Page 123 of Killer Confections
She’s utterly unfazed by her brother’s words as they have a stare down in the middle of the warehouse. No one moves or breathes as a slow malicious smirk spreads on Bailey’s face. “Time’s up. As much as I’ve enjoyed this family bonding moment, I’m going to enjoy watching your brains splatter even more.”
Kai’s brow twitches before all hell breaks loose. From every doorway, Midwestern syndicate members filter in, guns raised as they shout commands at the South members. The Midwest easily outnumbers the South guys, but that doesn’tstop some of them from fighting back. One lunges for Ross, who I’m thankful is alive, before they get into a fight. Both guns are knocked aside as the redhead straddles the cowboy below him, delivering punishing blow after punishing blow. I eventually have to look away when blood begins to mix with the dirt and the Southern member goes still.
Dom and a few others fight, and gunshots echo through the building.
“Get down!” Bailey yells over the chaos. I crouch before her hands find my back and she pushes me forward. “Get somewhere safe! Find Atlas!”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice as adrenaline sizzles in me and I push to the other side of the building. All around me, dirt is kicked up and blood is splattered. Screams of the dying touch my ears and I try to block it out as I shout for my husband. “Atlas!”
“Stay low, Loxley!” he yells before a gun fires. “Get somewhere and take cover!”
I listen, falling to my stomach before army crawling to one of the white fold out tables. I use my legs to topple it, sending the expensive laptops and monitors to the ground as I crowd behind it. I stay on my stomach in case someone gets the wild idea to aim for my hiding spot.
My breaths are ragged and I feel like my heart is beating a hundred miles a minute. Every second feels like an hour as sound crashes all around me. My table gets bumped a few times and I jolt at everyone, praying it isn’t what finally takes my life.
I hear what sounds like Atlas fighting behind me and roll over onto my back, only for my eyes to connect with Kai’s wrathful gaze as his long legs eat the distance between us. I back peddle, pushing the table back with me as he raises the gun and aims at my face.
Before I can react or even think of how I didn’t get to say goodbye, a large figure slides across the dirt towards me and I’m wrapped in an embrace I know all too well. Atlas’s scentenvelopes me and his arms squeeze me tightly as he covers me.
“Atlas,” I whisper in disbelief.
“I know, baby.” He says comfortingly in a calm voice. “Keep your head tucked. It’s gonna be okay. You’ve been so brave and now I need you to be brave again.”
My throat burns as I cling to him. Unshed tears dot my lashes as I curl my hands in his jacket. I shut my eyes tightly as a gun clicks.
There’s a beat of silence. Then another before I poke my head up over Atlas’s shoulder.
Bailey and Dom stand on either side of Kai, guns lifted to his temples as they prevent him from making another move. Both assassins are covered in cuts, bruises, and blood, but they don’t even look like they’ve broken a sweat.
“Think of pulling the trigger and we’ll end you,” Bailey spits.
Kai slowly lowers the gun, rolling his tongue on the inside of his cheek. “You have no idea what the fuck you’re doing—”
“She knowsexactlywhat she’s doing,” Dom cuts him off, seeping hardly checked rage. “She’s taking back what rightfully belongs to her.”
Atlas keeps me tucked into him, but he shifts to get a better visual of the still-armed assassin behind him. He tangles a hand in my hair as if he can’t stop touching me.
Kai scoffs, “This shit again—”
“Yeah,” Bailey says, tilting her head. “This again. Youcouldn’t standthat your dad liked me better. I wasn’t even his own blood, and he chose me to take over the South syndicate, but you had to fuck up everything. You forged his goddamned will and made me think he left everything to you!”
Kai narrows his eyes on her. “And what makes you think you were deserving of the syndicate when you weren’t even a part of it until he let you in? For Christ’s sake Bailey, you left the moment things didn’t go your way!”
She bristles. “I left to live a normal life with my fiancé,you fuckhead!”
Dom tenses and I see his jaw work as he looks away from the fighting siblings, like he can’t stand to watch Bailey mention her future husband. My heart pangs for him and I get the idea that maybe his feelings are unrequited…
“And you never should have come back!” Kai shouts. “You don’t fucking belong here, Bailey! You belong barefoot in a fucking kitchen like our poor excuse of a mother!”
My mouth falls open as anger blisters in me.
How dare he fucking speak to her that way?
Dom must feel the same, because he grips the back of Kai’s shirt before shoving a black boot into the back of his leg and forcing him down to his knees. He leans close to the man, his voice dripping with venom. “She’s gonna put a fucking bullet in your head and take you for everything you’re worth. Thenyou’regoing to wish you were barefoot in a fucking kitchen.”
Bailey raises her gun, pressing the barrel to Kai’s forehead with so much force I’m surprised it doesn’t cut him. “Say hello to Jane for me when you get to Hell.” Then she smiles. “Toodles.” Before the gun fires, Atlas tucks my head into his shoulder and I cling to him when thecrackpierces the air.
There’s a moment of dead silence before a dull thud and then more silence. The whole time, Atlas clutches me like I’m his lifeline. I try to pull away, but he’s quick to stop me.
