Page 72 of At Last

“Where are you?” I ask, no hello. No answer from her though. Well, not directly. I hear rustling, like something rustling over her receiver, but in the background I hear Caitlin. She’s crying. My Peaches is sobbing.

“Please get her out of here,” I hear Doc say to whoever has her.

“Shut up or I put a bullet in your brain right now. I need to think.”

“Keep the gun on me if you have to, just let me hold her.” And I assume he puts my girl down when I hear Doc. “Careful of the needles, baby. Look at Mama. Not the man, okay. You look only at me, Princess Jade.”

“Oh-k-kay,” Peaches sniffles her response.

Needles? A man? Could she mean a dead man? Like a dead man we left face down in a trailer off Rabbit Hole Road?

Un-fucking-believable.

I manage to shave ten minutes off the half hour drive. Turning down the bumpy, pocked driveway, passing the black walnuts and the thicket of trees where not that long ago, me and my brothers plotted our invasion, my truck sits alongside the trailer. Before I get too close, I pull off into the tree line and walk, well, silently jog the rest of the way.

“Shut up.” I hear him roar at my girl, still crying. “Outside, let’s go.” Then the front door opens and he pushes Doc out first, Peaches in her arms. He’s got a gun trained on my woman. I hide behind the corner of the trailer and watch.

Caitlin begins to beg. “Please, please let Jade go.” I see the silent tears run down her face.

He abruptly stops. Peaches clings to her mama’s legs. The fucker moves one hand to squeeze around my woman’s throat, not to choke her, but hard enough to show her who’s in charge. She wears her pain and fear all over her face.

Her glossy eyes catch my movement. Only those eyes turn to me. I bring my finger to my lips and mouth, “Shh…” but it’s unnecessary. She’s a smart woman.

Then he looks around, and I don’t know if he’s just paranoid or senses me, but he moves the gun to press against Doc’s temple, saying something. She gives him no response. She gives me the response though, through her eyes.

“…so now you have to die, Cait. And I’ll be taking my girl.”

“Why Aiden?” she whimpers. And although I can tell she’s scared, that little act is for his benefit. To keep him thinking he’s got the upper hand.

“Ah, Caitlin. Here’s the thing, I fell into a bit of a financial situation. My research grant fell through. Research takes money and I’m so close to…” He clenches his jaw and shakes his head to clear whatever’s swirling around in there. “I was so close to closing the deal with Cartland Pharmaceutical, but they won’t back me without the research. So I borrowed some money to fund the research. Only, guess what? The facts no longer add up. But I’ve run out of money once again, and cannot pay my debts.

“Now I have men trying to kill me unless I pay them back. I’m not ready to die, you see. So here we are. You out of the way, Jade comes back with me. I’ve already taken a hefty policy out on her. Got Rachelle hidden, locked away. I’ll get twice the payout when I lose my wife and daughter in the same unfortunate accident. Which means Caitlin, it’s time to say goodbye to Jade.”

It’s there on his face, he’s ready to pull the trigger, leaving me no choice. I step free from the side of the trailer and stand to my full hulking height, towering over the assclown. Now, gonna just have to wing it.

His head whips toward me, face snarled with madness, and he twists Doc around to use as a shield for his body. I keep my gun hidden for now so maybe he’ll push her away to take aim at me. It ain’t a great plan, but the way she’s positioned, I risk hitting her if I fire.

“’Fraid not,” I tell him calmly. “Those aremygirls, and they ain’t going nowhere.”

The crazed bastard pulls the gun away from Doc to aim at me like I hoped, only he don’t push her or Peaches away.Shit. I take a step closer, letting the little cunt-wad know he don’t scare me. Slowly, calmly, I start moving forward again. Face set. He knows I mean business.

There’s a loud bang, and I see smoke drift up from the gun as my body jerks and pain radiates from my left shoulder. But I keep moving. Fucker thought I’d fall.

“My woman and my girl are coming home with me.”

Peaches turns her head. “Duke?” she begins to cry.

“I’m here, sweetheart.” And I hold her eyes with mine.

“Shut up.” Aiden yells.

“I don’t wanna go wiff him.”

“Not going anywhere, Peaches.”

“I saidshut up.” Aiden calls again. There’s another two pops from the gun and I feel my body jerk again. Left side, below my ribs and right thigh. Pure adrenaline keeps me up and walking.

“Chief,” Doc gasps.

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