The Deception (36 page)

The outline of two men materialized in front of him with their mouths gaping in shock. There was no sign of a woman.
Perhaps he’d been mistaken?

“Freeze! Police!” Will’s voice echoed loudly in the confined room. He trained his gun on Vince Maranoa and Max O’Connor.

Will’s mouth compressed into a thin line. “Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

Maranoa’s hand snaked down toward his belt. Will cocked his gun and aimed it directly at the drug lord. “Arms up above your head!”

The other TRG members, looking menacing in their combat gear, kept their guns trained on the men. Max trembled violently, shock and fear evident in his eyes.

“It’s n-not what it l-looks like. I-I didn’t even know w-what was going on. I-I just came across Vince here. I-I came in to ask him w-what he was doing.” Tears formed in the editor’s eyes.

“That’s fuckin’ bullshit, and you know it,” Vince exploded. “Don’t go rattin’ me out now, mate. We’re fuckin’ in this together. That’s how it’s fuckin’ always been.” His voice dropped low and threatening. “Don’t you go forgettin’ what I fuckin’ did for you, Max. I stabbed that fucker for you, Max. The fucker who killed your parents. I did that for you. The cops had fuckin’ nothin’. That fucker would have got away with it if it hadn’t been for me.”

Max’s eyes bulged. “B-but Vince, I c-can’t go to
jail
!”

“Who says we’re goin’ to jail?” Vince scoffed. “I know this bloke. He and his father are fuckin’ regulars at the club. This asshole probably heard me talkin’ one night and now he wants a cut. He’s been at me for some fuckin’ shit all week.” Vince eyed Will disdainfully. “Ain’t that right, big fella?”

Will smiled grimly. “I’m afraid you’re out of luck this time, Vince. There are at least half a dozen more police officers waiting outside this door. They’ll be happy to take you quietly, but they’ll be just as happy to take you screaming. It’s your pick.”

Max blubbered. “I-I told you to watch out for him! I-I knew something wasn’t right! Now look what’s happened!”

Vince turned to him, irritation etched on his face. “Just shut the fuck up, would you! You always were such a fuckin’ cry baby. I should never have fuckin’ let you in on it!”

“D-don’t yell at me, Vince,” Max wailed. “You k-kept telling me how the c-cops were all over you. If it w-weren’t for me, you w-wouldn’t have had anywhere to store—”

Max stopped. Comprehension dawned. He turned wide eyes to Will, his mouth gaping.

Will shook his head, amazed Max had managed to scale the upper echelons of management. With his gun still trained on Vince, he pulled cuffs out of his belt and immobilized the editor.

“Righto, Vince. It’s your turn. Don’t go trying to be a hero. Get your arms behind your back and turn around. You’re not going to get out of this one.”

He breathed a silent sigh of relief when Vince submitted without a struggle. As one of the other officers secured handcuffs over Vince’s thick wrists, Will gestured with his chin.

“Okay, boys, let’s take it out of here. Max, you take the lead and walk real slow. Don’t try anything stupid, or you’ll end up with a bullet in your hide.”

Max whimpered. His hefty body appeared to shrivel. Two of the officers grabbed him by the arms and herded him toward the door. Max shuffled past Will, his gaze averted.

Vince moved forward with the assistance of the other member of Will’s team. When Vince drew alongside Will, he shot him a look that was full of confusion and surprise.

“What the fuck did I ever do to you? I would have been happy to cut you in on a bit. All you had to do was ask.”

The lifeless face of Will’s younger brother flashed before him. For long moments after he’d found Cole, he’d held him to his chest, asking the same desperate question over and over.
Why?
Guilt had overwhelmed him. It had been a long while later that he’d rung for emergency services.

Making no effort to stem the anger and pain that flooded through him, he stared at Vince with narrowed eyes and replied in a voice that was as cold as ice. “You’re the reason my brother’s dead.”

Vince’s forehead creased in confusion. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about? Your brother? I didn’t even know you had a fuckin’ brother.”

Will’s gaze burned into Maranoa’s. “Yeah, that’s right. Just like the other hundreds of nameless people who die of drug overdoses every year in this city. If it weren’t for you, they wouldn’t be able to get the stuff.”

