AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“They weren’t supposed to die.” Jack sighed, weariness filling his expression. “You just don’t understand. You can’t stop the changes coming. A revolution is building, man; fighting it will only get you killed. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and profit from it where you can.”
“Fuck, Jack,” Doogan sighed wearily. “You’re behind the arms thefts in Fort Knox, aren’t you?”
“A nice little sideline.” Jack shrugged. “The real money is information, though. The Army Human Resources Center is a beehive of information, Doogan. You don’t know the sensitive information on service members that goes through there, or the profit to be made in it for the right person.” A smirk touched his lips. “I guess I’m the right person, and several of the members of my pack work inside it. People aren’t always as careful as they should be, I guess.”
“Why?” Doogan’s voice hardened. “Why betray your country like that? Everyone you know? And Billy? This will kill him, Jack.”
Zoey was careful to remain quiet, the weapon she held trained on him, though she’d have only one chance to hit him, and then that shot would be below the waist.
“Billy will never know.” Icy control and determination tightened Jack’s face. “If you’d actually killed Luther, I might have been able to let this go.” He glanced at Luther. “But you intend to question him, I guess. I have a feeling he’d break easy. Don’t you?”
Doogan simply stared at him as Zoey felt tears burning her eyes. As he said, this would kill Billy. He idolized Jack. Their parents were dead and they had no other family. Billy would feel lost without Jack, and Zoey wouldn’t blame him.
“Sorry ’bout this, Doogan . . .” Jack lifted his arm, fully intent on firing.
Zoey’s finger tightened on the trigger. A second before she would have fired her own shot, Jack’s eyes widened and the sound of a weapon discharging exploded through the shadowed apartment.
Doogan threw himself toward Zoey as she ducked, the gun still gripped in her hand when Doogan grabbed it from her and rolled to his back, aiming at the hall entrance across from them.
Peeping beneath the table, she saw Jack’s fallen form stretched out on the floor, blood pooling beneath his body, his lifeless gaze directed toward the back of the apartment.
“Are you okay, Zoey?” Billy’s voice came from the hall, low, and filled with aching pain.
Billy had killed his brother. Her friend had looked up to his brother just as Zoey looked up to Dawg; killing him would be ripping Billy’s heart out.
“Toss your weapon where I can see it, Billy,” Doogan ordered him.
The gun clattered across the floor. “I found Harley outside,” Billy said, his voice hollow. “He’s hurt pretty bad, but he was able to tell me who ’bout killed him tonight. Mackays are on their way. Jack wasn’t going to wait any longer, though, was he, Doogan?” Billy was still hidden by the wall that extended beyond the kitchen.
“He wasn’t going to wait,” Doogan agreed.
Reaching for Zoey, he drew her to her feet as he rose, keeping her carefully behind him.
“That’s what I thought.” Billy sounded almost dazed.
“Billy, I need you to show yourself,” Doogan ordered, his gaze and his weapon never wavering as Zoey pressed her head to his back, shaking it slowly.
“Is Zoey okay?” Billy asked, rather than doing as Doogan commanded. “He didn’t hurt her, did he?”
“Zoey’s fine. Do as I said, Billy.” Doogan’s tone hardened, his body tensing.
“Can’t do that.” The weak, hollow sound of his voice caused Zoey to clench her hands at Doogan’s back.
“Why not, Billy?” Doogan wasn’t relenting. His fingers gripped her arm when Zoey would have moved around him, holding her back.
“Hell, I don’t think I can stand back up, man.” A heavy breath filled his voice. “I followed him. I heard him on the phone. Heard him say Zoey had to be taken out.” The disillusionment was horrible to hear. “I followed him after he left. Slipped in the garage door behind him. Hell, Zoey, did you give him your code?”
A sob broke from her voice. “He had the code to the back garage,” she answered as she followed Doogan’s slow advance to the edge of the kitchen.
Sirens could be heard racing closer now. The cavalry was coming, but they were coming far too late to save Billy from the most horrible decision Zoey could imagine he’d ever had to make in his life.
“I’m so sorry, Zoey.” Billy’s voice was low, weak.
“Hurry. Please,” she begged Doogan. “Don’t let anything happen to him, Doogan. Please. He’s my friend.”
He was one of the few friends she’d claimed in the past year. One of the few who had never run to her brother to tattle on her.
“Stay here.” Low, hard, the order was a lash of inner rage that sent a chill racing down her spine as he stopped her only inches from the entrance to the hall.
