The Escaped Con's Hostage

TWENTY-FIVE | BLUFFING

Brandon stares the thug down. "Hey, Matt. Looks like you've risen the ranks since I last saw you. Okay, how about this? Nataly and Nova or else my tech friend forwards the information to the feds in ten minutes."

Ken scoffs. "He's bluffing."

But Matt must know Brandon well enough to know he's not. "Deal."

"Are you fucking mad?!" Ken cries. "You all work for me—not the other way around."

Matt slightly lowers the knife. "Put your weapons down, Donato, and I'll send the girl over." He cuts the rope binding me as a show of trust.

"First, I need to know one thing," Brandon says. "Was it my father's idea to set me up for Lauren's murder or yours?"

Matt laughs. "Your father's, of course. He paid Emily to be the bait, so that our new guys could kick your ass and steal your glock and boots. Then we planted the items in Lauren's condo. All Emily had to do was meet you in the condo next to hers so the cameras could place you at the scene. The witnesses were legit."

"Hm. A bit elaborate, but consider me flattered," Brandon muses aloud.

"Your girl didn't even blink twice, man," Matt says with a triumphant smile.

Ken bristles with anger. "Enough of this! I want that flash drive now!"

"Hold up." Brandon shifts his eyes to Ken. "Why go through all these lengths to let my dad pin Lauren's murder on me? How did even you find out Lauren turned dirty on you?"

"She told me," Ken replies, surprising both Brandon and me. "Lauren had been a faithful VitaTekk employee for a while. She thought your dad was extorting me. She told me what she found, and that she had compiled it all on a flash drive. She said she was going to reach out to the proper authorities to help me. I convinced her to hold off for a week."

"You twisted bastard," Brandon says. "She was trying to help you and you fucking murdered her!"

"I did what I had to," Ken snaps back. "She was a problem. Your father took care of it."

Even from this distance, I see a dangerous heat play out over Brandon's eyes. If it were up to him alone, he'd kill my stepfather right here, right now. Damn the consequences.

"Alright," Brandon says, swallowing his rage. "I'm going to lower my weapons at the count of three. Fair?"

"Sure," Matt says.

My heartbeat intensifies as Brandon watches Matt. He slowly releases the man who's been standing as his shield.

"One..." Brandon counts, his eyes finally settling over me, and flaring at my injuries. Another wave of rage works through the tension of his muscles. "Two..."

Brandon's guns nearly touch the floor. Matt pushes me toward his direction.

"Three."

At that last count, two wild things happen at once.

Brandon hits the floor, shooting the large man in front of him and Matt at the same time. Two beautiful fast and fatal shots.

Bella takes advantage of her guard's distraction by slamming her elbow into him, commandeering his gun, and putting a bullet directly into his chest. Then she spins around to shoot the three men behind her in one clean lineup.

Boom. Boom. Boom

My eardrums explode as I dive to the floor, screaming.

Brandon leans back on his side, using the large thug—who is very much a corpse now—as a human shield once more. He fires shots at the remaining guys, who also shoot rounds at him but fall to the ground one at a time.

I curl into myself, praying a bullet doesn't hit me, forgetting all about the one person I should've never taken my eyes off of.

Ken yanks me off the floor to take a page out of Brandon's book. He uses me as his shield. "I'll kill her, I swear!" A gun presses into my back.

When I jerk away, Ken holds me tighter until my skin burns. "Let me go!"

Brandon and Bella come together, aiming their guns at Ken. But there's no way to get a clean shot.

Bella lowers her gun. "I don't want to accidentally harm Nataly."

Brandon refuses to give up, though. He keeps a steady aim at us, eyes alight with madness, breaths ragged with...fear?

Is Brandon afraid of losing me?

"Back up or she's dead!" Ken threatens.

Reluctantly, Bella listens to my stepdad. But Donato doesn't move an inch.

"Didn't you hear me? I'll kill her," Ken emphasizes.

Brandon still doesn't move. "I'm not going anywhere."

The conviction in his words ignites within me like a firework. As if it's his way of apologizing for leaving me earlier.

Ken digs the gun into my back. For a moment, it's just a standoff between them until—

"Daddy, don't!"

We all look over to see Nova careening down the hall, her eyes full of tears.

Everyone turns to watch Nova except Brandon. He uses the moment to shoot Ken in the leg.

Ken drops the gun, crying from shock.

I push away and catch Nova in my arms.

Brandon detains Ken. Then I hear him mutter, "A quick death is too good for you. I promised Nataly we'd do this her way."

Ken sighs with relief.

Too bad he doesn't know what awaits him after his prison sentence.