Pretty Sinner (The Oligarchs)

My Penny. My gorgeous future wife.

Darren stepped back. “You’re not.”

“I am. He loves me, and I love him too. I’m going to marry him, Darren. I’m done with the Servant family. So please, get back in the car and drive before you get hurt.”

He gaped then looked at me. “You did this.”

“Darren,” Penny said, warning.

Before Darren could speak, gunshots cracked the air.

I grabbed Penny and flung her to the ground, covering her with my body.

31

Penny

Present Day

The Chicago suburbs

The gunshots broke the tense standoff. Kaspar grabbed me, threw me down, and wrapped his arms around me, acting like a human shield.

Michaels shouted from the cars. “It’s Maeve. They’re making a break for it.”

“Are you okay?” Kaspar asked.

“I’m fine. Although you’re crushing me a little bit.” He was hugging me so hard I thought a rib might pop out.

“Sorry.” He relaxed slightly. “You’re really going to marry me?”

“Yes, but we can talk about this later.”

“I love you, Penny.”

“I know you do. Seriously, though. Maeve? My brother?”

He grunted, kissed me, and stood, pulling me up with him. Darren stood at his car, staring at the strip club.

Kaspar hesitated, unsure what to do, before dragging me to Darren’s line of SUVs. We crouched next to him behind the hood and peered out at the parking lot.

Kaspar’s men were moving in. Another squad came from the opposite side, probably Redmond’s soldiers. Darren let out a frustrated growl as men poured out of the strip club, shooting in all directions. They were getting mowed down by Kaspar’s boys.

“This shouldn’t be happening,” Darren said. “Why wouldn’t she stay in there? Let us come to her?”

“She thinks you’re on my side now,” Kaspar said, watching the slaughter.

He was right, I realized in a flash. I laughed, unable to help myself. “Maeve’s supposed to be the queen of spies, right? But her spies are all gone. She’s blind.”

“Blind and panicking,” Kaspar agreed, looking at me like I was love incarnate. “She saw Darren pull up, watched our conversation, and figured we were on the same side.”

“Should’ve gotten a better lip reader then,” Darren grumbled.

More gunfire cracked out. Kaspar’s men pushed forward and I had to tear my gaze away. Too much blood, too many dead. Kaspar raised a radio to his lips and began making orders: breach the building, sweep inside, find Maeve. Bring her out alive.

It didn’t take long after that. The initial attack was wiped out in minutes. Kaspar’s men flooded inside, followed by Redmond’s. A few tense minutes of crackling static from the radio was followed by joyous shouts.

Darren was pale. I didn’t feel bad for him.

Maeve was dragged out, her hands bound behind her back. Some of her top lieutenants were with her.

Kaspar stepped out of cover and walked to the parking lot.

I followed him.

“Penny,” Darren called. “Wait, it might not be safe.”

I didn’t care. Darren could sit and screw.

I caught up with Kaspar and slipped my hand into his. He looked at me and smiled. “You should’ve stayed in the car,” he said.

“You needed my help.”

“I had it covered.”

“You were going to kill each other.”

“I was going to wound him badly. But not kill him. I figured you wouldn’t be happy if I killed your brother.”

“My hero.”

He grinned and squeezed my hand.

Maeve was a mess. She was kicked to her knees by Redmond. He’d been a part of the group that breached the building. He wore body armor and a wide, cocky grin.

“Look what I found,” he called out. “Pretty Maeve.”

Maeve kept her chin up. Even exhausted, she had dignity. She wore simple clothing, a pair of slacks, a rumpled white button-down, with not a speck of makeup. She seemed old and worn.

Kaspar stopped in front of her, took out his gun, and shot the woman to her left. She was young and pretty. She crumpled to the ground.

Maeve flinched but stared at Kaspar defiantly, her lieutenant’s blood splattered on her face.

“What do you have to say?” Kaspar asked.

“Nothing,” Maeve said. “There’s nothing to say. Get it over with. Don’t draw this out.”

Kaspar crouched down in front of her, head tilted. “The queen of information doesn’t want to talk at the end. I find it hard to believe. What do you have locked inside that head of yours, Maeve?”

“More rotten truth than you want to know.”

“You’re probably right. I have only one question.” He took a breath and let it out. “Why Penny?”

“She was convenient.” She didn’t glance in my direction. “Is that all? Penny’s nothing. She happened to be attending Blackwoods. You’re still thinking about that, even all these years later? You messed up my plans back then, Kaspar, and I never really forgave you.”

“No, and I never forgave you, either.” He stood and loomed over her.

My hands tingled. Darren stood a few feet behind me. I looked back at him.

He didn’t smile. He looked like he’d been kicked in the throat.