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He had Layla kill Archer. He killed Layla. He tried to kill Summer.
I exhale on a shaky breath as I realise the one overpowering factor here.
HSD burieseverythingfor him.
I turn concerned, questioning eyes towards Beau, knowing that time is of the essence for our fallen guitarist. My stomach takes a swan dive when Beau’s eyes fill with fat tears that slowly fall down his cheeks as he shakes his head.
My eyes drift shut, praying he’s wrong and that it’s not too late for Jake. When I open them again, Beau is pressing a kiss atop our friend’s forehead, having dropped his hand from the gunshot wound on Jake's stomach.
He’s gone!
I break out in a cold sweat at the knowledge, allowing my watery gaze to rest on the stillness of Jake’s body. My stomach churns, threatening to expel its contents with little to no care for the repercussions.
Jake is dead. Myfriendhas paid the ultimate price, and it’s all because of the son-of-a-bitch holding court in the middle of my parents’ patio.
“Why are you telling us all this, Noah?” I snap my gaze to Noah, the question hissed through my clenched teeth. “You don’t have enough power to silence all of us and get away with it.”
I’m bluffing, and he knows it. He knows that he holds all the power right now. That he’s held it for a long fucking time.
But I can’t help hoping that help is on the way. Thatsomehow,we can escape this madness before anyone else gets hurt.
Noah snorts, aiming his gun right at my chest. “That’s where you’re mistaken. Eduardo has been made aware of what to do in case of an emergency.” He winks, then stage whispers, “Or, as you and young Holloway like to say,Tequila Sunrise.”
My stomach dips.
Please stay away, Ford. Keep my girl safe.
“Don’t look so shocked, Cade. There’snothingin your life that I’m not fully aware of. I told you…I owneveryone. I controleverything. And later tonight, while you’re all sleeping, there’s going to be a tragic house fire, killing every single occupant, courtesy of the cleaning crew Eduardo has dispatched from HSD.” He pouts and presses his hand to the place where his heart should be in exaggerated tragedy. “Rest in peace, North family.”
“What was that?”
Jesse appears at the patio door, scratching his blonde head in confusion.
“Get inside!” The words are yelled at the top of my lungs just as Noah aims the gun at my son.
Mum jumps toward Noah as both Summer and I sprint towards Jesse. His face is frozen in shock, and fear edges down my spine as my feet propel me forward as fast as they can.
My ears register a faintwhop-whopsound somewhere behind me, but I can’t place it. I can only focus on getting to Jesse, to Summer, and protecting them as quickly as I can.
The inimitable sound of a gun discharging resonates before I can get to either of them, and a cry pierces the air just as Summer crashes into Jesse, knocking both of them to the patio.
I turn my head almost in slow motion to find my mother lying motionless on the stone paving, blood slowly trickling from a gash on her forehead where the bullet appears to have nicked her.
Dad, having closed the distance between himself and Noah, roars a yell and launches himself at his old friend before he is able to raise the gun again.
Knowing that Jesse is safe with his mother, I run to ensure my mother is okay. Her eyelids flutter open just as I fall to my knees at her side. Big blue eyes, identical to mine and Jesse’s, are brimming with unshed tears as they pierce through me.
“Is he—is he okay?”
A sob catches in my throat when I press my palm over the abrasion on her smooth forehead. “He’s okay.”
She exhales heavily before smiling softly. “I couldn’t bear the thought of losing another—”
Her sentence is cut short when Noah stumbles closer as Dad manages to land a solid blow to his face.
I gather Mum into my arms, carrying her from the fracas as Dad swings a left hook that Noah blocks with the hand that’s holding the gun. The force of the blow knocks the weapon from Noah’s meaty grasp, sending it flying across the patio and into the darkness.
Suddenly, a spotlight beams down on the patio, lighting up the dimly lit space as though it’s mid-afternoon. A black helicopter hovers overhead, emitting a gentlewhop-whop,while several black-clad bodies rappel out of both open sides of the enormous machine.
