onto one elbow before he was on me again, pressing his shoe against my neck as he stood up to hover over me.
I couldn’t get to her. I couldn’t fucking get to her, and it was killing me.
“Scar!”
A kick landed to my face, catching me in the cheekbone and making me see stars.
I heard a car door slam, and Scarlett’s screams were cut off. That sound was worse.
O’Banion tsked at me from above. “You know, your boy Luis Salvador over there—he cut Johnny Jack. No one fucking cuts Johnny and lives to see the day.”
He looked over his shoulder to talk to someone else. “Line these boys right up. The Heirs like to stick together, ain’t that right?” More chuckles sounded, and then Godfrey, Luis, and Bonham were dumped onto the ground next to me. “It’ll look bad, killing them all. But we can plant some drugs in their car. Rob ‘em. Make it look like a drug deal gone bad.”
I couldn’t turn my neck, because the motherfucker still had his boot on me, but I saw that the guys were in bad shape. Bonham was passed out cold from the gunshot wound to his foot. Godfrey had a wound on his arm and was bloodied and bruised. Luis looked like he’d been up against a professional boxer, and kept spitting out blood. I knew that I didn’t look much better.
I heard an engine start up, and then the car sped away. Panic consumed me, just as thunder cracked through the air like a goddamn whip. Lightning flashed and the clouds churned, ready to unleash on us.
“Where is she?” I managed to get out, even with O’Banion’s sole pressing against my windpipe. I already knew, but I needed to hear it.
Godfrey was closest to me, so it was him that answered around a split lip. “Car. Johnny Jack,” was all he could get out between gasping breaths.
My furious eyes snapped up to O’Banion. “I’ll fucking kill every single one of you if he touches her.”
O’Banion and the others laughed, like that was the funniest shit they’d ever heard. I didn’t care that we were outnumbered, that we were beaten and bloodied. I meant what I said. I’d bury them all. I’d fucking end them.
He must not have liked the look in my eyes, because he finally moved his foot off and then aimed a kick at my gut, making me curl onto my side and grunt in pain. “I been watchin’ you boys for months. Johnny Jack knew you were up to somethin’, but holding evidence? Now that was just plain stupid. You had to be thinkin’ real highly of yourselves if you didn’t know you’d end up exactly like this.”
“She’s got nothing to do with it,” I choked out.
O’Banion shrugged. “We make some good money in the sex trade, boy. She’ll be a real nice addition for us, and we got her, thanks to you. We don’t often get good merchandise like her, but don’t worry, she’ll have company. We got Rocco Nomar’s daughter, too. Who knows? Maybe we’ll sell ‘em as a set,” he chortled, pleased as hell with himself.
I saw fucking red.
Before I knew it, I was on my feet, beating the shit out of O’Banion, ignoring the crack in my bones as I railed hit after hit. But my revenge was short lived. I was suddenly brought down to my knees by two other guys, and the cool metal of a gun was pressed against my temple.
I could barely see through my swollen and busted eyes as I looked up at O’Banion, but I grinned cruelly at the blood that I’d taken from his face. I wanted more. I wanted to drain the fucker dry.
He held his arm under his nose as it poured with blood. Even in this piss-poor light, I could tell that I’d broken it. I’d break his fucking body next.
“You little shit,” he said, his eyes furious.
There was no point in trying to get away from the guys who held me back. One more move, and I knew the gun at my temple would go off.
“Johnny Jack was thinkin’ about ransoming you four, you know,” O’Banion said. “But accidents happen, right? There’s no harm in takin’ you out. I’ll enjoy slittin’ your fuckin’ throat like you did to our man before you threw him in your lake.”
“Fuck. You.” I spat.
O’Banion came at me.
The knife was aimed right at my jugular. I took in a staggered breath, knowing I was about to be