Page 35 of His Paradise

“Stefan kidnapped Amelia to use her as leverage for the Barone’s territory. He deserved to die.” Luna spits on Hannah’s shoes and panic grips me as the woman raises her hand, the sound of skin striking skin cracks across the quiet yard. Luna’s face whips to the side from the slap, and blood wells from the corner of her lip.

“Stop, you don’t have to do this!” I plead, but Hannah is beyond listening.

My mind races as I devour what she says. I want to feel sympathy for her, but the ache in my chest as I think of Aden holds me back. David is a monster, born from a power hungry family and it was easy to see where he got it from. But I can’t give up. Aden would want me to fight.

“Where are they hiding?” Hannah asks. I shake my head once, refusing to betray them. She shrugs, flicking her hand and sending two of her people towards my home. I don’t waver, knowing that they won't find them.

“Burn the building with them all in it.” Her words carve through my chest and fear floods my veins. “Then kill these three as they listen to the screams and know every death was at their hands.” She smiles, clapping her hands excitedly.

Chapter thirty

Aden

I’m dead. Or dying. Maybe I’m just really, really concussed? My muscles won't cooperate, only moving to lurch me onto my side as a coughing fit violently racks my entire body. The taste of copper follows the wet splatter in my mouth and I swipe it away with my sleeve, or what’s left of my now tattered clothing. The damn high pitched ringing was going to drive me to insanity before anything else.

I force my eyes to blink, slowly flinching against the bright blur that waits for me. Memories flood back as I clutch my head and finally sit up. The explosion, David is free and Nina is in danger. I have to get up and find everyone else but when I pull my hand away from my head, it’s covered in a sticky layer of blood and grime. My vision finally clears and I’m sitting in the rubble of what's left of the house.

Portions of the walls are still standing, and a few stairs are digging into my back where I lean against them. Random bits of furniture and other debris cover my body as I slowly pull myself free. Everything hurts, but Nina needs me. She needs me to push through.

“You look like shit,” A familiar voice wheezes, and Jared shakes his head, sending bits of dust and drywall fluttering around us.

“Wait until you find a mirror and realize that you are actually looking better with a black eye and a powdered face. Hides the gray hair.” I smirk as he flips his middle finger towards me.

“Bunch of cockroaches, you’re all unkillable.” Markus smiles, a cigarette dangling from his lip and he leans against a portion of wall. Alec is sitting next to him, glaring at his brother. “I saved him and he’s pissed off about it.” Markus points his thumb at Alec as he gets to his feet, dusting his hands off.

“If you pull me by the hair again, I’ll break every bone in your hand.” Alec mutters, pushing past him and leading all of us outside. Percy wheezes out a cough as he shakes his head, sending debris flying from his dusty blue hair.

“Ungrateful,” Markus mumbles. “You like it when Isabelle pulls your hair.”

Alec doesn’t dignify that with a response as we all stagger around the crumbling home and dead bodies. The more my strength returns, the more impatient I become to get home. We have a safe room that is damn near impenetrable, but my mind keeps running through the ‘what ifs’. What if they didn’t make it inside, or if they are lured out?

The entire drive back is silent, tension palpable as we gather the few surviving men. We were all worse off than I’d like, but we can lick our wounds when this is over. We will finish it tonight. I was at the center of Hannah’s rage.

My best friend had married the two men that inherited the Barone legacy. My sister’s husband had killed Hannah’s sister and nephew. Then I had swooped in to steal away David’s bride to be, tried to kill him, and then left him for dead in our shed all these years later. I finally catch sight of my house, but it’s not my home. Flames flick along the wall, crawling higher as I tear my seatbelt off and race from the car before we even make it to the gate. The doors are thrown wide open and useless, as if the fire isn’t enough warning that we might be too late.

“They won’t survive long in the safe room, if they’re even in it” I shout, not checking to see if I’m charging headfirst into this alone.

“Let me go!” Nina’s shrill scream has me turning to race for the backyard, but Jared grabs my collar and yanks me to a stop before I can round the side of the house.

“Be fucking smart. They'll drop you the moment they see you.” He mutters through clenched teeth.

“We don’t have time, that’s why I texted you for backup earlier.” Alec huffs into his phone, all calm has bled from his features. “I was a little busy with a gun to my head. Your daughter and granddaughter are in danger, if I’m asking you for help then it’s obviously serious.” Alec hangs up and pockets his phone.

“We need to make this quick, Lucian is sending his men but if anyone is inside,” Alec trails off, and we don’t need to be told twice. Alec and Jared head into the front of the house, taking the one measly fire extinguisher we have in the garage. As if things can’t get worse, we inch through the massive garage and I peer through the back window, staying low to the ground. The sight makes me want to rush out and snap David’s neck like I should have done days ago. Markus grips the window frame as he leans closer, and I know he's skimming the faces for her.

“My girls are in that fucking inferno.” His composure crumbles, and I know that we are running out of time. Percy is struggling to stay upright, and I help him lean against the wall and slide to the ground. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, but you’ll be alright, kid.” I pat his face and he gives a ghost of a smile.

“Take the first opening you see.” I tell Markus, opening the door and strolling out with a forced look of boredom on my face.

“You have to be kidding me. He just wont fucking die.” David tries to shout, but it comes out more like a strangled whimper. Probably from the multiple lacerations on his tongue, poor pitiful guy.

“I could say the same for you, buddy. You’re looking different, one of those trendy diets and some plastic surgery? It suits you.” I shrug with a smirk, keeping my eyes trained forward as Nina lunges against the man restraining her. First David was going to die, but the man with his hands on my wife is next.

Anne is helping shoulder David’s weight, and she avoids looking at me with shame written across her face. I won’t give second chances to people like her. Luna leans sideways to peer past me, her eyes widening. She bites down onto the man's arm that holds her, making him fire a shot that narrowly misses her head. The bullet hits the other man that was holding David up, and they begin to fall over. Hannah waves her hand, but before she can demand one of her lackeys do anything, a glass bottle sails overhead.

I recognize the fuzzy green sock sticking out the top, that inevitably has a frog on the side. Markus. He was alone for less than ten minutes and he made an explosive from random junk in my garage and his stupid sock.

I launch myself sideways, slamming Nina and the man behind her to the ground while knocking the gun from his hand. The explosion bursts heat across my back, licking at my legs as we roll and I wrench her from his grasp. Her tear stained cheeks send a rush through me.

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