brenton as he lies on the roof tiles. “You killed her in cold blood. A beautiful woman gone because of you.” I walk over and place the barrel on his forehead as Emma’s hand lands on my forearm.

“Not this way,” she says softly. “Let the law deal with him.”

“No. I need to do this.”

“No, you don’t.” She takes a deep breath, I’m aware of her body expanding and contracting next to me. “Connie wouldn’t want you to.”

“How would you know?” I snap, my eyes flicking to her then back to Brenton on the floor. The other men roll around grasping at their leg wounds. “You didn’t know her.”

“Connie wouldn’t have wanted you to ruin your own life to get revenge.” She steps away. “Call the police, Damon.” Then I hear her footsteps disappear across the roof and away from me.

The rage coursing through my body consumes every fiber. I glare at the man on the ground, my gun still trained on his forehead. His eyes widen as he lifts his eyebrows.

“So, what is it? Are you going to let your little girlfriend boss you around? Or do you seek revenge?” Brenton says, then smiles wickedly. “I’ll survive the wounds so far, we all will. Let me live, McKinney, and this won’t end here. I will make your life hell.”

“You already have,” I snarl, then crouch and push the gun hard against his forehead. “But killing you won’t bring her back.” My friends burst out onto the rooftop, and I glance over my shoulder to see Connor and Greyson restraining the other men. Emma is nowhere to be seen; neither is Russell, which makes me uneasy.

“Do it,” Brenton goads. “Pull the trigger. Prove once and for all your career serving the crown was nothing but lies. That underneath it all, you are nothing but a lowly criminal, same as the rest of us.”

Hunter and Harrison appear in front of me. They stand behind Brenton staring down. “Don’t do it, McKinney,” Harrison warns. “You kill him now, you’ll spend the rest of your life in jail. Think about Annie, she needs her dad. Think about your future with Emma. Your family.”

“Don’t listen to that pussy,” Brenton continues to jibe. “That bit of tail you’re screwing is next on my list, then your daughter. I’ll take them from you, one by one, until you're man enough to beat me.”

My mind whirls with the incessant need to kill the bastard. But if I do, I’m ending my own life in the process. Killing Brenton tonight, as much as I want to, will never be deniable. My job, my daughter, and Emma will be gone forever. I may have obtained vicious justice for Connie, but finishing Brenton off now would murder my own life in the process.

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