Page 36 of Hell on an Angel
Cree felt it was a solid plan. They might not have better weather than what was predicted. They were eight days out from her birthday, and he’d promised Kennedy he’d have her in Montreal to spend it with her brother. He hoped he wouldn’t have to break that promise, and now, it seemed he might not.
Kennedy rapped her knuckles on the table, telling herself she could handle four days on the back of the bike. Even if it killed her, she’d suck it up and deal with whatever Cree needed her to do. “Maliki, my boots are good, but I could use warmer socks, gloves, and if I could get some thermal underwear, that would be perfect.”
Cree smiled at Kennedy trying to pull off the image of a hardened rider. He was sure she’d manage the four days no matter what the weather threw at them. Pushing off from the table, he kissed her then left with Maliki to grab the things they would need for the trip.
Chapter Twenty
An hour after Cree and Maliki left, Kennedy heard what sounded like a car pulling up. Tiptoeing to the window, she barely eased the edge of the curtain back when she saw a familiar truck along with a blacked-out four-door sedan. Her eyes were wide with stark fear. Scrambling for the phone, she dialed Cree.
“Hey, you think of something else you need, sweetheart?” he asked.
“No. They’re here. Dino and Chuckie, along with some Native men,” Kennedy told him quickly in a low tone.
“What?”
Kennedy was gripped with fear. She should have gone with them to the store. “Cree, tell me what to do.”
“There’s a gun in the bathroom under the sink. And another one in the bedroom under the mattress on my side of the bed. We’re on our way.” Cree snapped his fingers, grabbing Maliki’s attention, and signaled they needed to go. Now.
Quietly and quickly, Kennedy moved through the house, staying away from the windows. “Stay in the house,” Cree ordered. “They don’t know I’m not there.” She heard tires squealing and the sound of sirens blaring. She didn’t need him to say they were too far away to help her—she knew it, and she knew she was on her own.
“Okay.” Kennedy grabbed the gun from the bathroom before going into the bedroom. Removing the gun from between the mattresses, she asked about extra ammo. “Will this be enough ammo for me to hold them off?”
“Yes.” He had no idea if it would be or not. “Get yourself in a spot where you can fight.”
She thought for a split second of getting under the bed, but she couldn’t defend that position. Easing back into the bathroom, she stepped into the closet. She’d noticed when they first arrived that the shelves went all the way up to the ceiling. “Hold on, Cree.”
Stuffing the phone in her bra, she placed the guns in her waistband at her back so she could climb. Closing the door, she felt her way up. Using the wooden rungs on the wall, she climbed the fifteen feet up into the darkest part of the closet. There was just enough room for her to sit on the top shelf. For the first time in her life, she thanked her mom for making her great at hide and seek. If it wouldn’t have been for Valerie’s many abusive boyfriends, Kennedy wouldn’t know how to find the best hiding places to hold up in.
The sound of the front door being breeched had her hands gripping one of the guns from her waistband. She flipped the safety off on the second gun and set it next to her leg. This time, she was thankful that Cree had shown her more than once how to turn the safety off and rack the first round, which she did. Taking no chances at being seen, she placed her feet on the rungs one shelf down.
Kennedy could hear Cree calling her name. He’d give her hiding place away if he didn’t shut up. Tilting her chin to her chest, she whispered into the phone, “Be quiet, they’re in the house.”
Pointing the gun down toward the door, a calm came over her. How many times in her life had she hidden in a place just like this? How many times had she hidden from danger? Too many. No one ever looked up when searching for a person hiding, and if they did this time, she’d empty the damn gun to save her life.
Heavy footsteps and raised voices could be heard as they moved through the house, searching room by room. Kennedy held her breath when the closet door was opened and she saw the top of Chuckie’s head. Holding the gun steady, she had the perfect position to take him out. The sound of her heart pounded in her ears as sweat beaded on her forehead. She didn’t dare swallow the lump in her throat, afraid he’d hear it. When the closet door closed, she let out a silent sigh.
She didn’t dare speak as she sat in the darkness, holding the gun.
The quiet moment was interrupted in an instant. It sounded like all hell breaking loose when the men began shouting. Arguing over money and being liars followed by the sound of gunfire made her jump.
She wanted to climb down but was too afraid of getting hit by a stray bullet. Then there were screeching tires and more gunshots. Seconds, minutes, hours seemed to pass as the fighting continued. Finally, the sound of silence followed by men groaning was all she could hear.
Something heavy slammed into the closet door, and when it opened, Dino stepped in, closing in the door behind him. Kennedy covered her mouth with her hand, not wanting him to hear her breathing.
She assured herself he was too big to climb up to where she hid. Still, she was terrified. When the door was yanked open, Kennedy could only see large hands pulling him out of the closet.
She watched a fight ensue between Dino and another person. Swinging arms and hard, solid fists connected with Dino’s body and face until he hit the floor. She saw blood pooling around the body on the bathroom rug. Then she saw Cree standing over him holding a blood-covered knife. She should have been horrified that he had killed another person, but she wasn’t. Kennedy wanted to yell for him, but instead, she remained quiet when he moved from her sight.
She watched Dino’s body get rolled away, and still, she waited. With the door still open, the lower part of the closet was illuminated. Leaning her head against the wall, she waited for Cree to come for her. Closing her eyes, she listened as men shouted orders. It sounded like dozens of people were in the house. She didn’t know how long she’d been up there, but she wasn’t climbing down until he called for her.
“Kennedy, where are you?” she finally heard him shout.
Once again, she holstered the guns in her waistband then climbed her way down. Emerging from the closet, she stepped over the blood-soaked rug and walked out of the bathroom, running for Cree when he turned to face her.
“It’s over. I got you,” he told her, wrapping his arms around her. Holding her firmly against him, Cree’s heart pounded in his ears as the fear of her being hurt still ran around in his head.
“Are they both dead?” she asked, pressing her face into his chest.
