Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Romero appears at the top of the stairs, with a gun in his right hand, pointed right at Quinn’s temple, and his left arm tight around her throat. Her eyes go wide when she sees us. All he has to do is twitch the wrong fucking way, and it’s all over.
“Romero,” I growl, staying right in the middle of the room, facing him, while Priest and the others fan out. “You want me? Take me instead, but fucking leave Quinn out of this.”
“Axel?” He laughs, and it’s more unhinged than usual. What’s going on? “See, honey? I told you he was alive. The proof came right to us.”
What the fuck?
“Stay back, he’s acting crazy,” Her voice cracks.
Ignoring her, Romero takes stock of his situation, marking where each of us is. Me, Sinner, Colt, Priest and Hellfire. “Don’t even think about it. I will fucking execute her if I have to. It’d break my heart, but if I’m going, I’m taking her with me.”
“You been dipping too hard into your own stock? Put the gun down, Romero. Let go of the girl and maybe we’ll let you live.” Hellfire’s voice is cool, steady and full of menace.
“I don’t think so.” Romero removes his gun from Quinn’s temple just long enough to fire it at the ceiling, the gunshot deafening as it echoes off the walls. A little shower of wood splinters rains down over our heads. Quinn screams before he suddenly cuts her off with the arm on her throat and then the gun is back at her temple. When he lets up, she coughs and gasps for air. “But if you want your precious Quinn alive, you’re gonna let me down the stairs—back up, back up—and out the door.”
I’m gonna shred that fucker to pieces, but Quinn comes first.
“Fine.” I holster my gun and hold my hands up, backing up to clear the way. We can’t fight him here. “Don’t hurt her.”
“Axel, he’s going to—”
With a laugh, Romero aims and pulls the trigger. The bullet tears through my gut like a burning spear.
Fuck. “Quinn…”
Someone screams, but everything is already going black.
35
Chapter 35 - Quinn
Blood colors his shirt dark red as Axel collapses, bringing back memories of the first time I thought he was dying. My vocal cords go raw before I even realize I’m screaming.
He shot Axel.
I struggle against Romero’s hold, right up until he points the barrel back at my head, still hot from shooting my brother.
“Shhhhh, Quinn. I don’t wanna have to hurt you. God, it’s the last thing I want to do, but at least we’d go out together. Like Bonnie and Clyde, lovers against the world. What do you think?”
“What? No! Absolutely not!”
“I don’t like that idea either.” He chuckles. “I’m coming down the stairs. Anyone moves, and Quinn joins Axel in Hell. If I’m forced to kill her, then what’s the point, right? None of us get what we want. Put your guns down. We don’t want any accidents on the way down.”
I’m waiting for an opportunity to break his concentration, or sabotage him somehow, but it’s not easy with my head being a finger twitch away from repainting his wall. So I walk as carefully down the stairs with him as I can, willing neither of us to trip until there’s a real way out.
Outside, gunfire fills the night. There’s another explosion. Screams. But here, everything is scarily quiet. The stairs creak as we descend. There’s a pained gurgling sound from Axel as he struggles to keep breathing. The tension between everyone in the room is so tight and present that it feels like I should be able to reach out and touch it. I keep expecting someone to do something wild and clever that gets me out of Romero’s clutches, but maybe that just happens in movies.
“You’re all being so good. I’m glad you understand the gravity of the situation. I’m just going to assume that it’s time to cut my losses, but if all I walk away with is Quinn, it will be worth it. Now, hang back.”
Priest, Sinner and Colt. Even Hellfire. They’re all frozen, their guns on the floor right in front of them, but I don’t doubt that all it would take is one unexpected movement for the room to erupt in violence. I’m just praying Romero isn’t the one that starts shooting. My brother is already groaning on the floor. I don’t want anyone else hurt because of me.
If we get this over with fast, maybe they can get Axel medical help. “He won’t hurt me if you let us go. He’s… well, he won’t. Right?”
“I will if I must, but it’s up to these gentlemen.” Romero caresses my cheek with the barrel of the gun. “What do you say? Does she live to see another day?”
I think I’m going to be sick.