Heart of the Devil (The Forge Trilogy #3)(47)

I reach the top of them, wishing I had a fucking weapon, but I sure as hell don’t. I duck behind the chopper and spot blood pooling on the ground.

Fuck.

One of Federov’s security guards has a knife through his throat. Jesus Christ. He didn’t even have a chance to go for his gun—which is still in his shoulder holster.

I grab it and check the chamber. Locked and loaded.

Sticking close to the walls of the buildings, I move closer to the house. I pause when I hear Dorsey’s voice.

What the fuck is going on here? I slip inside silently and peek over the counters.

Dorsey has a gun to Indy’s head. Betrayal and terror grip my fucking soul with their bone-chilling fingers. I raise the pistol but have no shot. I can’t take the chance of hitting Indy.

Ducking down, I move through the kitchen, but I can’t pull the trigger. Not if there’s a chance I could hit her. With no good options, I grab a glass off the counter and toss it through the open glass doors, trying for a distraction.

As soon as it shatters, Dorsey moves and I charge forward, squeezing the trigger.

But she drops to the ground, and I fucking miss.

Indy’s shocked gaze cuts to me, and Dorsey pops up with a gun in either hand. One points at Indy and the other is zeroed in on my chest.

“Fuck you, Forge. Hands up, throw the gun down. Get the fuck out here before I shoot her in the goddamned head in front of you. Do you want to see her brains splatter all over the table? Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

“Why the fuck are you doing this?”

Dorsey’s normally placid face is smug as fuck as she moves behind Indy. “I was just about to get to the good part of the story. I’ll let you hear the end before I end you. After all, I’ve waited so fucking long to tell you. And now you’ll know why you and your little bitch are going to die.”

I walk toward the door, gun still in hand, but I have no shot. “Let her go. Whatever you want, you can have it. Take it and go. Leave Indy alone.”

Dorsey’s head tilts to the side, and I catch a glimpse of a grin that’s nothing short of evil.

How the fuck did this happen?

“You don’t make the rules anymore, Forge. I’m calling the shots. Toss the gun on the ground and sit the fuck down if you don’t want a bullet in her head before story time is over. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen as soon as Goliath gets back.”

Goliath. It was because of his trusted and glowing recommendation that I hired Dorsey earlier this year . . . which means whatever their plan was, it started long before today.

With no choice but to obey, I squat down and lower the gun to the ground.

“Isaac was her father, Jericho,” Indy says.

Dorsey reaches out and smacks her in the head with the butt of the gun. “Shut the fuck up. It’s my story.”

Blood blooms at Indy’s temple, and her knees give way. With Dorsey’s attention split, I charge at her, but she pops off a round that misses Indy’s crumpled form by an inch.

“No more sudden movements, Forge. Kick the gun to me.”

I thought nothing could be worse than knowing I couldn’t save Isaac from that wreck, but I was wrong.

As I kick my only weapon toward Dorsey, while she holds a gun on the woman I love, I know what true torture is. But the clawing fear in my gut isn’t going to save us. I have to think.

“Isaac didn’t have any children, Dorsey. It’s fucking impossible. I don’t know who lied to you.”

The gun in her left hand jabs in my direction. “He sure as fuck did. He just didn’t know it. He stopped to see my mom every time he was in Norfolk. At least, until the time he knocked her up and never came back. She would never tell me who my father was. Not until she was dying last year. Then she told me everything.”

Norfolk, Virginia. It was a port Isaac frequented. I can’t deny that.

“Then if Isaac was your father, you know he wouldn’t want this.”

She glares at me, her expression contorted with rage. “I don’t give a fuck what he would’ve wanted. I wanted a father. Little bitch over here had one scouring the world for her, and mine didn’t even know I existed before de Vere killed him.”

“De Vere didn’t kill Isaac, Dorsey. It was an accident. That’s what he came here to tell me. It was an eleven-year-old at the helm that day. De Vere took the rap for it because he didn’t want to ruin the kid’s life.”

A mix of emotions play across Dorsey’s face, and her mouth moves silently. “That’s . . . that’s not true. De Vere must have lied. He had to die. I’ve been waiting for a goddamn year for you to take our revenge. But you didn’t have the balls to fucking end him. That’s when I decided to do it myself. And then this bitch came along, and you forgot about avenging Isaac. You did this to yourself.”

“What the fuck do you want, Dorsey? De Vere’s dead. Isaac’s gone. You want money? Because you can have it all. Every single goddamned penny, but you have to let Indy go first.”

“Shut the fuck up! Don’t tell me what to do.”

Indy’s terrified gaze locks on me, and I can read her lips. “I love you no matter what.”

Resolve hardens in me like steel. I will not lose her. Not now. Not ever.

“There’s at least ten million in the safe, bills, gold, and diamonds. Take it and go. I won’t report it. I won’t even look for you.”