Until then, the other shooter had been focused on Menace and Lynch. They were both positioned inside one of the classroom doorways, using it as a protective shield as they tried to take him down. Hawk was behind me, doing everything he could to cover me until the shooter turned his attention to us—forcing us both out of the hall and into one of the old classrooms. The guy either got really fucking brave or just downright stupid and stepped out into the open, giving Widow the opportunity he needed to take a shot.
As soon as the asshole hit the floor, the shooting stopped. Hawk and I immediately came out of the classroom, and with Lynch and Menace following close behind, we rushed over to join Widow and Duggar. Widow gave us a thankful nod as he said, “Don’t know who came up with the plan, but we sure appreciate the help back there.”
“You can thank Lynch for that,” Hawk replied. “It was his idea.”
“Well, it worked.”
I felt like we were finally making some ground until Widow motioned his head to the office. “We can’t do shit. At least not while he has that fucking gun pointed at Kiersten’s head.”
I looked through the crack in the door, and my chest tightened the second I spotted Kiersten. I knew she had to be terrified, especially with the asshole pointing his goddamn gun at her, but she was putting on a brave front. She wasn’t crying or trembling. Instead, she stood tall, trying to talk to him. While I couldn’t hear what she was saying, I knew her well enough to know that she was doing everything she could to put an end to this whole fiasco and do it without costing Braylon his life. My only concern was about getting Kiersten away from those men. I looked around, searching for a way to get close enough to help when I noticed that the explosion had created a gaping hole in the office wall. If I was right, we would be able to use that fucking hole as a means to put an end to Drake once and for all. We just had to get into just the right position without drawing his attention outside. It was risky, but it was our only chance.
“I’ve got it.” I turned to face the others as I said, “I know what we’ve gotta do.”
Sixteen
Kiersten
“You can have it all, Drake. Everything. It’s yours. I don’t care. Please let us go.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” A sinister smile crossed his face. “I let you go, and then you and your little buddies get your cop friends to come and take me out. That’s not going to happen.”
“No, that’s crazy. Why would I bring the cops here? I wouldn’t want them seeing all this.”
“Oh, you should know I’m too smart to fall for that bullshit. With the kind of money you’re bringing in here, I’m sure you have the cops in your pocket.”
The shooting down the hall suddenly subsided, leaving the entire building enveloped in an eerie silence. I had no idea if that was a good sign or not. I prayed that Duggar, Timms, and Widow were still alive but had no way of knowing for sure. I’d been trying so hard to keep Drake preoccupied, saying anything I could to keep him from pulling that trigger and killing Braylon, but I was afraid my time was about to run out. Out of pure desperation, I tried, “It’s not too late. We can still do this. We can go into business together. We can do whatever you want.”
“Is that right?”
Drake immediately reached over and grabbed my arm, yanking me over to him. He leaned in and ran his tongue from my lower jaw along the side of my cheek. When he grabbed my face and pulled me in for a kiss, I panicked. I placed my hands on his chest and gave him a hard shove. A sinister chuckle vibrated through his chest as he growled, “I knew you were full of shit.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he lifted his hand and struck me across the face. “I’m done with you and your stupid fucking games.”
I brought my hand up to my face, covering it protectively as I watched him start to pace back and forth. He waved his gun in the air as he started ranting to himself. “Stupid fucking cunt. Playing all these fucking games with my head.”
Most of what he was saying was incoherent, but it was clear that Drake had gone off the deep end. One minute he was trying to make a play for me, and then he was committed to taking over the Manor and making it his own. Time was running out, and I had no clue what to do. My mind was reeling as I continued to watch him talk to himself. “Enough of the bullshit. I’m going to do what I came here to do. I’m gonna take what’s mine, and no one is gonna stop me.”