Page 60 of Heart Stopping
Fairfield rolled his eyes. "Who are you and what do you want?" He shook his head. "You know what, it doesn't matter." He raised the gun and pointed it at Boner's head. "You shouldn't have tried screwing with me."
"You're absolutely right," Boner said. "We shouldn't have. Our bad. We'll just be leaving now." He took a step back.
"You're not going anywhere," Fairfield growled.
"You're not going to shoot me," Boner said. "If you do, then how will I learn? This whole lesson was for nothing. Youwouldn't want a perfectly good teachable moment to go to waste, would you?"
"What are you talking about?" Fairfield lowered the gun slightly, but raised it again. "You should have learned a long time ago."
"My mom always said I'd get myself in trouble someday, because I always have to see something through, even if it seems like a bad idea at the time. You know the expression, fuck around and find out? I've always enjoyed a bit of fucking around. The finding out part? Not such a big fan. I bet almost anything we have that in common, yeah?"
Boner lowered his hands to his sides. "Consequences are always such a pain in the ass, wouldn't you say? Wait, you wouldn't know. You haven't had to face any yet. It must be nice to have so much money you can buy your way out of anything."
In my earpiece, Cass growled. I mean an actual, full on feral growl. Under any other circumstance, it would have been hot as hell. Right now, he reminded me of what was at stake here. The things Fairfield did. Why Cass wanted to help us in the first place.
"He has connections too," I said. "They've been a big help too, haven't they Fairfield?"
He glanced around Boner at me and frowned. "Have we met?"
I stepped up beside the Englishman. "Not in person. You knew my sister, Lettie St. James."
He shook his head, but I could tell he knew exactly who I was referring to. I could have hoped for a flicker of guilt, but it never came. Of course not. It never would with men like him. Their only regret would be getting caught.
"Enough," Fairfield snapped. His grip on the gun tightened. Coldly, he regarded us both, calculating how fast he'd have to be to kill one, then the other. He aimed the gun back at Boner.
Rude. Did he think he could shoot Boner, then overpower me? Did he believe I'd be too slow? Had he underestimated the rage I'd lived with since my sister's murder?
My guess was yes, yes and also yes.
His finger tightened around the trigger.
I went for my knife.
The door opened behind Fairfield and Archer stepped inside. Before Fairfield could react to his presence, Archer plunged a needle into the side of his neck and squeezing the contents until the syringe was empty.
"What the?—"
Boner and I both took the distraction, leaping at Fairfield. Boner to grab his wrist and try to wrench the gun out of his hand. Me to drive a knife into his thigh.
Goddamn it, I was aiming for his groin.
Either way, Boner and Fairfield wrestled for the gun for a few moments before Boner grabbed it and tossed it back over his shoulder. It clattered on the hardwood and slid almost to the front door.
I pulled out my knife, ready to try again, when Fairfield's eyes rolled back in his head and he started to fall. Both of the guys grabbed him before he could hit the floor. Hefting him up between them like he was now the drunk one, they carried him out the back of the house and around the front.
"We need to get him into the car," Archer said.
I hurried to open the back of the SUV so the guys could toss him inside like a sack of potatoes. Actually, they'd probably be gentler with potatoes.
Archer slammed the hatch closed and hurried around to the driver's side door. "Let's get out of here."
"Now the party really begins." Boner grinned and slid into the back seat, leaving me to claim shotgun.
"My favorite part," I said, clicking my seatbelt in as Archer peeled the car away from the side of the road.
CHAPTER 23
HARLOW
