Well, I guess she’s just going to have to forget you ever existed. Just like everyone else.”
He talked about business as if what happened here was the same as his stocks and mergers and emails. He insinuated he was having Drew and me killed as if it was just part of a bad day at the office. But when he mentioned Donna, that’s when cold, unadulterated rage coursed through me.
I growled, then threw my head back as hard and fast as I could. It hurt like a bitch, another blow to my already aching skull, but the crunch of his nose when I connected was beyond satisfying.
Will’s eyes widened and he rushed forward, but it was too late. I’d startled Frydenberg enough to wrench out of his hold and shove him toward his son. They stumbled but quickly righted themselves, both of them watching me with surprise.
I bared my teeth at them like an animal, fists clenched, eyes narrowed. Warm blood was trickling from my split lip down my chin, but I didn’t bother to wipe at it. I knew I looked feral. I felt feral—I wanted to tear them to pieces with my bare hands for even mentioning Donna. But I wasn’t going to attack. I wasn’t going to be that guy anymore.
“OK. That’s enough of that.” Shady strode forward casually, clicking his fingers and then slapping his hands, the sharp sound like a punctuation.
“Stay out of this,” Frydenberg barked at him.
Shady just cocked his head. “No. And for the record, I don’t like people taking credit for my work. You wouldn’t know my buddy here was even planning to bring your operation down if it wasn’t for me. Your idiot son was ready to fight him at the actual fight night tonight.” So there was another location, an actual fight. “I’m the one who got Drew out of the way. Unthankful bitch.”
Frydenberg was ready to beat both our asses now, but before he could say anything, I shook my head at Shady and scowled. “I thought you might be a decent guy somewhere underneath all those tracksuits.”
He laughed as if I’d made a hilarious joke. “Well, I don’t know about that.” He moved closer until he was standing shoulder to shoulder with me, facing Will and his dad. “But I did also save your ass.”
“What?” the Frydenbergs and I all asked at once, frowning. Senior stepped forward, pointing a finger at Shady as if he were telling off a toddler. “Listen here, you lunatic, I’m—”
Shady cut him off by placing his thumb and forefinger between his lips and letting off a piercing whistle.
“I’d get on your knees, bro,” he muttered to me as he did exactly that, putting his hands behind his head while Will and his dad stared in confusion.
Before Shady’s first knee hit the concrete, the empty factory exploded in a cacophony of sound. Several heavily armed men poured down those rickety stairs he’d been leaning against, guns pointed, shouting at us all to get down on the ground. More came in through a back door beyond the bright floodlights, and within moments, about a dozen police officers surrounded us.
I took Shady’s advice and placed my hands behind my head, cringing against the pain in my torso as I slowly lowered myself to my knees.
Joseph raged, cursed Shady and me to hell, vowed bloody murder. Spit flew from his mouth as he screamed at the police that they had no idea who they were dealing with. Will was as silent as his father was frantic while they cuffed him. When the officers pulled the two of them past us, the look on his face was stoic, but I could’ve sworn I saw a bit of relief in his lowered gaze.
Once they were out of sight, the three remaining police officers lowered their weapons and approached us, but instead of cuffing us as I thought they might, they helped us to our feet.
A guy with brown eyes and a salt-and-pepper five-o’clock shadow nodded at Shady. “You better hope your info is good. That’s a prominent member of Devilbend society we just arrested.”
“It’s good. And here’s junior’s phone. I already forwarded the voice recording of senior’s little villain rant before you all showed up. You should have enough to charge them both from that alone.” He pulled an iPhone out of his pocket and handed it over to the cops, who sealed it in an evidence bag. I glanced at the varsity jacket Will had draped over the