Out of Love(72)

Chapter Thirty




Livy


After bringing in the last of the arsenal, Slade grabbed some water and took a seat in the rocking chair again.

“What are you waiting for?” I asked in a monotone voice while gazing at the guns, ammunition, and grenades.

“Abe and Jackson … Jude.”

Jude Day.

I’d never heard that name before. Not from my dad, not from my mom or Jessica. What if Abe had the wrong guy? It had to be an identity mistake.

“Tell me about G.A.I.L.”

He shrugged, staring out the front window while clenching a gun resting on his leg. “Can’t. Never heard of it until today.”

“Do you really think my dad killed your dad?”

“Yep.”

I flinched, but he never looked in my direction. “How can you be so certain?”

“Because I checked your Jeep for a tracking device before we left. If your dad was in my line of work, he’d sure as hell track his daughter’s vehicle.”

My phone? Maybe. But not my Jeep. “Did you find one?”

“Yep.”

“And you removed it?”

“No.” He twisted his lips. “I need him to find us.”

“Are you going to kill him?” I could barely get the words out.

“Not sure yet. But I know for a fact that he’s on his way here with every intention of killing me.” After a few seconds of silence, he slid his gaze to me. “Not that you give a shit.”

I frowned. “Why do you think that?”

“Because you tried to kill me three times.”

“So that you wouldn’t kill me first.”

“Why would I kill you?” He squinted at me.

“Because it’s your job.”

“Abe hired me to protect you.”

“Then he hired you to kill me!”

“But I didn’t!” He shot up from the chair, gripping his weapon and pacing the floor while he rubbed his neck with his other hand, chin dipped to his chest. “As soon as I found out, I came to the beach. I took you home to protect you from him because he knew … he knew I’d crossed a line and I wouldn’t kill you. He’s testing me knowing that I’ll fail. So he knows he has to be the one to do it. That’s why I’m protecting you.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Jerking to a stop, he rested his free hand on his hip and stared up at the ceiling. “Of course you don’t fucking believe me. You pulled the trigger three goddamn times!”

“So then why don’t you just kill me and get all of this over with?” I yelled.

He kicked the rocking chair with his boot, splintering the wood and sending it crashing against the wall. “Because I LOVE YOU!” he roared, anger erupting like hot lava from every inch of his tense body. “I would walk through the flames of Hell for you. I would let someone torture me to protect you. I would die the worst fucking death in the world for you.” His breaths surged from his heaving chest as his eyes reddened. “I love you …” He clenched his jaw, holding onto his emotions that threatened his eyes. “Even if you can’t love me back.”

Dead.

Slade Wylder killed me with his words. No … he tortured me with his words, with his love. Maybe he had militant control over his tears, but I didn’t have that kind of control over mine. They fell in unrelenting waves down my face.

“Wylder—”

Bang … Bang … Bang … Bang.

I jumped as Jericho instinctively placed his body in front of mine.

“Bathroom now.” Slade slung the strap of a machine gun over his shoulder. “Abe just shot your Jeep tires to announce his arrival. Get in the bathroom with Jericho now!” He bent down and cut the ties around my wrist and ankles and grabbed my arm, jerking me to standing before shoving me in the direction of the bathroom.

I did as he said and locked the door, not that it was going to protect me from Abe if he had a gun.

I listened for more gunshots or dialogue exchange.

Nothing …

*

Wylder

I hid just behind the front door threshold, peeking around the corner and through the half-screen door at Abe, but he was just out of shot on the driver’s side of Livy’s Jeep.

“Leave your dick out of this, son, and just give me the girl. Or even just part of her. I’m good with you keeping a souvenir too.”

I said nothing. I was trained to say nothing. By. Him.

Assassins weren’t negotiators. A predator’s greatest assets were patience and silence. One time, I stood with a gun and my eye glued to the scope of it for over seven hours waiting for the shot. As long as I had a pulse, I knew I’d stand silently and patiently to protect Livy.

“Your father loved Livy’s grandmother. They were childhood sweethearts. Sunny was the love of Knox’s life. She moved on when he took another tour of duty, but she never loved her husband the way she loved your dad. And he always knew it. Jackson found out, and he just couldn’t handle it. So he killed Knox. That’s the blood running through Livy’s veins. Are you really going to fight for that? You willing to die for that? If we don’t make him pay … justice will never be served. And the only way to get justice is to take everything from him, the way he took everything from you, from Mary, from me.”