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TWENTY-TWO
Shane
I
stared at the dark sky through the window in my bedroom, a glass of scotch in my hand. Melanie was already asleep, her sexy body covered with the silky duvet on my bed that now smelled like her. Fuck, I could never forget the scent of her. The scent engraved deeply in my soul. I peeked at her, sipping my drink. She looked so beautiful when she was sleeping. So innocent. I wanted to sneak back into the bed and hold her fragile body in my arms, but I couldn’t. I felt guilty and couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation I’d had earlier with my father. His harsh voice rang in my ears, and I was trying to muffle it with the sharp flavor of the strong liquor. I’d expected he would be furious after I proposed to Melanie against his will. He demanded I follow the plan or make Melanie our ally in his twisted war against Atwood. I wanted neither, but he threatened he would tell Melanie the truth. The truth about our plan, the truth about my initial intentions toward her, and I felt guilty. I felt guilty for not confessing the truth yet. I knew I had to do it because I didn’t want to continue building our relationship on a constant lie, yet I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth. I was scared I would lose her and didn’t want to let her go. She was like a drug to me, and I got addicted. I knew if I ever lost her, I wouldn’t be able to fill the void after her.
My phone pinged, snapping me out of my thoughts. I peeked at Melanie to check if it woke her, but she only made a cute sound, stretching as she turned to the other side, still asleep. I walked over to my nightstand drawer and reached for the phone.
From: Wyatt
PURPLE
Sent Monday 0:39 AM
I took a deep breath before finishing the scotch. Purple was our code for completing a task that still needed my call. I figured my men probably caught the perp responsible for the shooting at the charity gala, and I knew I had to leave now. I sat on the bed, caressing Melanie’s hair.
“I’ll be back soon, baby,” I whispered, leaving a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Mm-hmm,” she muttered, her eyes closed.
I wasn’t sure if she heard me, but I hoped I’d get back before she woke up. I went to one of my closets where I kept my equipment and clothes for such occasions. I quickly changed into a black turtleneck and a bulletproof leather jacket before I grabbed my gun and left.
~••~
“Well, well, well,” I said, slowly walking toward Ax, the leader of one of the gangs in New York, and Angelina, his partner in crime and lover. “What a pleasure to see you both.” I smirked sarcastically, tilting my head to the side as I watched them.
Wyatt and my men under him locked Ax and Angelina in one of our buildings underground. It was where we dealt with our enemies or simply executed them. They were both cuffed with their hands above their heads, tied to the ceiling. The place was all concrete and dark with a dual-head floodlight on a stand directed at the captives, its intense light blinding them.
Wyatt already questioned them and established that Angelina was the one who shot Callan. However, she refused to confess who had hired her and who her target was.
I sat by the steel table, throwing my gun on it. “Let’s cut to the chase. I value my time. Tell me.” I paused, circling the gun on the cold steel top. “Who hired you, and who were you after, and I may spare one of you.”
“Angelina, don’t say anything,” Ax hissed, breathing heavily.
Although Ax was the leader of his gang, I’d always considered Angelina a more dangerous person than her lover. He might’ve been considered the head leading the gang, but she was the neck turning the head.
I took the weapon in my hand and cocked it. “Speak.”
“Fuck you!” Angelina shouted before spitting on the floor.
It was too far to reach me, but it was enough to test my patience. I scoffed, slowly leaving my seat as I approached her. I looked her in her outraged eyes as I pulled the trigger, shooting Ax in his knee. The place filled with the sound of the gunshot, followed by a groan of pain. “Speak, or I’ll put the next bullet in his head,” I said sternly.
“Angelina, don’t,” the red-haired man pleaded as he turned his greenish eyes to his love. “He will kill me anyway.”
I moved closer, putting my gun under Ax’s chin and pressing it to his throat, my eyes on Angelina, who was close to breaking. “Who was your target?”
“Melanie Atwood,” she uttered, looking at me pleadingly.
I let out a deep sigh, rage flowing through my veins. I clenched my teeth angrily. “You were supposed to kill my woman?”
“No, only kidnap her.”
To me, it didn’t change anything. I was breathing heavily, fighting the fury growing inside me.
“Who sent you?” I rasped, pressing the gun barrel under Ax’s chin.
Angelina’s lips were trembling, and tears started dripping down her face as she watched her man shitting his pants. “Theo Ledford and Sofia Meyers.”