Vince cackled. “You really fuckin’ think if I’m not around, there’ll be no more drugs in this town? You’ve got to be fuckin’ kiddin’? You shut me down, another fuckin’ three will have set up in my place by the mornin’. You aren’t gonna fuckin’ get rid of this. Too many people are hooked on it. Rich, poor, it don’t make no fuckin’ difference. You’ve got no idea how it can fuckin’ get ahold of you.”

Cold determination flooded through Will. “And I’ll shut them down too, one outfit at a time.” He prodded Vince forward with his gun. Vince flicked his gaze over Will’s shoulder.

“Now, Billy.
Now
!” Vince yelled.

Will whirled around. In the same instant, a third man, who until then had remained concealed behind the stack of newspapers, stepped out and revealed himself. He dragged a woman with him. Red hair spilled across the man’s arm where he held it clenched around her neck. Light glinted off the gun in his other hand.

Will froze. Savannah stared up at him from her awkward position twisted against Billy’s chest. Her green eyes were ravaged with fear and pain. Her hands were bound in front of her. Blood trickled from her mouth and a cut had opened up beneath her eye. Fury like Will had never known boiled through his veins.

“Let her go.” His cold command was met with a sneer of laughter from the man who held her.

“Like hell. Let’s do it this way. I’ll let her go when you let Vince go.
Quid pro quo
as they say.”

Will struggled to breathe through his anger. Helplessness and fear surged through him. He glanced behind him and was relieved to discover the remaining TRG officer had his gun trained on Vince.

Will looked at Savannah again and a fresh wave of helplessness washed through him. How she’d come to be there, he had no clue and now wasn’t the time to become distracted by questions. There would be time enough for her explanations later. At least, he prayed there would be.

His mind spun furiously. The officers who had left with O’Connor should have made it out of the building by now. They’d notify Pete of their discovery. Pete was sure to head straight to the back room. Will could only pray he wouldn’t be too late.

Buying time, he attempted to engage the man Vince had called Billy, in conversation.

“So, Billy, you must be pretty friendly with Vince to want to risk holding a woman hostage over his release?”

Billy’s expression softened. “Yeah, we’re friendly, all right. Vince knows how to treat me right.”

Savannah struggled against the man and Will’s blood ran cold. Didn’t she know her best chance of surviving this was to remain as inconspicuous as possible? He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. His gun remained steady on the man who held her.

“For fuck’s sake, would you be still?” Billy jerked her harder against him. Savannah’s head snapped back. She cried out in pain and then sunk her teeth into the man’s forearm.

“You bitch!” Billy pulled his arm back and slammed the gun across her face. The sound of her nose breaking was loud in the quiet room. She screamed. Blood spurted from her nose.

“Dylan! H-how could you? You’re…you’re my
brother.
”

Shock ricocheted through Will. Moments later, he was engulfed by rage. His vision turned red—as red as Savannah’s blood. He shook from the impact of it. He pointed his gun at Billy’s head.

He saw the flash of orange seconds before the force of the bullet’s impact in his chest hurled him backwards. He slammed into the concrete floor. Pain exploded through him. His body was on fire. Like a man drowning, he struggled to breathe. Savannah’s brother stood over him. In slow motion, he watched as the man raised the gun a second time.

CHAPTER 29

Savannah screamed again and hurled herself at her brother. Aiming for his gun hand, she braced herself for the impact. Her shoulder connected with the solid plane of his chest. Pain shot up her arm. Dylan cursed and flung her aside. Without the use of her hands to break her fall, she landed hard on the concrete floor and grunted in pain. Will lay still and silent a few feet away.

Fear clogged her throat and threatened to choke her.
Please, God, please God, please, God. Please don’t let him be dead.

Her attention was drawn by the clatter of boots on the concrete. The sound of men shouting frantic orders to each other slowly infiltrated her daze.

“Freeze! Police! Put the gun down! Put the goddamn gun down.
Now
.”

It was Pete. He stood in front of her, his arm extended. The dim light glinted off the barrel of his gun.

“Pete, you have to help Will. Please, you have to help him!”

“Savannah?”
Pete’s voice cracked through the silence, taut with surprise. His gun remained trained on her brother. Pete glanced in her direction. “You have to get out of here.”

She turned her frantic gaze in his direction. “Pete, can’t you see? Will’s hurt. I have to do something.”

“Get out of here.”
Each word was bitten off. Even in the dim light, his lips were white with anger.

