Page 36 of His Paradise

The small explosion only gives us a moment to react, and I jump to my feet, firing through the smoke and flames that crawl over the dead leaves. David’s body flies backwards, being dragged down by Anne’s limp body. Hannah is gone, vanished from sight along with a few of the idiots she brought with her. I swing sideways, shooting the man that was holding Nina back and I take a sick satisfaction from it. Grayson is helping Luna to her feet, and I nod to him once.

Markus is stomping across the yard, a cigarette hanging from his lip as he walks barefoot towards me. Percy is standing tall, holding his gun up as he whips his head around to watch the entire yard. I help Nina up, holding her tight to my side as wipes her dirty face with the back of her hand. She kisses my cheek, then turns and tries to run towards the house. I wrap an arm around her waist and tear her feet from the ground to slam her back against my chest.

“Our son is in there!” She cries, fighting against my hold.

“That’s why I need to know you’ll stay here, where it is safe. I have to focus on getting him out of there and I can’t do that if I’m worried about you. Understood?” I snap, shoving her towards Markus as I turn and race towards the house.

Out of the frying pan.

Chapter thirty-one

Aden

Ishould be dripping sweat, but the heat is evaporating every droplet as it forms on my skin. I helped build this house, and knew it better than anyone else so it doesn't take me long to rush through the growing smoke cloud. Thankfully the flames were at the front of the building, but they will rip through the rest of the house within minutes. My shoes slide across the blood puddles that cover the bright stone floors, but I don’t stop as I round the stairs and take them two at a time.

“Maybe next time we should ask where the damn safe room is first,” Jared’s voice catches my attention from Leo’s room as they throw furniture around, searching for the hidden door.

“Closet, my room!” I shout, not stopping for anything as I rush into the bedroom. The closet door snaps partially off of its hinges from the force I use to throw my body against it. I stop in front of the control panel set into the wall.

The panel is sparking, a bullet hole in the center and I glare back at the dead body on my floor. Somebody tried to break in. Panic sets in as I stare, my entire body motionless as I think through my options. Finally I reach out and rip the box from the wall, exposing the wiring behind it and snap the back of my phone off.

“There’s a fire extinguisher in Leo’s room, in his closet. Buy me some time.” I shout, not looking back as I begin working to rewire it directly to my phone. It’s not a guaranteed fix, but it’s better than hoping for a miracle. My chest burns, stinging as I cough to clear my lungs just for them to be tighter on each breath. I hear them using the fire extinguisher, but I know it’s a bandaid over a bullet hole. This fire isn’t going to stop until it has devoured everything in its path, which includes us.

It feels like an eternity later when the screen lights up for me to input a code to release the doors. Jared has soaked blankets in water from the bathroom in the few minutes it has taken me to break inside of the safe room and he hands them to each of us. I quickly drop the mangled phone and leap to my feet, watching as the door pops free. A shoe flies past and narrowly misses my head.

“I’ll gut you if you step near us, you giant pussies!” Isabelle’s voice wavers, giving away the hint of fear.

“You’re safe, darling. It’s us.” Alec rushes forward and she steps out of the shadows with wide eyes. “You’re here? You are all here and you’re okay?” Her lip quivers as he gathers her close.

“Luna is outside, she’s safe.” I tell Jared when I see the disappointed look on his face. He nods once, taking Gabby from Olivia’s arms. “My sister?” She asks, glancing back at the cameras as they flicker in and out on the desk in the safe room.

“She’s okay, we need to get you all out of here.” I say as Isabelle hands Leo to me. Alec scoops up Amelia and we keep our bodies hunched low as we rush through the house as it fills with smoke. The blankets help protect the children against some of the heat and smoke, but we don’t have much time.

That’s when a siren breaks through the inferno, making me tilt my head as I listen. Firetruck meant cops weren’t far behind them, we needed to finish this before they put a stop to the madness. I couldn’t let David walk away from this, he would face justice for his crimes by my hand only. As we stop next to the stairs and I crouch low as the smoke becomes thicker.

“Form a chain, Olivia you grab onto me and Jared. Isabelle you grab Jared and Alec, nobody lets go and don't stop!” I shout, trying to stay calm over the sound of the children's quiet cries.

The front of the house is nearly engulfed in fire as we race for the door, breaking through and not slowing down until everyone is scattered on the lawn. Leo is inconsolable as I rock him, just grateful that he’s alive. Gabby is clinging to Jared silently as he rocks her, and Amelia sobs loudly into Alec’s neck.

Isabelle and Olivia are both pale, and I’m grateful for the firetruck that races over my driveway, flanked by an ambulance. I kiss my son, laying him in Olivia’s arms before I run around the side of the house. We are so close, and the Barone's influence over the cops can only go so far.

Nina is staring down at the ground where she kneels with blood soaking the front of her shirt and Grayson is leaning against Percy. They both look at me with concern and my heart threatens to burst from my chest. The closer I get, the harder my pulse thrums in my ears, drowning out all sound.

Nina is soaked in blood, but it isn’t hers. David is dead. His jaw is slack, eyes glazed over as he lays motionless with scratch marks marking his neck. I reach out, gently grabbing Nina by the shoulder and she drags her eyes to meet mine.

“Are you hurt?” I ask. She frowns, her brows drawing together as if the possibility hadn’t crossed her mind. Nina slowly shakes her head, looking down at her bloody hands. I notice the nails are ripped and bent, and pull her to her feet as I look to Grayson and Percy for answers.

“He attacked her. Prick shot me in the leg when I tried to stop him, and Percy was chasing down this coward's mother.” Grayson spits on David’s corpse, and I gain a little more appreciation for him. “I shot him when he dropped his gun trying to choke her.”

“He’s dead. Really dead.” Nina’s voice is broken and soft enough that I nearly miss her words. I kiss the top of her head, holding her tighter. “He’s gone, my heart. For good this time, but we have one more loose end to tie up.”

Markus is whistling as he walks, and Luna has a grin on her face that makes me want to back away as they come closer. Through the smoke and embers on the ground, Markus is dragging something attached to a rope. “Don’t say I never got you anything.” Markus winks.

She screams when her back is dragged across the ground that still crawls with flames and charred bits of kindling. Hannah’s arms and hands are bound. I don’t feel like a monster from the excitement that courses through me. Luna holds out her hand, a massive knife resting in her palm as she gives me the honors. I shift Nina to her arms, nodding to my sister as I step over to smile down at Hannah.

“Be glad I don’t have time to play,” I smile as she cries, shaking her head and fighting against the fabric that gags her. “Crossing my family was the biggest mistake you made, second to raising that pathetic sack of shit.” I motion towards David with the knife, watching as her eyes widen before I plunge the knife into her chest.

I pull the knife free and offer it back to Luna, but she curls her lip in disgust. “I don’t want that bitches blood on me, she was extra mean.” She huffs and I drop the blade. Nina throws herself into my arms and I pick her up, holding her tight as I walk back to the front of the house where our families are waiting.

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