Downfall(65)

The Boss rolled down his window and braced his arm in the opening so he could lean his head outside.

“You better be prepared to use that thing if you’re going to point it at someone, hot shot. I told you already, if you want the kid, bring me your boss. If I don’t see Channing in fifteen minutes, he’ll never see his granddaughter again. I’m not scared of you, your gun, or your threats. If you make me repeat myself again, this is going to end so badly for you.” The woman crossed her arms over her chest and tapped a high-heeled foot impatiently. “Tell your boss the Devil says ‘hello.’”

He was the key to this entire plan working. Channing already knew the Devil was willing to set up an illegal fight where someone might lose their life. He would absolutely believe the man would be capable of kidnapping a three-year-old as long as he could profit off it. We were all betting that Channing Vincent wouldn’t believe anyone who came from this brutal city could have any morals.

One of the goons lifted his hand holding the gun and made like he was going to slam his fist into the side of the woman’s head while another made the call.

“Oh, fuck. If he hits her, we’re all going to suffer the consequences.” Hades wouldn’t stand by and let his Persephone get hurt, not without bringing the entire Underworld to its knees.

The Boss snorted and tapped the dash with the side of his fist. “Don’t worry about her. She can handle herself. You think a guy like him would put a ring on the finger of someone who wasn’t almost as scary as he was? Sometimes I think she’s worse since she willingly agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. She eats guys like that thug for breakfast.”

I was about to retort that the goon had a gun and she didn’t, but then the guy started convulsing on the ground like he was having a seizure. She calmly bent over and picked up his dropped weapon. A powerful taser gun was clasped in her other hand. The other goons watched with wide eyes as the stunning woman cocked a hip and pointed the weapon at them.

“Unlike your buddy, I only point a loaded gun at someone when I intend to pull the trigger. Get your boss down here, now!” The sharp bite in her tone even made me want to jump and obey her command.

One of the henchmen held up his hands in a gesture of surrender and showed her the cellphone clutched in his hand. “He’s on his way. Take it easy.”

She scoffed and pointed the gun at the front tire of the SUV next to him. He wasn’t the only one who screamed at the top of his lungs in surprise as she fired off a perfect shot at the tire, then at the other SUV. She took out both the front and back tires so neither vehicle was drivable.

“You ran me off the road. Your buddy pointed a gun at my face and threatened to hit me. If your boss doesn’t want to open his wallet, I guarantee your car isn’t the only thing that will have bullet holes in it, so no, I don’t think I’ll take it easy.” She tapped that expensive shoe again, and narrowed her eyes as another car made its way down the road.

The Boss shifted in his seat, reaching out to turn on the big, badass muscle car. The growl of the engine was sexy as fuck and I could freely admit to having car envy whenever he drove this particular beast.

He glanced at me, the tick in his cheek making the star tattooed near his eye jump. “Show time.”

I nodded. “I just want to bring my girls home.” Whatever it took. If I had to do the type of things I always swore I would never do, then so be it. I could live with disappointing my mother by becoming the kind of man she always warned me about. But I couldn’t live without Orley and Noble. I couldn’t leave my mom behind if she decided to run, so the only option was cutting the head off her monster so she felt safe enough to stay right by my side.

“You will.” I wish I had his confidence. He was acting like all of this was no big deal, but to me, it felt like everything I loved was hanging precariously in the balance.

A dark blue Jaguar, followed by three more SUVs, suddenly pulled off the side of the road. Traffic was totally blocked, but the area was pretty desolate since this was the road leading right into the heart of the bad part of town. The bold woman actually looked bored. Making a big show of yawning wide and lifting the hand holding the gun to cover it even as she was surrounded by approximately twenty armed men. Vincent wasn’t messing around. He brought a militia with him. It wasn’t until Channing himself climbed out of the Jag and made his way to the woman that the Boss put his powerful car into motion.

We didn’t have an army, but I guess we didn’t need one, not when every single one of the thugs Channing Vincent had rounded up last minute owed the Devil a favor. By the time the GTX pulled to a stop next to the Jag, all of the men who had initially run Orley’s car off the road were unarmed and secured with zip-ties. Channing was watching the scene, mouth agape, as a Rolls Royce Phantom joined the party; a familiar figure in a ridiculously expensive suit climbed out of the driver’s side.

Channing Vincent turned in a slow circle watching the events unfold with wide eyes and mouth hanging open in disbelief. “I paid you. What are you doing? This is unacceptable.”

All the new thugs chuckled under their breath. It was obvious Channing had been set up from the start. He went looking for bad guys in a rush, not knowing all the bad guys were already spoken for by the baddest guy in the entire town. They weren’t loyal to anyone, but they were afraid for their lives and stuck in a city run by the Devil, which trumped any other allegiance out there.