She flicked uncertain eyes toward Dylan. His gun was still pointed at Will’s head.

“Dylan, what are you
doing
? Are you out of your
mind?
”

Dylan glanced at her, his eyes wild with fear and excitement. “Shut up, Savannah. Do as he says and get the hell out of here.”

She pinned him with her gaze. “I’m not leaving until you hand that over.” She nodded toward the gun.

“It’s never gonna happen, sis.” His face was suffused with anger. His gaze swung crazily between her and Pete. Her stomach tightened in fear.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. “Dylan, please. Just hand the gun over. We can talk about this. Let’s go outside. I’m sure we can sort this out.”

“No one’s going anywhere, Sav. Not you. Not me. And especially not
him.
” His head flicked in Will’s direction. “This is it for me. The end of the line.” He gave a snort of humorless laughter. “They don’t call me Billy the Kid for nothing.”

His eyes were insane. She barely recognized him. Her heart leaped into her throat. Sweat trickled between her breasts. Fear froze her to the floor.

“Stand back, Billy. Drop the gun, or I’ll shoot.” Pete’s voice cracked in the stillness.

“Go your hardest, copper. I’m going out swinging.”

In the end, it took only a matter of seconds. Shots rang out, deafening in the enclosed space. The blinding flashes of gunfire burned into her retinas. Savannah screamed and turned her face away. Awkwardly throwing herself over Will’s prone form, she buried her face in his shirt. The sound of bullets behind her thudding into flesh sickened her.

And then, it was over…

The silence terrified her. She didn’t dare move. A hand fell on her shoulder and she cried out in fear.

“It’s okay, Savannah. It’s over.”

As Pete’s words sunk in, she collapsed in relief. Peering up through the dimness, her gaze strayed sideways.

She made out Dylan’s still form where he lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. His shirtfront was stained dark with blood. “Oh, my God!”

“I’m sorry, Savannah. I had no choice.”

She stared in horror at her brother. Blood trickled from his nose. His chest remained motionless. She knew she should go to him, but her legs refused to move.

Pete reached for the bindings around her wrists and severed them with a knife. A few moments later, she was in agony as the blood rushed to her fingers. A groan from Will snatched her attention.

“Oh, thank God, you’re alive!” Now oblivious to the fire in her fingers, she bent over him and clasped his head in her hands. “Please, please, Will, wake up. Please, wake up. You need to wake up now.”

“Savannah, you’ll have to move away,” Pete murmured. “The paramedics are here. They need to get in and see him.”

Savannah pulled away and looked dazedly around her. Two paramedics hovered behind Pete. One of them carried a large medical bag.

“Excuse me, ma’am. We need to get through.”

With her eyes fixed on Will, she stood slowly and backed away. One of the paramedics knelt beside him and checked his injuries. The other one went to where Dylan lay. Savannah looked away, unable to watch.

“We need to get a couple of stretchers back here. Can someone make a bit more room for us?”

Savannah’s attention returned to the paramedic who had spoken. She indicated Will with her hand. “Is he okay? He’s going to be all right, isn’t he?” Her voice shook.

“He’s going to be fine. He’s got a fair lump on the back of his head, though. Probably knocked himself out when he hit the concrete. He’ll be a bit sore in the stomach for a few weeks. Took a bullet by the look of it. Lucky for the vest. It saved his life.”

“Oh, thank God!” Her legs weakened in relief. She reached out blindly toward Pete for support.

“We’ll take him to hospital, just to be sure. He needs to be checked over by a doctor, maybe kept overnight for observation.” He turned to look in Dylan’s direction. “I’m afraid it’s too late for this one.”

Her legs moved of their own accord. She knelt by her brother’s side in a pool of sticky, wet blood. Her hand reached out and brushed a dark lock of unruly hair from his forehead. Hot, quiet tears ran down her cheeks.

“Oh, Dylan. I’m so sorry. Where did I go wrong? How could I have been so blind to what you were going through? Why didn’t you
say
something?” Her voice broke in anguish. Hot tears fell in earnest. She bit her lip to stem the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her and then cried out when the pain of her split lip made itself known.

“Savannah, we need you to come away. This is a crime scene. It has to be preserved.” Pete’s voice was gentle, but insistent. He gripped her elbow with firm pressure and pulled her to her feet.