Roped In (Armed & Dangerous, #2)(59)

An idea hit me and I had a split second to act. Grabbing the antique Celtic cross Tristan had showcased on one of his tables, I turned and hurled it at his head. He saw it in enough time to duck, but it gave Blake the time he needed to act.

Then everything moved in super speed all around me. Blake and Tristan battled it out while Nick and Shades fought on the other side of the room. I didn’t know who to help or where to go. A gun fired and I screamed, but then I was dragged out of the room from behind and let go.

Breathing hard, Connor pulled out his phone and handed it to me. “Take this. I’ve already called for help, but it’ll take them a while to get here. Right now, you need to get out of here.” Another gunshot fired and he pushed me toward the back door. “Go, now!” He charged off into the fight, but I couldn’t leave them. Instead, I went right back into the line of fire.

There was blood everywhere, yet no one was down. Nick had blood soaking the left side of his shirt and I could see his energy waning. He backed into the wall and gripped his arm. “Nick!” I raced toward him and helped him over to my dad. “What happened?”

He grimaced in pain. “The f*cker shot me in the shoulder. I think this is a clear sign that I need to stick to hockey.”

“Are you okay? Where did he go?”

“I’m fine. I think he took off to find you. I need to warn Connor.” He started to get up and I squeezed his arm. Connor could handle Shades.

“No, you need to help me get my dad out of here. I can’t do it by myself.” Nodding, he helped lift my dad to his feet. We carried him outside and all the way down the driveway. Nick pressed the button for the gate and it opened. “Where are we going?”

He nodded toward the woods. “There’s a spot up ahead with all of our supplies.”

As soon as we got there, I pulled out one of Blake’s shirts from his bag and ripped it in half. I wrapped one around my dad’s leg and the other around Nick’s shoulder. Something else caught my eye and I picked it up.

“That’s not a toy, Hadley,” Nick warned.

“I know,” I agreed, holding the gun in my hands. Turning on my heel, I marched straight back toward the house.

“Hadley, no! Stop!”

I couldn’t stop. There was no time.





Hadley

More gunshots fired and I ran as fast as I could. Shades could be seen through the window, getting to his feet but I couldn’t see Connor. Where was he? Shades hobbled across the floor, gun drawn. No! I raced up the stairs and pointed my gun at his chest. Blake was on top of Tristan, his fists hitting flesh, he didn’t see Shades coming.

I pulled the trigger and the next thing I knew, he was on the floor, bleeding out from a wound in his gut. Not where I was aiming, but at least I hit my mark. He grunted in pain and reached for his gun. Another shot rang out and I screamed, turning my head away from the bloody carnage.

Gun drawn, Connor stood by my side, his expression full of turmoil. “It’s over, Tristan,” he growled low.

Blake slammed Tristan’s head on the marble floor and stood. He was covered in blood and the whole right side of his face was bruised. Breathing hard, he cocked his gun and pointed it at Tristan, who he allowed to get unsteadily to his feet.

Even faced with death, Tristan glared defiantly at us. Blake put his finger on the trigger and his muscles twitched. He was about to pull.

“Blake, no,” I warned.

Furrowing his brows, he glanced at me. “There’s no choice here, Hadley. This has to end. He has to pay for what he did to you.”

Connor spoke up. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of him.”

Tristan swayed on his feet. “You gonna kill me, uncle?”

Connor winced and pointed the gun straight at his head. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”

Tristan scoffed. “Is this about that whore of yours?”

“She wasn’t a whore.” His voice boomed throughout the room and I trembled. I’d never seen him so angry; it was frightening. “Alannah was mine and you killed her! You raped her and when you found out she was pregnant, you made it look like a suicide. It wasn’t even your f*cking child; it was mine!” He pulled out a piece of paper from the back of his pocket and threw it at Tristan. “She told me everything you did, you son of a bitch. She knew you were going to kill her.”

Clapping a hand over my mouth, I gasped in horror.

Blake lowered his gun and put an arm around me. “Turn around and keep walking,” he murmured, pulling me back. “It’s between them now.”

It was hard for him to walk away, but Connor needed the revenge more than he did. I was the one still alive, Alannah wasn’t. Turning my back, Tristan growled and started to shout, but I couldn’t hear what he said. A gunshot fired and I heard his body hit the floor with a loud thunk.

As soon as we got out of the house, I jumped into Blake’s arms. “I love you so much,” I cried.

He breathed me in, holding me tight. “I love you too, princess.”

Tears welled in my eyes and I laughed. I’d missed hearing him call me that. “How did you know I wasn’t dead?”

Brushing the hair off my face, he slid his fingers down and cupped my cheek. “I didn’t at first. I thought you were dead. It f*cked me up more than anything. But then things didn’t add up and I couldn’t live with that. I had to have proof you were gone, and how it truly happened. That’s why I went to Burnsville and had Logan help me.”