Learning to Forgive (The Learning Series) (40 page)

He waits until I put down my drink before getting down to business. “Now… you have something I want back. I want my daughter to come home where she belongs. She’s been gone too long and her dear mother misses her very much. It’s that simple.”

“Where’s Massey’s family?” I ask. I don’t believe it’s that simple. Nothing ever is.

“Where’s Anya?” he counters.

Turning, I nod my head in Red’s direction where she sits with Cole. Her back is to us, so after Cole tells her to, she turns. I watch as they make eye contact, and thankfully, her hair obscures her face like we discussed. I turn my eyes away from her and watch Polesky’s reaction, hoping he buys it. Because I don’t know what is going to happen if he doesn’t. Finally, after a minute, he looks at me but gives nothing away. “Who is the man with her?”

“Collateral damage. You fuck me over, he has a gun ready to kill her.” He doesn’t speak, only nods and steeples his fingers. “Now, what about Massey’s family?”

“They’re outside with my men. Collateral damage.” He winks and takes another drink before sitting back. Once again, he snaps his fingers, but Gorilla doesn’t move. I guess his cue is from the hand Polesky rubs him off with. After a minute, another guy in a similar trench coat walks up with an iPad and hands it to Polesky. He turns it in my direction to show the video of Massey’s family. They’re inside a grungy van on their knees, hands tied, with pillowcases over their heads. Men on either side of them have rifles, ready to take them out with a signal. Polesky turns the device for Massey to see how his family is being treated, but training has taught him how to mask his emotions and that’s exactly what he does. Nothing. Just the same face I saw earlier.

“How do I know that’s not a recording?”

“Do you really want to ask that question, Mr. Devereux?” I give a nod of my head because, for all I know, that was yesterday and they’re dead somewhere. He pulls out his phone and makes a call. “It seems I’m a liar. Bring me proof of the girls.” He hangs up and turns the monitor once again in my direction. “You asked.”

Massey’s leg twitches under the table. He knows as well as I do that something bad is about to happen. And it does. When one of his men brings out a pair of wire cutters, I know what’s about to come. Face placid, I watch as another one of the Polesky’s men holds the youngest daughter’s hands steady as the another proceeds to cut off her pinky finger. My stomach drops as Red’s face enters my mind. I can’t imagine what Massey is feeling at this moment as her tortured shrieks enter our ears. She bucks, trying to get free, but she’s no match for the man who holds her still. Finally, she goes limp from the pain and passes out. Nobody seems to have heard anything because the music is blasting loudly and drowned out her screams.

If I could take out the fucker right now, I would. But the girls would be dead within seconds. So I take what I can and brace myself for what’s to come. Ten minutes pass before someone brings the finger to me in a box. My mind scrambles to think of a way to get someone to that van before it’s too late.

“See. I’m not a liar,” Polesky says with a grin. “In fact, I’m a very generous man to only cut off her pinky. I could have done her thumb or entire hand instead, and made living a lot worse for her.”

“So, how do you want to do this? You bring them in or drive the van up front for one of my boys, and I give you Anya?” I’m tired of the small talk and ready to kill this sonofabitch, get Massey’s family back to him, and live my life with Red.

“Well, that depends on you, Mr. Devereux. You have two options. I will let your friend’s family go with your men
if
you agree to marry my Anya and we unite our two businesses.” He smiles and wags his bushy black eyebrows. “You get a beautiful wife, lots of fortune, and this war will be over. I’ll forgive you for killing my brother, even. A man like you is what I need in charge of the business when I’m gone. Strong, clever, good at what you do. Marrying Anya will be good for you.”

“And what’s the second option?” I ask, showing no interest in the first, which results in insult. But hey, I really don’t give a fuck.

His smile falls as he takes in my unresponsive features. “Second one is not as good. I walk out with Anya and I let go of only one of your friend’s family. That’s it.” He slams his fist on the table as his angered face turns red. “Now which will it be? But be smart because I won’t offer this again. You say no and the trigger is pulled.”

