Page 155 of Gangsters and Guns


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With a wink at our girl, Alistair intentionally drops a glass on the ground and makes a fake shocked face, and the loud noise causes Rory to jump as I chuckle next to her. Happy with himself, Ali drops into the last recliner, his legs draped over the side as he puffs away. We sit in silence, sipping on our drinks and watching one another until we finally hear it.

Footsteps.

Wearing fancy gray and white striped silk jammies, complete with his embroidered initials and a matching sleeping cap, Charles walks in on slipper-clad feet, squinting in the soft light. It takes a moment for his partially asleep brain to click on before his eyes widen, his brows furrow, and his teeth gnash together audibly. “Just what the fuck are you doing here? I could call the police right now and have you arrested for breaking and entering.”

Alistair leaps to his feet and tuts at him. “The only thing you should be doing is falling to your knees as you beg for your life.” He smirks before slowly taking another drag and blowing the smoke toward him.

Charles crosses his arms over his chest, his face reddening in anger, and his voice comes out nearly as a yell. “The day I do that will be the day I die.”

Maddox stands too, draining the last of his brandy before tossing the glass to the floor and aiming his gun at Charles with a bored expression. “It’s your grave, old man.”

“We’ve got you,” I add, loving Charles’s nervous swallow and shuffle at the sight of the weapon. Rising from the couch, I pull Rory behind me and tilt my head as I stare at him. Charles nervously glances between us, unsure whether to believe us or not. He’s used to being untouchable, indestructible, but he’s become lazy. Just then, we hear sirens in the distance, and I can’t help but grin as I point to my ear. “Hear that, Charles? They’re coming for you.”

“Fuck you. I’m calling the cops,” he snarls, pulling out his phone. He’s not listening to us. Maddox is faster than the old man, and he covers the distance as Charles struggles with his pockets, cursing. Before the phone even leaves the silk material, Maddox’s gun is aimed at Charles’s head.

“We know how you framed us,” Maddox growls. “Paying Bronson to plant evidence in hopes of getting us arrested. Sound familiar?”

Charles pales, his arms falling to his sides uselessly as he realizes just how much shit he’s in. “I-I can explain,” he stutters, taking a step back.

“Your words mean nothing,” Alistair murmurs. “Every sentence you speak is a lie, but none of that matters now. Your plan has fucking failed. They know it was you, we’ve made sure of it.”

“In five minutes, all the news stations will be here to cover your story, how you paid off a dirty cop to frame us for a murder you committed. Let’s not forget the slaughter of an innocent employee as well. You’ll be in jail for the rest of your life if you’re lucky. You’ll be dead if you’re not.”

“You lie!” Charles seethes, but I can see the way he trembles. His voice is saying one thing, but his body shows us the truth.

“Try us,” I snarl. “We’ve defeated you, Charles. Your empire has fallen. We’ve played the long game, smart and slow, moving our pieces with precision across this city like a chessboard. Now it’s time for check-fucking-mate.”

“No!” he shouts, reaching into his waistband. The flash of a gun glints in the light a second before Maddox descends upon him. A loud thud sounds as Charles’s gun drops to the floor and Maddox’s fist connects with Charles’s face. Charles spits blood and teeth from between his lips as he shouts and stumbles backwards.

“Get a chair,” Maddox orders, as Alistair rushes from the room, coming back a moment later with a wooden chair that looks like it belongs to a dining table set. Maddox forces Charles to sit, then secures him with zip ties he grabs from his pocket. I don’t even ask why he’s carrying them around with him—this is Maddox, after all.

Alistair pulls out a copy of the folder we gave Bronson earlier and tosses it at Charles’s feet. “You’re as good as dead, old man. Hope you enjoy prison food, and remember, don’t drop the soap in the shower.”

Charles fights his restraints as Rory laughs.

“Rot in hell,” Rory shouts as the sirens blare loudly, growing closer by the second.

“We have to get out of here,” I announce, taking Rory by the hand. We offer the struggling old man one last glance before we rush from Charles’s house and back into our SUV. The driver pulls forward a few houses and backs into a neighbor’s driveway where we sit and watch the show, basking in the downfall of our enemy’s legacy.

A few moments later, several police cars roll up, lights flashing and sirens blasting. Guns drawn, one officer gets on a megaphone as they surround the house. I even see them pulling a battering ram from one of the vans just in case. They didn’t come to play. I’ve got to give it to them, when it’s a dirty cop on the line, they don’t mess around. “Charles Fletcher, you are under arrest. Come out with your hands up.”

More officers secure the perimeter, some heading to the back, while others cover the windows. Several make their way to the front door and rush inside. I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces when they realized the door was unlocked.

Minutes trickle by, and then we finally see the prize, Charles, being led out in handcuffs between two rather large policemen, who grip his upper arms firmly in their gloved hands.

The news stations show up just then, brought by our tip, their large antennas stretching into the sky from the top of their vans. Cameramen hoist large cameras onto their strong shoulders as well-dressed reporters fix their hair and makeup before going live.

It couldn’t be more perfect.

Rory’s thigh presses against mine, and I reach over to squeeze her hand. “It’s all over, Hellcat. It’s done.”

Turning back, I look over my shoulder at my girl, at my brothers, seeing the relief on their faces. It’s like a weight has been removed from our shoulders as we all grin.

“Let’s go home,” Alistair suggests as our driver takes us away.

And through it all, Bronson was nowhere to be found.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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