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Because with Kieran, I’d felt shut out, locked away from people he trusted over me. I’d felt alone and shattered.
And Dare had put me back together.
The only shock after learning who Dare truly was had been realizing how utterly wrong I’d pegged him and his family all these years—Johnny excluded.
His need to avenge Gia obliterated a part of my soul. But I knew if the roles were reversed—if someone had taken Dare from me—seeking revenge for his death would be the last thing I did before I left the mob forever.
Beck rolled to a stop a handful of houses away, his knuckle-white grip unforgiving on the steering wheel. When I opened the door, he repeated, “Find a way to say goodbye, Lil.”
I wasn’t ready.
I was sure the moment would come when he had a gun to my head, and I still wouldn’t be ready.
I paused, my pencil hovering over the records book in front of me. An ominous silence filled the house, leaving the office tight with tension.
Without lifting my head, I looked at the twins from where they were sprawled out on a couple of the chairs and noticed that Maverick had stopped tossing the baseball in the air and Diggs was straightening in his seat.
I slowly leaned over, my hand going to the middle drawer of the desk I was sitting at.
“Where’s Johnny?” My question was hushed, but still sounded like an ear-splitting scream in the weighted silence.
Neither of the twins responded with anything more than a slight shake of their heads as I eased the drawer open and grabbed my gun.
I didn’t have time to continue worrying over why he’d never come back. I was thanking God that Elle was gone.
Because this was what we’d been waiting for.
Why we were all here.
I held the twins’ stares as they reached for where they’d stashed their guns, my ear trained to whatever was happening outside the room we were in.
I blew steady breaths out, slowing my heart rate and clearing my mind until I was someone I hated.
“Get the girls,” I said on another breath out. “We bury no one.”
Diggs stood without making a sound and pulled a black bandana from his back pocket, his brother quickly following.
Once the lower half of their faces were covered, I reached for my own bandana, my heart stopping when I heard one of the girls yell.
Instead of rushing into action, the sound made all of us pause.
Because it wasn’t the kind of scream I’d been expecting and praying I wouldn’t hear.
Maverick took an uncertain step forward, his furrowed brow and confused eyes all I could see as he looked between Diggs and me.
“What are you doing?” she yelled again. “Johnny, stop!”
The lethal calm I’d just achieved was nowhere to be found. Panic and white-hot rage pounded through my veins as I reacted, shoving the heavy wooden desk out of my way as I stood.
Johnny’s name tore from my chest as I ran out of the office, sliding into the hallway wall when I rounded the corner too fast.
The silence that had seemed so threatening had been a clear warning.
But I’d read it wrong.
I should’ve known when Johnny hadn’t come back and hadn’t alerted anyone. I should’ve fucking known.
“Oh my God, Johnny . . . Johnny, stop!”
