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The King snorts. “Always the favourite. Good old Grayson.”
Grayson ignores him and addresses Ma Silva. “I had to cut ties from everyone, including you. It was the only way to keep you all safe. But like my brother said in his note,” Grayson spits, referring to the note the King attached to Camden’s dead mum’s body as a warning to him. The King knew that the message would get back to Grayson given his connection to the kids, the fucking psycho. “The past catches up with us all eventually,” Grayson continues. “I couldn’t hide anymore. I couldn’t see another person hurt at the hands of this family and live with a clear conscience. This morning when Malakai told me about this little one, it only cemented my decision to return here and deal withhimonce and for all,” he says, looking from Ma Silva to the King. Connie looks at me then, shaking her head a little. If we survive this there are things I need to explain, things I need to say.
“How fucking noble of you, Grayson! Always the goddamn hero,” the King snaps.
“Enough, you always were a whiny, little bitch!” I snap, losing my patience. Ronnie lets out a whimper and I’m fully aware of the fact that there are a dozen guards with weapons, but this has gone on too fucking long. “This is over.”
Around the room, the guards aim their guns at me. My heart races, and Veronika cries in earnest now. I shift her around my side, ready to cover her body with mine should one of the guards get trigger happy.
“Wait!” The King snaps, holding his hand up.
“Father, you need to end this now. Shoot the bastard!” Monk yells at the guards, clearly not giving a shit that his little sister could get hurt. I watch as he presses the gun he’s holding into Kate’s temple hard enough to make her yelp. “I’ll fucking kill this bitch if you don’t let Veronika go!”
“Shut the fuck up, Monk,” the King responds, snarling. “You won’t be shooting anyone until I fucking say so. If any of you pull the trigger and risk Ronnie’s life, I will strip the skin from your body whilst you’re alive, and feed it to my fucking dogs! That includes you, Monk!”
“Daddy?” Veronika blurts out. The kid’s staring at her father like she doesn’t recognise him.
He baulks, and for just a second I see a flash of humanity in the black depths of his eyes.
“Don’t be afraid,” he says to Ronnie, before flicking his gaze to me. “What do you want?”
“Your men need to drop their guns. Right the fuck now,” I demand.
The King grits his teeth, then nods. “Do it,” he demands.
“Father?” Monk shouts.
“For the last time, Monk, shut the fuck up!”
The guards drop their guns. I look at Asia’s boys and jerk my chin. They disarm the guards, snatching the guns from them.
“On your fucking knees!” I shout. The guards drop, every one of them, with a gun now aimed at their heads.
“Give her to me!” the King demands, holding his arms out. He must be fucking insane if he thinks I’m going to hand her over just like that.
Instead, I look at Connie, my fucking heart pounding. “Come here.”
She shakes her head, her gaze flicking between me and the crying child. “Let the girl go, Malakai,” she says, her voice cracking.
“Come here.Now!” I repeat. Does she not fucking get it? They’d be dead if I didn’t come here. They’d all be fucking dead. She looks at me warily, then to my utter relief she gets up and walks towards me. The second she’s by my side Ronnie holds her arms out to Connie, recognising a safer bet, but I refuse to let her go knowing that if I do the King will make his move. “Asia, Ma, Grayson, you too.”
Ma Silva gets up and stands beside Connie, clutching her hand, but Grayson remains where he is, his gaze trained on the King. Asia is too shocked to move either.
“I’m not here to be saved, Malakai,” he says.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ma Silva asks, her voice tremulous.
Grayson doesn’t answer, but it’s clear what he isn’t saying. He’s here to kill the King, even if that means forfeiting his own life to do it.
“What about Kate?” Asia asks, looking to her friend, but Camden has already made his move and is pointing a gun at Monk’s head.
“Let her fucking go, prick!” Camden snarls. The second Monk drops his arm, Camden snatches the gun from his hand and pulls Kate behind him before smacking the handle against Monk’s face twice. Monk’s nose breaks. He drops to his knees, but Camden doesn’t let up, he hits him again, knocking him out, then strides over to the King. He has his gun aimed at the King’s head, ready to fire. Ronnie whimpers.
“Now you’re going to pay for killing my mother,” he snarls, pressing the gun to the back of the King’s head. Ronnie screams, and the sound pierces the air.
“I hate you!” she yells at Camden, struggling in my hold.
Asia finally snaps out of her shock and stands, traversing the table and moving in front of us both. She hunches lower, making eye contact with Ronnie. “Veronika, is that your name?” Ronnie nods, her little chest heaving. “Sweetheart, your brother hurt my friend. He did that,” she says, pointing at Pink who is bruised and bloody from Monk’s hand.
