almost lost my father and my brother. Now that I know Jason isn’t a member of the family, I have no sympathy left for them.
I think I might hate them.
“Everybody down!” shouts Vince.
Just as he says that, I notice headlights at the end of the alley farthest from us. It’s a sleek silver car, blocking our path.
The headlights turn off.
What are they doing?
Has someone come to help us? If so, why are they blocking the alleyway? And why would Vince tell us to get down?
“Run!” shouts Vince.
Everything goes still.
The window lowers. It happens in slow motion.
Other people figure it out a second before I do.
Everyone around us scatters. I see the nozzle of a gun poke out of the window.
Luke grabs my wrist and pulls me into a stumbling run toward the other end of the alley. We go as fast as we can, running close to the wall. I turn back and see Dad right behind us.
I hear the gun first.
Then I feel it.
Bullets rain down around us. It’s so dark, but I can hear them hitting the dumpsters around us. I see sparks, and hear bullets hitting the metal. A body to my right falls, but it’s too dark to tell who it is. Luke is still holding on to my wrist, pulling me forward, his grip like a vise.
I swear I feel a bullet skim over the top of my head.
Luke and I manage to make it out of the alley. We round the corner and press our backs against the wall, so we’re protected. Dad joins us a heartbeat later.
My relief is immense.
But we aren’t safe yet.
Some family members return fire.
Down the street to my left, in the parking lot, is Dad’s car. Cassidy and her mom made it to theirs.
“Where’s Vince?” asks Dad, but I can tell in his voice he already knows.
The dark shape we saw fall.
Hatred fills Dad’s features, and he pulls a gun from a holster on his hip. He takes a step toward the alley.
I glance at Luke.
We each grab one of Dad’s arms. He fights us, but we manage to hold him still. I’m glad he’s still weak, as we manage to overpower him.
“Dad, stop!” I shout.
“Get off me!”
“It’s too late!” shouts Luke. “They’ll kill you, too. Please!”
He stares at us for a second.
“Killing yourself won’t do anything,” I say. “If you want revenge, you need to be smart. Make them pay some other way.”
It’s the only thing I can think of to say that’ll make him stop.
He nods. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
He’s being really scary. He just, like, switched. From furious enough to murder, to cool and collected, all in a heartbeat.
How can he do that?
If it was Luke in the alley, then, well, I don’t know what I’d do.
The gunfire has stopped.
Keeping our heads low, we run over to the parking lot.
I get into the back seat, and Luke climbs into the passenger side. Dad steps on the gas, and we speed out of the lot. I glance at the burning bar, and feel something I never have.
I hate the Donovans.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Vince’s funeral is one of the most elaborate spectacles I’ve ever seen.
I think he’d like it.
The service is taking place in this grand churchlike building. There’s a priest, apparently a high-ranking one, if clergy have ranks. He’s a big deal in the community, is what I mean. He greets the family before the service with a smile, like today was just another day.
At least his eulogy is good. It’s epic and sad.
I glance around. Maybe a hundred people have shown up, and each one is wearing beautiful clothes. Which is good. If someone showed up in jeans I might’ve lost it.
It’s about respect.
To my left is my aunt Sara and her two daughters. She’s a widow now, and my cousins no longer have a father. All because of the Donovans.
I’ve never seen three people look more ruined.
I know my uncle was a torturer. He did unspeakable things and never really seemed to care about it. But looking at his grieving family, I know he didn’t deserve this.
I also can’t help but think how easily this could be Luke’s funeral.
Or Dad’s.
Or mine.
We three got lucky.
Vince, and others, didn’t.
There were numerous injuries from the fire, and two others died in the shooting. It’d be all over the news if our family didn’t have control over the local media. We’ve kept it quiet and explained the fire as the result of a gas leak. The bar burning down made headlines,