The music was obnoxiously loud, pulsating my eardrums and forcing my heart to take on a new rhythm. Lucas could take several shots at the target without anyone ever knowing if these were the conditions we were working under tonight—lucky him.
I couldn’t resist chuckling at the thought of seeing my brother taking shot after missed shot at the guy in an attempt to end his life. I hoped our target would antagonize him for it too, pissing him off even further.If he didn’t, I would.
We followed Dane down a dark hall, the walls vibrating as we approached a vibrant red door with a bright white light seeping out from beneath. He stopped and abruptly whipped around to face us, holding a palm up before curling all his fingers down except his index and pressing it to his lips, indicating silence.
Plumes of smoke crept out with the light, and for a moment, I thought it was from one of those smoke machines that most nightclubs used for aesthetic purposes. But after a deep inhale, my senses alerted me to the thick, heavy scent of a cigar—tobacco and musk.
“This is not like your first two tests. The man inside is not restrained and is most likely armed.”You’re fucking kidding me…Although I don’t know why I would have expected every target to be pre-restrained and handed to us on a silver platter, either. “You let me do the talking, and if he so much as looks at you wrong, you shoot that motherfucker in the head. You got it?” Dane ordered, maintaining his low tone as he pulled two blackGlocks from behind his back and shoved them into our hands. “Shoot to kill, or we’re all fucked.”
I swallowed a hard lump that had built in the back of my throat before wetting my lips and rolling them together with a nod of understanding.
Looks like Lucas got his wish for a gun. Let’s just hope that he has better aim than I do.
Dane didn’t open the door this time around; instead, he politely knocked, waiting for permission to enter, which a loud and wet smoker’s cough had granted.
Lucas and I trailed behind Dane as he passed through the doorway and stopped roughly three feet from the large, round man who was situated comfortably behind his old oak desk.
I folded my hands behind my back, pressing the back of my palm against the gun I had tucked under the waistband of my jeans. The cold metal against my skin put my anxiety at ease as I paid close attention to the interaction between Dane and the loan shark posing as a kingpin.
“Emerson. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you this evening?” The man’s voice was a deep growl, rough and scratchy as if he’d been a smoker his entire life. The lit cigar on his desk made breathing harder the longer we stood there.
“It’s come to my attention,Daniel, that you’ve been crossing into territory that isn’t yours. Soliciting a title that doesn’t belong to you, and speaking for people whom you have no authority over.” Dane spoke in a cold manner as he crossed his arms over his chest and settled into a more dominating stance.
He wasn’t the least bit intimidated by the man seated before him—and why the fuck would he be? I knew firsthand just how badly Dane could fuck this guy up if he wanted to.
“And who the fuck are you to tell me what I can and can’t do? You’re nothing more than an errand boy. So why don’t you act the part, run along and tell your boss to talk to me like a man instead of sending empty threats he can’t follow through with?” Daniel crooned with a deep chuckle that turned into another vile cough.
He picked up his cigar and took a long drag before rising from his desk, two palms pressed firmly on the surface to support his heavy weight.
“Oh, I can assure you I’m far more than an errand boy, and Dustin is following through with his last threat, as he always does.” A simple snap of Dane’s fingers was our signal to make a move.
Lucas and I pulled the glocks from behind our backs and directed them straight at Daniel, who did nothing more than laugh, as if our weapons were cheap toys.
“I gotta hand it to you. You’ve got balls, Dane. But did you really think that you could just come in here with your two fuck boys and kill me that easily?”
Lazily side-stepping out of our way, Dane laughed, biting his thumbnail with a savage smirk. He didn’t show an ounce of surprise at Daniel’s statement, shrugging him off as if he were nothing more than a beggar on the street—entirely fucking beneath him.
“Actually, yeah.” He answered, sliding his hands into his front pockets while dragging his tongue across his teeth. “No one’s coming to your rescue this time, Daniel. I’ve already taken careof all precautionary measures before stepping through your door. If you were to call for any of your guards right now, I’m sure you’ll find that,unfortunately,no one will come running to your aid.”
The snarl that bared Daniel’s yellowing smile was feral, his hands curling into fists with sheer rage. When he released his right hand from the desk, a startling bang told me Lucas had already pulled the trigger—and fucking missed.
“You mother—”
Bang!
Bang!
Bang.
I took my shot and Lucas followed through with a second, both nailing Daniel in the head, one above his right brow and the other to his temple. The third bang was from his face smashing onto the desk as his body unceremoniously dropped to the floor.
“Congratulations, boys. You just killed your final target.” Dane clapped with pride and rubbed his hands together as he sauntered past us. “I’d say you two deserve a round on me tonight. Let’s get the fuck out of here. This place fucking reeks…”
My eyes connected with my brother’s, just as they had at the end of our second test, but this time we had the biggest shit eating grins tugging at the corners of our lips.
We fucking did it.
