Anguish
Marcus is married.
He can’t die. I won’t let him. Without thinking, I raise the gun and point it at Benito. His eyes flash to me, and he goes to move his gun but I’m too fast. I pull the trigger.
The force sends me flying backwards, and I topple, landing hard on the ground. Another shot of gunfire rings out, then Marcus is by my side, hauling me up and into his arms. I stare down and see Benito staring lifeless at the ceiling, a bullet-hole in his chest.
I killed him.
I killed Mack’s brother.
A scream leaves my throat and I start fighting in Marcus’s arms. “I killed him, Marcus. Oh God.”
“Enough,” Marcus demands, his voice firm. “You stop that, and stop it now. It’s done.”
“That’s Mack’s brother,” I sob. “Marcus.”
He walks me outside and through a heap of trees. Bodies are down everywhere, but the majority are alive, just beaten black and blue. Marcus is beaten black-and-blue himself. His eyes are dark, his lip is split and his knuckles are a mess. One looks swollen, like it might be broken. He fought through all those men to save me.
He opens the door to his truck and throws me in. “Put your seatbelt on.”
Then he’s around to the front driver’s door, sliding in. He starts the truck and pulls out angrily, speeding off with enough force to send me backwards into the chair. I’m still crying; I didn’t realize it, but I am. I killed Benito. I killed him. He’s dead because of me. I killed Mack’s brother. I double over and hiccup loudly.
“You need to get it together,” Marcus says, his voice still firm. “It’s done.”
“I killed him.”
“Breathe it out,” his voice is a little softer.
“Marcus.”
“Breathe it out,” he repeats.
I close my eyes and I breathe it out.
It doesn’t make it better.
~*~*~*~
MACK
My cell rings just as I’m about to get on the bike and hunt my brother down. I stare down at the display, and see it’s Marcus. He’s probably fuckin’ pissed we didn’t end the Tinmen. I answer it, raising a finger to Maddox.
“What?”
“Mack?”
“I’ve got a situation, Marcus. We’ll talk about the other shit later.”
“Your situation the girl I got sittin’ in my car beside me right now?”
My body flinches. “What?”
“Jaylah. I got her.”
“What the fuck have you got her for, you piece of—”
“Shut it, Mack. I was comin’ to the hospital to see you, saw a man carrying her off. Followed him. Shit went down; bad shit. She’s trembling, vomiting, in shock. She killed someone, buddy. And that someone was your brother.”
My blood runs cold.
“She was tied to the bed, half-naked. Don’t know what went down. Got her out, on my way back.”
“Why didn’t you call me,” I growl. “When you first saw her getting taken?”
“Think that was on my mind? No, I was acting out of instinct. It was the last thing on my mind.”
Of course, fuck, I’m being an asshole. Jaylah...
“Marcus,” I rasp. “She hurt?”
“She ain’t good.”
“Hospital?”
“Possibly, bringin’ her to you. She don’t wanna come to you, fucked her . . . Shootin’ your brother . . .”
My poor, brave, beautiful girl.
“Where were they? We gotta clean that shit up.”
“Send the boys out, I’ll text the details.”
“Bring her home, Marcus.”
“On it.”
I hang up and turn to Maddox. “We got her.”
His shoulders visibly relax, until he asks, “She good?”
“She killed Beni.”
His jaw tics. “Fuck.”
“Got a mess to clean up. Marcus is sending the details.”
“I’ll deal, you be here for her.”
“Wasn’t plannin’ on bein’ anywhere else.”
He nods and turns around. “Boys, mess to clean. Let’s ride.”
“Text you the details,” I yell.
“Copy,” Maddox says, throwing his leg over his bike.
The text from Marcus comes through five minutes later.
Now I fuckin’ wait.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
I don’t want to get out.
I can’t.
I killed his brother. I’m a murderer. I killed his brother.
Marcus gets out. I press the lock closed the moment he’s exited, locking myself in. I drop my head into my hands, and my body shakes. I hear my door handle rattling, then I hear, “Jaylah?”
Mack.
Oh, God.
Mack.
“Baby, open the door.”
Baby. He won’t call me baby when he knows what I’ve done.
“Open for me, honey. Fuck, open the door.”
I clench my eyes together and sob loudly.
“Baby.”
I start shaking, and then a minute later the door is opening. Marcus obviously had more than one key. Of course he did.
I don’t look up. I press my hands over my face and tremble as Mack reaches in and lifts me out. He carries me inside and puts me onto the couch. Then he’s kneeling in front of me.
“Baby,” he murmurs. “Look at me, honey.”
“I killed him,” I screech. “I killed him. I’m so sorry.”