90 Days (Prairie Town Book 2) (29 page)

     “The hell if I know, lady.  Can’t you track the GPS in phones or something?”

     “Sir, I’ll need—”

     “Drop the fucking phone.”

     He froze in place when Mia’s scratchy voice reached his ears and instinctively slid his thumb over the speaker button.

     “You don’t want to do this, Mia.” He said, his voice calm, but loud enough for the dispatcher to hear.  “You don’t want to hurt us.”

     “The hell I don’t.” She sneered.

     He heard the gun cock and closed his eyes, swallowing hard as a million possibilities ran through his mind.

     It could end in a variety of ways, and sadly—so freaking sadly—none of those ways involved him riding off into the sunset with Laney.  The glimmer of hope he’d had moments ago was snuffed out by that sound—that one freaking sound.

     “Drop the phone and turn around.” She commanded.

     “Okay.  Just don’t shoot, all right?”

     “I’ll be the judge of that.” Mia scoffed.  “Now drop the damn phone and turn around.”

     He did as he was told and dropped the phone to the ground, glancing down just in time to watch the screen fade to black.

    
Please still be listening. Please don’t hang up.

    
Turning around to face her, he held his hands high in the air and released a calming breath.

     It didn’t really help.

     “We won’t do anything.” Laney’s voice trembled.  “Please, Mia.  We’re hurt. 
You’re
hurt.”

     And she was.  Upon further observation, Benji could see Mia wasn’t in any better shape than they were.  She was sporting an angry cut on the side of her neck and it was easy to see she was favoring her left arm. 

    
Too bad it didn’t kill her.

     “I’m fine.” She insisted, keeping the gun aimed at him.  “Now get back over there to your little girlfriend and sit down.  I need to think.”

     Benji did as he was told and eased down by Laney once again.  The ground was soft and damp from the storm and his clothes were soaked, muddy, and stained with blood.  Not that it mattered, though.  The only thing that mattered was finding a way to protect the shivering beauty by his side.

     “Where the fuck is Devin?” Mia groaned and threw a hand up into the air, immediately cursing as she dropped the gun and clutched her arm.  “Fucking…ow!”

     Benji stared at the firearm as it landed with a soft thump and a million more ideas ran through his mind.

    
If I’m fast enough, I can get it.

     But what if he wasn’t?

    
A decent jury would say it was self-defense.

     True, but did he want a memory like that?  It would haunt him forever.  Killing people in a video game and killing them in real life were two very different things.  There wasn’t a reset button for this.

    
Would Laney think any less of me?

     The last thing he wanted was to look at Laney and see resentment in her eyes.  He wasn’t sure his heart could take it.  She meant so much to him already and to lose her after just getting her would be a brutal blow.

     There was a possibility he wouldn’t survive it.

    
I need to worry about surviving this right now.

     His hand slowly slid across the grass and he gripped Laney’s fingers gently.  She was so cold—her fingers were like ice—and he offered her an encouraging smile.

     Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to smile back at him, and he understood; it was hard to smile in the face of possible death.

     ‘I love you’ he mouthed to her.

     ‘I love you, too’ she mouthed back.

     “Aw, isn’t that sweet?” Mia cackled as she bent down to pick up the gun, her eyes never leaving them.  “You two are pathetic.  I swear to God, I don’t know what Devin ever saw in you.  You’re not even that pretty.  And you,”—she stared at Benji—“Oh, I know the truth about you, don’t I? Copping a feel in the back seat told me all I need to know about you.”

     His heart stopped.

     “Tell me how it came to be, huh?  Did you get your tits chopped off?  Your chest is pretty chiseled.  I have to admit I was impressed.”

    
Aw, hell.  That’s all I need.

     If Mia knew the truth about him, what was the point of surviving this ordeal?  She’d only blackmail him, too, right?  She’d hold it over his head and try to get more money.

    
I don’t have a rich boyfriend.
His jawline clenched. 
And I’m not going to live my life like that.  I won’t be manipulated like Jeb.

     “I really want to know.” Mia plopped down in front of them and rested the gun on her lap, a coy smile playing on her bloodied lips.  “When did you decide you wanted to be a man?”

     Benji stared at her in bewilderment.

     Were they in a hostage situation or were they having a pow-wow?

     When he didn’t respond, her smile faded and she narrowed her eyes in his direction.  “I’m not keen on people giving me the silent treatment, cutie. Either you answer my question or I’ll blow her head off right now.”

     “Shit.” He snarled, lifting his eyes towards the sky.  “I’ll fucking tell you, okay?  But you have to stop threatening her.”

     “Struck a nerve, did I?” Mia burst into a fit of giggles—the kind only diabolical maniacs were capable of.  “It’s kind of cute how protective you are over her.”

     Laney’s whimper caught his attention and he glanced at her, noting the way her shoulders shook with grief.

     More than anything, he wished he could make her feel safe.  If only he had a plan—if only he could back it up.

     “What’s the matter with you, huh?” Mia pushed up from the ground and approached Laney, nudging her with the toe of her shoe.  “Why are you crying?”

    
Gee, let’s count the ways.
 

     “Hey, I’m talking to you.” Mia towered over them, one hand on her hip and the other gripping the gun as her menacing eyes moved back and forth between them.  “It’s very rude not to speak when spoken to.”

     “For fuck’s sake, she’s hurt.” Benji wrapped his arm around Laney’s shoulders as carefully as he could, wishing that he could take her pain away. 

     He would.  He’d take every last ounce of whatever was hurting her, both emotionally and physically.

     That’s what love was, right?  Wanting to glue all the broken pieces back together, needing to make everything okay again.  If only he possessed such powers.

