“Wraith, I’m going to need your employer to stay behind. We have business of our own.”
Joseph, or Wraith, turns to me. His furious gaze spears me. Without a word, he raises the butt of his gun and nails me in the temple. Pain explodes in my skull. Sparks of light litter my vision and quickly...everything goes black.
Chapter 24
Elijah aka Post Man
Jax and Marshall have Vaughn in the truck outside. We had been communicating updates throughout the melee, but there’ve been no responses since they got Vaughn to safety. The room Vaughn was in was impenetrable from the exterior, so I climbed the outside wall into the room the guys were in and untied them. Jax came back out the window with me after I gave Marshall a gun and the grenades.
Neither of them balked at the plan. All humor had vanished, and their only concern was getting to Vaughn.
The bombs I set up at the front of the house were in place before I ever entered. Fortunately for Wraith and what’s left of his crew, they made the right choice. It’s a bit sad when a bomb doesn’t get to realize its’ potential.
Jax rigged the car to drive through the house while I came around the other side to catch the men unaware. It was then that I saw him. Wraith. He wasn’t with the men who took Vaughn and the guys from the apartment. There’s no way he even knew that the woman upstairs was a hostage. He’s not that kind of contractor.
It wasn’t until after the grenades had detonated that Marshall ran across the landing to free Vaughn while everyone was gathering their wits downstairs. From there, it was an easy escape through the back of the upstairs and down the eaves and ladder Jax left for them.
Not sure how long they’ve been reunited out there. Can’t help but wonder if she’s worried about me in here or if she’s just happy to be alive and ready to be rid of me.
“Pitiful looking little shit, aren’t ya?”
Chase is starting to come around. It could be due to the stinging slaps on his face, but who can be sure?
“Ughhhh...mmmm. My head.”
He sounds confused and groggy.
“Hip, too.” My fingers dig into the hole at his side to remind him I’m still here.
“Agh! FUCK! You fucking FUCK!
He jerks at his restraints and seems to realize for the first time that he’s tied up because his wide-eyed gaze jerks to his hands on the hook above his head.
“Ten steps ahead, remember? I came prepared for some private time with you.”
“Let me down, you fuck! You have no idea how deep you’ve dug your own fucking grave with this shit.”
Spittle flies from his mouth with the threat. He’s not completely wrong, though. His family is into some rotten shit. Especially, that uncle of his. That man is evil, and I guess since he had no sons of his own, he decided to pass the trait on to his nephew.
“Paul, listen. You aren’t getting down from there.”
“My name isn’t Paul. It’s Chase, you fucking idiot.”
“Chase is such a shitty name, though, Paul. I’ll call you Paul.”
“Fuck you.”
“Fuck me?” The humor in my tone belies the fury in my soul. “Fuck you, Paul. You took my girl. You took my best friends. You left me no choice but to come here and string you up.”
“She pressed charges against me! I’m a Sheridan, for fuck’s sake. This could’ve all been over sooner if she’d just dropped the charges like I asked. Then she was always at work or with you. I couldn’t reason with her.”
He waited for her to be alone. Well, not alone, but not with dozens of people in the bar. That clearly hadn’t worked out for him the first time. And not when she was alone with me.
“Why? Why’d you wait? We were alone together all the time.”
“My uncle. He told me to wait and got me the crew.”
“Your uncle should’ve done a more thorough job warning you. You clearly didn’t get the hint.”