As my hands rest in my lap, I allow my face to look contemplative. With careful movements, I reach under the table, wrapping my hand on the grip of the gun held under the table by a magnet. But before I can blow his ass to hell, a giggling, drunken blonde stumbles her way over to our table and falls straight into Polesky’s lap. Then hell breaks loose.

In slow motion, Polesky’s face morphs from anger to disbelief to pain. At first, I’m not sure if she landed on his junk or not, then Gorilla goes to grab her away, and that’s when her arm comes up. I see the glint of a knife right before she slits his throat. Gunfire and chaos erupt around me, but my eyes stay focused on the blonde as she grabs Gorilla’s gun out of his jacket and shoots the guy in a trench coat headed her way.

As people run past our table, I jump out and come in direct contact with a Russian thug. His gun stares me in the face, but I swiftly grab his wrist and twist it into until he drops it and I hear a pop. My head slams into his skull, and he drops to the floor. My eyes focus on Polesky just as he stands from the booth. Blood steadily spreads on his white shirt, and he stumbles just a bit. I start in his direction, but he grabs his phone and yells, “Kill them,” to whoever’s on the other end.

“Hyde. Where’s the van parked?” I yell into the mike connected to my earpiece. A fist comes my way, but I duck my head. Grabbing the guy’s head, I slam it into the wooden beam beside me and keep moving.

“It’s not around the building,” he says. “Hold up. I see Polesky’s men running toward the public parking lot at the corner.”

As much as I want to stay and finish Polesky right now, I need to get the van cleared for Massey.
Massey?
I look where he was a moment ago, but don’t see him, so I continue through the crowd. Even though most people have exited the building, a lot of people remain inside. Everywhere I pass, people are either running away or fighting. I watch as Pete smashes his fist into someone’s face before lifting a chair to slam into another one advancing on him.

“Where’s Red?” I ask Hyde.

“Fuck if I know. Too many damn people and now she doesn’t standout like before. And bro, cops aren’t too far out. Reports are blasting the airwaves.”

“Fuck the police. Just find her, and let me know as soon as you do.” My eyes finally find Massey, but he’s too far away. If he’s headed to the van, I’m not sure he’s going to make it in time.
Red. I gotta find Red
.

When I see Cole, she’s nowhere around him. He’s kicking some guy in the throat before grabbing his head to twist his neck forcefully. The guy falls into a crumpled heap on the floor.

I run in his direction. “Where’s Red?” I yell over the screams and music still playing.

“She ran after you. I tried to stop her, but she was swallowed up when the shit hit the fan.” Instead of beating the shit out of him like I want, it’s not a priority. Finding her is. I hear Cole yell my name before I can leave. “I heard about the van. My boys are out there lookin’.”

Nodding my head, I turn and see another one of Polesky’s men come at me right before he lands on the floor with a bullet in his head. When I look where the shot came from, I see Cole put his gun away. “Now you owe me.” He smiles and disappears.

I fight my way through the crowd, but it seems never ending. More men attack and more are taken down. Something heavy pounces on my back before an arm has me in a headlock. Once I regain my footing, I slam back into the bar repeatedly until he finally releases me. My elbow slams up to hit flesh, and I feel bones break. When I turn around to hit him once more, Chris has him over the bar and on the floor. Unmoving. “Go. I saw Blaire over there a second ago.” He points to my left, and I know she’s close to where I was sitting earlier.

My eyes continually look until I find her. My heart picks up, but I know she’s not safe yet. She’s huddled behind a speaker beside the stage. Her dark hair and dress camouflage her perfectly. When she sees me, she stands to head in my direction even though I shake my head no, trying to tell her to stay put. But she ignores it. Then my stomach hits the floor when Polesky grabs her by the hair when she passes by him. He yanks her back into his body, but his eyes widen when he realizes Red isn’t his daughter. His face turns red with anger, and he slaps her so hard she falls to the floor. My wrath is all-encompassing, and I feel a new beast form as I head in her direction.
Nobody touches her
.

