Page 85 of Waging War
I stiffen beneath his seedy gaze. This prick is using every pocket ace he has to mark his territory. “Leave her out of this,” I snarl.
His laughter raises goose bumps along my arms. “It’s just… I can’t shake this voice in my headscreamingthat you two were thinking about betraying me.”
As swift as his amusement comes, it’s gone, giving way to his blistering anger.
“You might find this information particularly important, Jackie.” He taps his ear with the end of his pistol. “But Samantha is much more than a woman used to placate my men with.”
Jackie’s face pinches with confusion.
“I’m sure you remember the night you came crawling to me begging for help because you couldn’t keep that dick of yours out of some hired whore.” His hands fly up mockingly.
Barron struggles again as the mayor’s face turns red with fury. “Shut up,” Jackie says.
“You should be thanking me!” Bruce’s body shakes with the force of his outburst. “I gave you a purpose. As well as too much freedom, it would seem.”
Jackie’s grip turns his knuckles white. “Stop with your games, Bruce. What does the girl have to do with any of this?”
Pure, perverse joy masks Bruce’s face. “Why, isn’t it obvious, Mayor Williams? Samantha is your daughter.”
Shock covers Barron’s face a second sooner than Jackie’s.
“You’re lying. It’s not possible… Lucy was killed by your men.”
The chief closes his eyes when Jackie speaks her name.
Bruce simply nods. “Indeed, she was. Just after giving birth to your baby girl.”
In a sudden burst of movement, Jackie jumps across the heavy wooden desk. “You sick fuck!” His pained shout hits me square in the gut. “How could you do this?”
Bruce cocks his gun and fires to the right, halting Jackie where he stands. “If either one of you step another toe out of line, I’m going to blow your fucking brains out. Do you understand?”
Rage pulls at every corner of Jackie’s eyes and mouth, darkening his face to a frightening degree.
“What did you do with Sam?” I ask.
He turns an eye on me before sliding his gaze back to Jackie. “I’ve hidden her somewhere you’ll never find her. I couldn’t very well risk you going after her and causing more trouble for me.” He then turns back to Barron. “Now, where were we?”
He keeps his gun trained on Jackie, seeming to not trust him to stay put. “I have it on good authority that your family has suddenly left town.”
“Leave my family out of this.”
He fires another shot just above the chief’s head. “I’ll be making the demands around here, Chief.”
I try to swallow, but nothing slides down my parched throat. My body hums as I watch Barron stare down the barrel of Bruce’s gun.
“Tell me who arrested my men, Barron. I won’t ask you again.”
Desperation bleeds into Jackie’s gaze when I look to him for answers.
“Are you really going to make me count?” Bruce taunts.
I hold my breath. Fuck this. We have to do somethingnow.
I make it a single step before Bruce’s gun fires. Blood sprays across Mike’s and Jackie’s faces as the chief of police is bucked backward by the force.
Ears ringing, I race across the room.
“Chief!” I scream, crouching next to his limp body. I’m trembling with rage as I clamp a hand around Barron’s neck to staunch the bleeding. His mouth gapes open and closes, and my stomach lurches when the thick, warm blood gushing from his neck coats my fingers.
