My gaze flicked from Falcon to TJ, indecision weighed heavily on my chest. I knew what I needed to do, what had to be done. But I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t hand over TJ and I couldn’t do anything to put Falcon in danger.
An idea came to me, foolish and reckless, but possible. I swung TJ to my left hip and slid my fingertips over the front pocket of my jeans. Even though Falcon had told me that it was all over, I’d found myself reaching for the knife I always carriedwhen I got dressed earlier, and I’d slipped it in my pocket. But I wasn’t sure if I was brave enough to use it. “Why?” I asked, hoping the question would provide enough distraction to do what I had to do. “What do you want with my son?”
“Boss wants St. John to watch his son die before he kills him.” He said the words so casually, in such an emotionless manner, that the fear returned, cold and icy and real.
“James St. John doesn’t have a kid,” I insisted, my tone pleading. “TJ is Falcon’s son, I can prove it,” I explained.
The man’s expression was blank. “Liar. What else would you say?”
“I’ve got the paperwork here, we just got the results back,” I insisted as I put my hand into my pocket, my fingers closing around the knife. “Please, let me show you the papers.”
“Boss’ orders,” he said with a careless shrug.
“Then I’m sorry.” I turned TJ away and spun around, flicking open the knife and leading with my right hand, as the blade slid across his throat. I heard the gurgling before I let my gaze land on him and I watched as his expression froze in a terrifying mix of shock and horror. His hands flew to his throat as if that could stop the straight line that split his throat in two, gasping and groaning as he dropped to his knees.
Silence tore through the air. Even TJ stopped moving as if he understood the gravity of what had happened as I shielded him from the reality of it.
In the next second there was movement. The other Russian had been so surprised at what happened, that before he had a chance to react, Falcon spun, got to his feet, and took the gun that had seconds ago been pressed to his temple. Hegripped the weapon with absolute confidence, pushing it against the man’s throat. “Do you want to die today?”
The man shook his head.
“Good because I don’t want to kill you in front of my son.” He nodded. “Viv, do you have the results on your phone?”
I shook my head. I’d been bluffing about that.
Falcon reached into his pocket with one hand and pulled out his phone before tossing it to me. “I do. Show him.”
I put in the code he gave me and swiped through the photos of Falcon and TJ until I found the paperwork that proved the truth. “Here,” I said, shoving the phone in the man’s face. “This was done recently, I wasn’t lying.”
His gaze tracked over the page, widening when they landed on the truth. “Fuck. I will call Anton right now.”
“Do that.” Falcon took a step back but kept the gun aimed at the man.
We both listened as he spoke in rapid-fire Russian before he switched to English. “The DNA test was completed last month. The biker is the father. Yes,Pakhan.” The call ended and the man sighed. “The boss sends his sincere apologies.”
My eyes went to the man lying on the ground bleeding out.
An apology, as if that changed anything. “Falcon, take us home. Please.”
He nodded. “Thank her for every breath you take after today. Get the fuck outta here.” Falcon lowered the gun and turned to me.
My body shook as the adrenaline wore off and shock settled in over what I had done. I didn’t regret it, I’d do it again a thousand times before I’d let someone harm TJ, but I’d never killed anyone before, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to live with that.
“Come on babe, let’s get you home.”
Home. I liked the sound of that, I just hoped it wasn’t a slip of the tongue because wherever Falcon was, it felt like home to me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Falcon
When Diesel called church I was still wired from the events at the park. My fists hurt from clenching so hard, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw those Russian bastards holding a gun to my head and to Viv’s heart while our son played a few feet away. I wasn’t scared, not then because I knew Viv would protect our son if it came down to it. I was scared now though. Scared because the kind of anger I was feeling was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It was more raw than the time I found Raven hanging out with older boys under a highway overpass. It was more intense than the day I realized our folks weren’t coming back.
But unlike then, this anger was all-consuming.
Hours had passed and it was still simmering to the point of being uncontrollable.
“Are we really gonna just show the fuck up as if they hadn’t ambushed us last time?” Rebel crossed his arms, one brow raised, daring anyone to challenge him.
