Oh
my
god.
No.
He did not just say that.
To my mother.
Granted, she was a freaking psychopath who had me tortured for months. But she was still my mother. You don't talk about fucking someone's daughter to them.
V laughed, looking at me. “Maybe there's more of me in you than I thought.”
Oh lordy.
I was really, really hoping that wasn't true.
If I had to choose to be more like one of my parents: the psychotic, torturing, murdering skin trader or the control freak, cold, calculating cocaine dealer. Well, I'd pick the cold, calculating, control freak every time. But even as I said it, I knew that wasn't who I was. I was hot tempered. Once out from under my father's thumb, I had a sharp tongue. I went from zero to ninety on the anger scale in two point seven seconds. I was impulsive.
Oh, god.
I was like my mother.
I was like my mother!
“Relax,” Reign said in my ear, his tone bossy, not sweet.
Lo's phone buzzed and she reached for it, looking down, and shooting off a quick text.
“They'll be here in five,” she announced, tucking her phone away.
“Summer dear,” V said, looking at me, “I'm afraid you're going to have to hand Daniel your gun before your father gets here.”
“No,” I said automatically. It was the only leverage I had. I couldn't just hand it over.
But Daniel was already moving toward me, palms still out. “Take your finger off the trigger,” he said, his tone softer.
“Babe, give him the gun,” Reign demanded. Not soft. Again.
I sighed, sliding my hand off the trigger and turning the gun to hand to Daniel. He took it slowly, his eyes finding mine, the gaze heavy. Like he was trying to impart something silently, but I couldn't get it.
Behind me, Reign went tense, like he didn't trust Daniel looking at me. Probably thinking that he was one of the men who tortured me.
Daniel stuck the gun in the waistband of his jeans and moved to his spot, standing near the back door, facing us.
“V!” one of her men called from the front door.
“Let them in,” she called back casually.
“V!” he called again. Louder. More hysterical.
And then all hell broke loose.Twenty-nineSummerOne minute, I was just standing in the kitchen in the middle of the weirdest hostage negotiation in the history of bad guys, Reign holding my belly, everyone just standing around.
The next, I was thrown onto the ground and all I heard was gunshots. And, I kid you not, explosions. Actual explosions. Not close. But close enough that the ground shook, the world roared, glass shattered.
I twisted my head, trying to suck in a deep breath, and that's when I saw Repo walking in, a huge automatic-type gun pointed outward, my father next to him, holding a handgun, and a woman beside him with guns everywhere, walk in.
The girl, Janie, I think they called her... tossed guns around and there was yelling and gunshots and I couldn't even think clearly enough to realize I should have gotten up and found something to defend myself with.
But all I could think of was the gunfire. And Reign. Who wasn't beside me. He wasn't on top of me. And I couldn't find him.
I whirled my head around desperately, seeing Wolf engaged in some kind of battle with one of V's men. Cash had just taken off out the back door. But Reign was gone.
Then there was a hand sliding around my stomach and I felt a flood of relief. “Shut up, stay down, and don't fight me,” Daniel's voice found me instead. “I'm getting you out of here alive if you do what I say,” he said.
My options were to lay underneath a hail of gunfire, unarmed. Or to go with Daniel and do what he said.
I nodded.
And then we were moving.
Crawling across the kitchen toward a door at the far side.
I heard my name called but couldn't register who said it.
My head twisted, seeing my father round on my mother, gun drawn.
The next moment, I was behind a closed door. The shouts and shots were muffled as I looked around to find myself in a garage. A car in the center. Various plastic containers of what looked like clothing on the sides. Daniel let go of me, standing and throwing some huge cabinet in front of the door, blocking it.
I pushed myself up onto my feet, feeling shaky inside as Daniel turned to look at me, pulling the gun out of his waistband.
My heart froze in my chest, my mouth falling open.
No.
He wasn't trying to get me out of there alive. He wanted to get me alone so he could kill me. Jesus Christ. How could I be so stupid? I should have stayed in the kitchen. My father and Cash and Wolf would have protected me. I would have gotten out of there just fine. No. I had to go and be stupid and follow one of the bad guys. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Summer, relax,” he said, his tone urgent but gentle. When I looked up, the gun was pointed at me. But not the barrel. The butt. “I need you to make this look good.”
“Make it look good?” I asked, my brows drawing together.
“Are you a good shot?”
Well. I mean... I had shot Martin. Right in the forehead. But he was close. I was pretty sure that didn't take much skill. “I don't know. That was the only time I've ever used a gun,” I admitted.
At this, he nodded. “Okay. Take the gun, Summer,” he said, moving forward and pressing it into my hand. “I need you to shoot me.”
What?
No.
I was pretty sure I was at my shooting quota for the day. Or year. Or lifetime.
“No,” I said, my tone almost hysterical.
“Not to kill me. I just need to be shot by you, okay? I can't explain why. We don't have time. You need to shoot me. Shoulder would be good. Close range so it goes straight through.”
“What are you talking about? I can't shoot you!”
“You have to shoot me,” he said, calm. He was really way too calm for someone who was asking to be shot. “You shoot me then you get in this car,” he gestured. “Get in the car. The keys are inside. You hit the button on the visor. The door will open and you pull out. The windows are resistant but nothing is bulletproof so try to keep your head low. And get the fuck out of here. Do you understand me?”