Any person who gets in my way eats my fist or lead as I rush to her side. Even though I want to put a bullet in Polesky’s brain, I’m still too far away for an accurate shot so I keep moving. Regardless he will die for touching her.

My gun’s out and aimed as he pulls his and points it directly at Red. When a shot is fired, my heart sinks in fear that I’m too late. I’m not sure if it’s his or mine. Then his body hits the floor as Red shakily stands up.

On the other side of where Polesky was standing, the blonde from earlier smiles, her gun pointing at his body. I’d know that sinister grin anywhere… Anya. I lower my gun right before she turns hers on Red less than a foot away. Kill shot. Lifting my arm, I aim, ready to take her down, but Red drops to the floor, swings her leg out, and knocks Anya to the floor just as I pull the trigger and miss. The impact causes her to drop her gun, so I kick it out of my way before I’m above her, ready to pull the trigger again. “Don’t fucking move.”

Her chest is heaving, but she doesn’t look scared or concerned about my gun being above her. She’s smiling. “Not so weak now, huh, Blaire?” she asks loudly. Then she addresses me. “I’m not the one you should be aiming that at.”

Before I can look over my shoulder, Red screams. Massey has a gun to her head. Tears run down his face, and he looks unstable. I start to grab my other gun, but he shakes his head. “Don’t!” he hollers. “She deserves to die.
You both do.
Because of you two, my family is dead. Because you led them to my home. Because you fell for this tramp. My girls are dead.”

His words confirm my earlier suspicions. We are too late. But Red will not pay for something we couldn’t control. “I tried to get to them on time, Massey. You know I did.” With a quiet voice, I attempt to reason with him, to calm him enough to let Red go. Her eyes are wide with dread when I glance at her, so I concentrate on him once more. Sirens are now apparent, as they get closer.

“Why not take the deal? They would still be alive if you’d taken the fuckin’ deal,” he screams as spit and blood fall from his mouth.

He’s grieving and not thinking clearly, not seeing reason. “You’d all be dead before you could walk out the door. You know that. Polesky doesn’t do deals.
Think,
Massey.”

He tightens his hold on Red and starts to ramble. “It was her they wanted to trade with. He knew you loved her. He knew she was your weakness. But she got away before I could get her to them and that fucked it all up.” His voice breaks. “Now my babies are dead.” His legs give out and his hold loosens when he falls to the floor in a heap of grieving agony.

Red runs in my direction as soon as she’s free, and I put her behind my back. I watch my friend warily, not sure what he’ll do. He’s trained and can be deadly even though he hasn’t been active for a few years. Gripping my gun tight, I’m ready to kill him even if I don’t want to. He’s been my mentor and advisor. He’s been a brother to me for years.

After a few minutes of crying, he looks up at me with anguished eyes, takes a deep breath, and puts the gun to his head. “You’re free now.”
BANG!

“Lyric? Lyric? Burn it. Burn the fucker down, and get out of there. Now!” Hyde’s voice shouts in my ear, but my eyes stay focused on Massey’s body lying on the floor. He’s right. The place needs to burn to get rid of all evidence of what took place tonight. Evidence of me. Of us.

My arms wrap Red in an embrace, trying to take the death away she just witnessed. She’s proven tonight how strong she is, not only to me, but also to herself. I’d kiss her, but I know we have no time. Lou, Javier, Chris, and Cole with his men, stand there watching. “Burn it.” My voice shows my regret, but duty once again calls.

As they start lighting the place up, I remember Anya, so I look around, but I can’t see her. It seems she’s disappeared again. Fuck it. I don’t have time to look for her sneaky ass. The place is quickly filling with smoke, so we make our way out the back exit.