The Purest Hook (Second Circle Tattoos #3)(91)

“What you didn’t say?” Sam snapped. “I heard you that day, back at the house. When you asked for your key. You were planning to fire me. To push me even further to the periphery of your lives. That’s significantly bigger than not saying a few words here and there, you ungrateful shit.”

Dred remembered back to the day. Pixie had said she’d heard something, but they’d dismissed it. Fuck. Sam had only pretended to leave. He’d heard everything before they’d had a chance to formulate a plan to ease the transition. They would never have just dropped him cold. They’d have made sure he was taken care of for a while.

Lennon inched closer toward the kitchen, Nikan following him, while Elliot and Jordan deliberately crossed the length of the living room toward the balcony. Slowly they started to walk toward Sam who pointed the gun from left to right in a wild and desperate arc. Sweat ran down the side of Sam’s temple, panic replacing the coolness.

“Just put Petal down on the sofa, Sam, and step away,” Dred said gently.

“Don’t come any closer,” Sam shouted. “I’ll shoot you.”

“Yeah,” said Jordan, taking another step closer. “You might, but you only have time to shoot one person before the rest of us are on you. So say your prayers and choose wisely, Sam, because one of us is going to f*cking kill you either way.”

Dred was about to stand, to help them get his daughter back, when Pixie’s grip on his hand loosened and he looked down as her eyes fluttered shut. “Fuck, Pix. Look at me. Stay awake, Snowflake.” She needed help. And the sight of his brothers putting their lives at risk to save his daughter cleaved him in two. They’d had his back since the day they’d met, but never more so than today.

The sound of a gunshot reverberated around the room, and Nikan cried out as he grabbed the top of his arm, blood oozing between his fingers.

Lennon raced to Sam and snatched Petal from his arms. Holding her to his chest, he turned his back to Sam and hurried down the hallway. Dred wanted to call out, to hold her himself, but he knew Petal was safest out of sight.

Jordan knocked Sam to the floor and followed him down, trying to wrestle the gun from Sam’s hand. It went off again, firing a hole straight through the back of the sofa. Dred bent over Pixie, and covered her head and chest in case it went off again.

Elliot stamped down on Sam’s wrist, a loud crack snapping through the air. With a cry of pain, Sam let go of the gun. With no protection, and no means of escape, Sam cowered on the floor.

“Don’t,” Sam cried out, cradling his wrist. “Please.”

“What, you honestly thought you were going to get away with this, you f*cking *?” Jordan yelled before punching Sam so hard, his head snapped backward.

Dred looked around the room. Lennon was standing at the end of the hallway, a phone to his ear and Petal cuddled tight in his arms. She was still screaming, and Dred watched as Lennon kissed the top of her head softly.

“Police and ambulance are already on their way. Pulling up in front of the building any moment,” Lennon said.

Elliot stood over Arnie, who had started to splutter to consciousness.

He looked back down at Pixie. “Oh, Snowflake. Where did you go? Wake up, gorgeous.” He gripped her hand.

The reassuring rise and fall of her chest gave him little comfort. Head injuries were unpredictable. Dred turned angrily to Sam. “Was it all just about the money?”

Sam struggled against Jordan’s hold. “That’s all it could ever be about, because you guys never let me be anything more.”

*

Pixie couldn’t figure out who was speaking. There was an echo around the words, making the voices indistinguishable. Why couldn’t she hear properly? She tried to sit up, but her head spun horribly and she couldn’t force her body to move. Where the hell was she?

Someone grabbed her hand. It was warm, which was a good thing because she was freezing. Every bone in her body hurt, and she couldn’t figure out why. She was in some kind of trouble, and panic rippled through her.

“We made you a shit-load of f*cking money, *.” The voice was closer, deeper. Dred. It sounded like him. What had happened to them? Trying to figure out what was going on was like clutching smoke. As soon has she felt like she had a thread to hold on to, it disappeared from her grip.

PETAL. She’d been trying to get to Petal, but couldn’t quite reach her. Why had she been doing that? Petal’s blanket had slipped through her hand before . . . she’d been hit . . . from behind. Which explained the blinding headache. Sam and Arnie had her.

“We were meant to make even more. Without me creating extra interest in you, you would have flopped.”

Pixie whimpered in pain. At least she thought she did. She needed help because her head hurt, but she couldn’t force her eyes open.

A hand brushed across her forehead. “I have you, Snowflake. You’re safe, I promise.”

It was definitely Dred, she could tell from the low gravelly tone of his voice.

She raised her hand off the floor, and he took it in his. He squeezed it gently. “Look at me, gorgeous.”

Everything was out of focus, the light bright as she opened her eyes and squinted.

“Thank f*ck. Never been so glad to see you.” Dred kissed her gently. His lips were warm, a physical representation of everything that was safe in the world.