Fox and Crow standing before me. My father must have still been tied up thankfully.
“Put down the gun, son, and join us.”
Even though Fox had been speaking to me, his gun was trained on Ever. Turning his head toward his partner turned rival, I realized he’d just gained the upper hand. “You, too,” he told Sean.
Fuck.
When I’d sifted through all the ways my plan could go to shit, being the sole cause hadn’t been one of them.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I dropped my gun, and Sean did the same when Fox grabbed Ever, pressing the Glock to his skull. A moment later, we were all huddled in the living room. I ignored the smug look my father tossed me even though he was the only one tied up and truly defenseless. Knocking out and tying up Jeremy Antonov had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I wasn’t so sure.
“You must be Danny Boy,” Fox greeted Ever, using the pseudonym Ever had used when he infiltrated Exiled two years ago. “I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you finally, but that’s only because I get to put a bullet in you.” Fox kept his gun trained on Ever, the only thing keeping Crow and me at bay, as he surveyed the room.
His gaze finally landed on me.
“A fox is never the prey. As impressive as this set up is, you should have considered that before you sprung your trap. I am, however, willing to acknowledge your noble effort. Unfortunately, it’s going to get you killed.” His attention shifted to my father. “Unless…you’re willing to bargain?”
My father spat on the floor.
I rolled my eyes because I figured as much. There was no love lost between my father and me.
“Well, then,” Fox said with amusement in his gaze. “I guess you die first since I have no need for you.” He lifted his gun, pointing it right at my heart.
I closed my eyes, thinking only of River and Tyra so as not to give away the colossal mistake Fox had just made. A moment later, I felt two quick vibrations in my pocket.
It was the signal from Wren I’d been waiting for.
Even though Fox’s gun was no longer trained on Ever, Crow was too far away to reach his son in time. Besides, nothing was faster than a bullet.
I took a deep breath, said a quick prayer, and then I ducked.
Before I could even draw my next breath, the sound of the window behind me shattering followed and then the wet crunch of a bullet piercing a skull. I didn’t see whose, but I had a pretty good idea. Slowly, I opened my eyes.
My legs protested, threatening to collapse right from under me as I stood. I couldn’t take my gaze away from the dead body and unseeing eyes. Blood and brain matter splattered the wall, and a little had gotten on Ever, but he was too stunned to notice.
Nathaniel Fox was dead.
“Son.”
I finally looked away from the carnage, but it wasn’t my father who had spoken. No, it had been Crow who spoke as he took a hesitant step toward his youngest son. Other than the cleft chin hidden under Crow’s beard and the dark hair they shared, the two looked nothing alike.
“In a moment, you’re going to hear sirens,” I told Crow, making him pause in his tracks. His blue-gray eyes seemed to pierce straight through me. “They’re here for you both, but they don’t have to be.” His gaze followed mine to where my father was still tied to the chair, his face void of color as he stared at his dead rival. “You can still walk away.”
Crow walking away would mean that my father would live, and then Tyra and River would never be safe. It was a chance I never thought I’d see myself taking, but there was no clear right or wrong answer.
Crow looked at Ever, longing in gaze, and Ever stared right back, giving nothing away. Ever was too stubborn to make the choice easy for Crow. No, the father would have to decide on his own.
Crow shocked us both when he detoured toward the door without looking back. Unfortunately, my father had chosen that moment to break free of his stunned silence.
“You’re a fool,” he spat at Crow. “I own this town and every cop in it. They won’t touch me. They can’t. I’ll find you and make you watch your boys scream and die in agony.”
Crow had reached the threshold of the