The big guy wasn’t quite as eager to retreat, continuing to stare down at Reese. His beady eyes narrowed and flashed with fury. “This ain’t over. I will find her. And when I do…”
“I hear sirens, bro,” the short fucker finally said, panting like he’d run a mile. “We gotta get the hell outta here.”
The big one grinned, and that was when Reese realized the guy definitely wasn’t an amateur as he’d hoped.
When the gun lifted, aimed right for his heart, Reese saw his entire life flash before his eyes.
And the one person he thought of before he heard the gun’s report and felt the fires of hell erupt in his chest…
Brantley.
*
Although she hated to do it, Madisonran when Reese told her to. It was a cowardly reaction to the situation, but it wasn’t like she had another choice. No, she didn’t know those guys, but she could take a wild guess at who they were, who they worked for. For years now, her brother had been warning her that a rival crew was looking to take over this territory, and they were willing to do whatever was necessary to do it. But Madison hadn’t taken it seriously, and the more time that passed, the more complacent she’d gotten, refusing to believe she was in any danger.
And now this.
As she hid in the alley behind the restaurant, pressed up against the wall, hoping to keep out of sight, she tried to come up with a plan to help Reese. It was the least she could do since this was all her fault.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have a gun and she wasn’t much of a fighter, which meant she’d probably be more of a distraction than anything.
Her back went ramrod straight, and her breath lodged in her chest when she heard a loud pop, the unmistakable sound of a gunshot followed by a few panicked screams from inside the building.
“Oh, God. Oh, God.” Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs, and indecision filled her. She had to help Reese.
She looked left, looked right, gauged the distance between her location and the door she had exited.
“You can do this,” she muttered to herself, even as her feet remained rooted to the stained and greasy asphalt. “Youhaveto do this.”
She couldn’t leave Reese in there alone, but how could she help him? Never had she felt so incredibly helpless before. Never.
Just as she was about to head back inside—shehadto—a shiny black Escalade came barreling down the alley, coming to a screeching halt directly in front of her.
Her breaths slammed into her lungs as she recognized the man getting out of the driver’s seat.
“Get in, Madison.”
She glared at the enormous black man with the shiny bald head and the gleam of menace in his eyes. It was probably the most inopportune time for her body to flare to life at the mere sight of him, yet it did. It always did. Taye Smith, a.k.a. Rock, was the one man Madison had always reacted to like this.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere with you, Rock,” she hissed, glancing back at the door she’d exited through and gauging the distance.
“You won’t make it,” Rock assured her. “If you try, I’ll throw you over my shoulder and force you into this car.”
“I’m not leaving Reese. I can’t. He needs help, Rock!”
“The cops are on their way.”
Were they? Were they really? Madison had never fully trusted Rock. Not when it came to explanations, anyway. He was a liar because it was a tool of the trade. When protecting a criminal organization, it wasn’t like he could tell the truth.
Damn it.
“Till the count of three,” Rock growled. “Then I’ll throw you in there myself.”
He would, too. Her brother’s head enforcer wasn’t known for his subtlety. At least not when it came to doing Max’s bidding.
“Now!” Rock barked.
She could hear the sound of sirens from down the street, prayed the police would be there any minute. They would help Reese; she knew they would.