    
If only I could get her out of this situation.

     His eyes wandered back to the phone, still lying on the ground only a few feet away, and he swallowed his nerves into place. 

    
I hope you’re still listening, lady.

     “Oh, boo hoo. She’s hurt.  Big deal!” Mia crouched in front of Laney and studied her, her eyes squinting and her lips thinning into a frown.  “I’m hurt, too, you know.  Do you understand how gutted I am over the realization
my
boyfriend still prefers you to me?  What is it about you, huh?  Do you have a golden pussy or something?”

     “That’s enough.” Benji warned.

     “Oh, shut up, you tranny freak.  I get to decide when enough is enough, and to be honest, I’m just getting started.”

     “Fuck you!” Laney’s trembling voice was filled with anger as she shrugged Benji’s arm away violently and cried out in pain, but it didn’t seem to stop her either.  She pointed a finger at Mia, her upper lip curled back in disgust, and the rage in her eyes made Benji a little terrified. 

     He’d never seen her unravel so quickly before.

     “I have had it with this abuse and with your…your absolute ape-shit behavior.  You may have manipulated my brother, kidnapped us, and conned a good man out of a lot of money—which was really shitty by the way—but I will not sit here and listen to you call Benji names.  He doesn’t deserve that.  He hadn’t done anything to you, you psychotic cow.  You think you’re so high and mighty just because you’ve got a gun?”

     She laughed.  It was one of those laughs a person used when they were experiencing many different emotions at once and didn’t know what to do with them. In this case, Benji was certain she was feeling scared and outraged at the same time, maybe even a little frightened.

     But again, it didn’t stop her.

     Struggling to her feet, Laney cradled her arm and glared at Mia, her chin trembling as she shook her head.  “Enough is enough because
I
say so.  Go ahead and shoot me if you feel big enough to do it, but don’t you dare call him that again.  Do you understand me?”

     “My, my.  Look at you.” Mia’s bloodied smile grew bigger.  “You’ve got some balls after all.  Are you sure you’re not the tranny freak of the family?  Because—”

     Whatever harsh remark Mia may have been intending to deliver, it was forced into silence as Laney’s fist connected with her mouth.  She released a cry of pain and glared at Laney through her tears.

     “You stupid little bitch!” She spit out a tooth and growled in frustration as Laney tried to take the gun from her.

    
I should have grabbed it.
  Guilt sliced through him. 
This isn’t right.

     He was frozen in place, unsure of what to do as the two women fell to the ground and it became a fight for survival.  Laney pummeled away at Mia’s face and all Mia could do was kick and scream as the gun slipped from her hand and rested at his feet.

    
Now.
His mind screamed. 
Now!

     “No!” Mia shrieked as she struggled to fight Laney off, her fingers clawing at the ground, desperately trying to reach the gun.  “No! You can’t do this!  Get off of me!”

     “Get the gun, Benji!” Laney cried, grabbing Mia’s wrist and jerking it back.  “Get it!”

     And he did, or at least he tried to.  Just as his fingers brushed against the barrel, Mia’s elbow bashed Laney in the face and she shoved her off, scrambling to snatch the gun up before he could.

    “You just hold it right there.” She pulled herself up from the ground and held the gun between her trembling hands, pointing it right at him.  “I swear to fuck I’ll shoot you.”

     Benji swallowed his nerves back into place and glanced down at Laney’s limp form on the ground.

    
Shit.
 
He’d failed her again.  All he had to do was grab the goddamn gun and he couldn’t even do that.  What kind of man was he?

     “I have had just about enough from you two.  You’ve made this night hell and that’s really rude.” Mia sniffled. Blood seeped from the fresh cut on her face and she rubbed her cheek against her shoulder in an effort to wipe it away.  Her eyes remained on him as she stepped closer, never once lowering the gun.

    
This is it.
 
This is how I’m going to die.  Laney is going to die because of me.

     A vision of the future flashed through his mind.  It involved Laney, smiling, and a perfect summer day.  She was sitting on a tire swing and he was pushing her.  They were laughing and gazing at one another adoringly, and then he bent down to steal a kiss…

     The vision vanished from his mind and was suddenly replaced with a dark, gloomy funeral home.  He could see two caskets, side by side, with Lydia, Jeb, Callum, and Ags grieving.  He didn’t have to look in the coffins to know who was inside them.

    
It’s all over.

     His throat began to tighten and emotions burned in his nose as he lifted his hands into the air, his eyes pleading.

     “Don’t do this.  Please, Mia.  You don’t want our blood on your hands.”

     “You don’t know the first thing about me, tranny boy.  Don’t even pretend that you do.  I’ve had blood on my hands before and I’m not afraid to do it again.”

     “Right, because you killed your mom.”

     “You’re damn right I killed the bitch.” Mia smiled, revealing her blood stained teeth—one was missing.  “She made my life miserable.  All I ever wanted was to be free, but she just couldn’t have that.  I was meant to go to California, you know.  I was going to do amazing things.  I wanted to direct movies and win awards for the brilliance of my films.  But then my mother went and got sick.”

     “You…you killed your mom because she got sick?”

     “No, you idiot.” She scowled.  “I killed her because she was already in misery.  It was a mercy killing.  She was in pain and I freed her from it.  Freeing her meant that I could be free, too.  Don’t you see that?”

     He only nodded to prevent her from shooting him faster.  He still needed time to come up with a plan.  Something.  Anything.

    
What would Jeb do? Callum?  Mr. McIntosh?
  If only he knew the answer to that…

     “I’m not completely psycho, you know.” Mia murmured.