Page 35 of Hallow’s Eve
My confusion showed on my face.
Eve expounded, “He’s the one who hired Ford to snatch me and deliver me to him. I’m sure Ford killed Grady, but it was all my dad’s fault.”
“Where’s Ford?”
Eve’s dad spoke up. “He left out before my daughter got to her gun.”
Our heads whipped around as we heard the gunshot out front. All together we ran out of the house heading to the end of the drive. We heard two more shots before we reached Donette on the ground. Ford laid beside her a gun in his hand. She’d been shot in the shoulder. Screaming out bloody murder, Donette was very much alive. Thorn stood over Ford. He’d not missed. Ford was dead, shot square in the chest. Thorn’s gun was trained on Eve’s dad now. The man put up his hands but just a hair. Eve dropped her pistol and sank to Donette. Taking off my jacket, she used it to apply pressure to her friend’s shoulder. With my gun pointed at Fighting Cock as well, I waited for Eve to react. She gazed up at her dad.
“I’m not going back with you,” she screamed at her father.
“Eve Angel. It’s not safe for you here. You wouldn’t understand.” The man slurred his words.
Eve cried, speaking between sobs, “I’ve found out it’s not safe… You almost killed my best friend, dad… You did kill my friends… I’m staying here with Donette.”
“These Royal Bastards will skin you alive because of me.”
“Damn straight. We’re going to kill you, Fighting Cock,” Thorn told him.
The man’s eyes got wide as he realized that we already knew his identity. He was three sheets to the wind. Eve hadn’t been kidding about him being a drunk.
“No. They won’t. I’m one of them now dad, you don’t have to worry about me,” Eve said to him, shocking the hell out of me.
“What do you mean?”
“I belong to Hallow. Their president Kingpin approves. I’ve gotten a property patch and everything, so I can’t go back to Arkansas with you now.”
“Eve, how could you?” Her father braced himself, his hands on his knees.
“I guess you should’ve told me about the danger I was in before I came to Tennessee.”
“But you ran off. You won’t take my calls.”
Eve protruded her chin, pouting.
“You’re just like your mother. I couldn’t keep her safe, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone kill you.”
Eve wouldn’t look at him. I felt somewhat bad for the man, but she’d been the one that knew him, she lived with him. I’m sure she had plenty of reasons for wanting to get away from him.
I assured him, “Eve’s safe with me.”
“And once you’re done with her, you’re a Royal Bastard and she’s still my daughter. What then?”
“I’m not going to be done with her.”
“We’ll see. I’ll be back with fifty men.”
Thorn rushed to Fighting Cock and had his gun to the old man’s temple.
“Hallow.” Eve’s eyes pleaded with me. “I want him to go back to Arkansas in one piece. Please don’t kill him.”
Thorn spoke to me. “Sounds like you two had a busy night. You know we should take him in, Hallow. Kingpin hears we didn’t, and we’ll be pig shit.”
“It’ll all be on me. You weren’t even here,” I said to Thorn.
“Do what you want. Your girl, your call.”
“Go back to Arkansas now, leave Eve be and you’ll escape with your life,” I said to Eve’s dad, cocking my gun. “Otherwise, Kingpin knows where your daughter and mother are.”
