Branded (Fall of Angels #1)(78)

But nothing will stop her dad from exacting the revenge he’s wanted for so long. I know because I’ve lived with that same feeling for decades. And now it comes back to bite me in the ass.

So I close my eyes and await my fate.

However, the door suddenly bursts open again.

“Well, lucky me.”

It’s my uncle.

And he immediately shoots Dixie’s father.





Chapter Thirty-Six





Dixie



I scream as my dad hits the floor, blood seeping from his wound.

“Dad!” I cry out, and I immediately cover the wound with a piece of my shirt which I tear off. He’s gasping for air. His lung is punctured. He probably won’t make it out alive.

Fuck. I can’t lose my dad too. Even though he acted like a fucking idiot, he’s still my fucking dad.

Brandon’s uncle casually flips his gun in his hand, and says, “Good fucking riddance, I’d say.” He chuckles. My blood begins to boil.

“You fucking murderer,” I spit.

“Not my first, not my last,” his uncle says flippantly. Then he focuses his attention on Brandon. “Brandon, my boy … do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to find you here?”

“What the f—” Brandon immediately gets to his feet and points his gun at him.

But so does his uncle.

“Now, now, boy,” Josiah says. “No need to get all violent on me. We’re family, remember?”

“You just fucking shot her dad!” Brandon yells back. “Are you insane?”

“You were about to do the same, no?” his uncle asks, raising a brow. “Oh no … you were on your knees. Did you actually give up there?” He laughs out loud. “And you call yourself a Locklear. Your dad would be so fucking proud.”

“Shut up,” Brandon hisses.

Josiah’s trying to get him to lash out and do something stupid, but he won’t fall for it. He can’t. Right?

“You know, I’m so glad I got Matteo’s phones hacked so I could track where all those idiots were going,” Josiah says. “That motherfucker was pretty useless when it came to finding you. Forced me to go look for you two myself.”

Idiots. Motherfucker. That’s what he thinks of his own men. What a fucking animal. Brandon’s eyes widen as if it’s the first time his uncle doesn’t pretend to give a shit about them. The first time he’s shown his true colors.

“Really, Brandon? This is how you repay me for all those years? When I took you under my wing and nurtured you?”

“I said shut up,” Brandon barks back.

“Oh, no, no, no …” Josiah shakes his finger. “You’re not in a position to act all holier than thou. You were supposed to bring her back to me. Not take her with you to one of your filthy ass motels or wherever the fuck you all went.”

“We were hiding from you,” I hiss back at him.

“Shut up, little girl,” he says. “Or I’ll blow a hole in your face.”

“Don’t talk to her. Your beef’s with me,” Brandon says, trying to revert his attention.

His uncle narrows his eyes. “Why, Brandon? Tell me why you felt the need to betray me.”

“Because you’re a sick son of a bitch, that’s why,” I say.

I can’t help interfering. That asshole did the unforgivable, so I should kill him myself.

Suddenly, Josiah shoots the ground mere inches away from my feet. “Don’t test my patience, girl. You don’t want me to hurt you now, do you?” He cracks his knuckles without letting go of the gun. “And I do enjoy hurting girls like you … a lot.”

I cringe and swallow my tongue for a second. I know I’m in a bind. But I can’t fucking give in. Not to the man who ruined my family’s business and the man who has now killed my dad too.

“You … you’ll pay for this,” I say through gritted teeth. Rage fills my veins. I don’t think I’ve ever been angrier than I am right now. Not even at Brandon.

“You think?” His uncle laughs. “Because if I remember correctly, you’re the one who blew up my goddamn hotel.” He marches toward me and grabs me by the throat, lifting me up from the floor. I close my eyes.

Can’t. Fucking. Breathe.

“LET. HER. GO.”

BANG!

I drop to the floor. I inhale out loud and clutch my throat, glad I’m still alive.

There’s a gunshot wound in his uncle’s shoulder, and Brandon’s gun is smoking.

“Brandon …” Josiah tsks. He doesn’t even seem to feel the pain. “I expected better from you.”

“Don’t fucking touch her,” Brandon responds.

I’ve never seen him this protective over me before. It’s as if he really cares about me and my life.

“Did you forget what she did to us, Brandon?” Josiah replies. “That girl destroyed my fucking casino. She should be hanged and have a fucking stake driven up her goddamn pussy!” he yells, his voice so loud it breaks.

A shiver runs up and down my spine. If that’s what he was planning on doing to me, I’m sure as hell glad Brandon got to me first.

“Did to you, you mean,” Brandon says, carefully coming toward me, one step at a time.