Temperance: Biker Romance (The Davis Chapter Book 2) (10 page)

“You're up.” Bandit gave my hand a squeeze. “Does he have a panic room or anything like that?”

I raised my eyebrows. The question had never occurred to me before. “Not that I know of. I think with all the security, he didn't bother with a panic room. My guess is that he's in the study. Second floor, left off of the stairs.”

When someone walked into the mansion, the first thing they saw was a chandelier above them. From there a set of marble steps led upwards on either side of the foyer. They curved and met at the top where a balcony overlooked the front area. I pointed my gun in the direction of the study just as I heard boots running our way.

A group of four guards immediately opened fire from the balcony area. Instinct took over, and my fingers squeeze the trigger. The gun that Bandit had given me was one that I hadn’t fired before, but I knew enough about firearms to quickly bring up my left hand. It was large for a handgun, and it has recoiled to match.

It was impossible to tell if my aim was any good because the other bikers open fire a split second after I did. Bandit grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me to one side and under a staircase. He was firing back as we moved away from the front door. Marble and drywall exploded from the walls and floor.

Shards of crystal rained down on us at the overbearing entryway chandelier was destroyed. Bullets tore through it on their way to their true targets. It was hard to keep in the moment, because it was like my mind was trying to have an out of body experience. My mind couldn't grasp the fact that I was in the middle of a gunfight surrounded by bikers. It took every bit of concentration and focus to stay in the moment and stay alive.

The lights flickered and then went out in the entryway. Thunder was with Bandit and I on one side of the staircase, and Alcatraz was on the other. Over the automatic fire, I yelled to Bandit, “There's a second staircase at the far end of the house!”

Bandit ducked back under the staircase after squeezing off a few rounds. “Can we get there from here?”

“If we can get out from under these stairs.” I nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

Bandit threw a hand down on Thunder’s shoulder. The hulking figure had been leaning out and firing, oblivious to our plans. “Thunder, you're on point.” Bandit yelled across the foyer, but the gunfire was too loud. He waved his arms and finally got Alcatraz’s attention. Al gave a nod and Bandit turned back. The hand signals didn't mean anything to me, but I'm glad they meant something to him.

“Wait for Al before we go.”

After a break in the gunfire, Alcatraz came out from under the staircase. He had a handgun in one hand and what looked like a sawed off shotgun in the other. As he gave us cover fire, the three of us ran for the hallway, leaving him behind. I gave a quick look behind to see Alcatraz, both guns blazing. There was a look of anger and pure joy on his face. His mouth was dropped open in a primal scream that was drowned out by the guns he fired.

Thunder was in front and I stayed behind Bandit. I was at full sprint when I ran into the back of my man, who immediately pushed me back against a door and out of the danger. Thunder was opening fire down the hallway at some unseen enemy. More lights flickered and then went out. I looked in to the darkness, back the way we had come. My thoughts were with Alcatraz, though. With my back. It up again a door, I hope he could fight his way out of the entry. Part of me felt like we had abandoned him. I knew we had to keep moving forward, though. Conrad was the main target. My mother was inside the mansion somewhere, and there was no doubt in my mind that her life was in danger.

Maybe that was what caused something inside of me to change. That very real thought that my mother was in danger anywhere near Conrad flipped some hidden switch in my mind. With my gun raised high, I shoved my way past Bandit. As lights flickered down the long hallway, I spotted the man standing in our way. He saw me, too, and as I fired, I dropped down behind a chest of drawers. Wood splintered past me as I dropped down and out of sight.

“Celeste!” Bandit’s said, but I wasn’t going to turn around and risk losing my concentration.

I quickly raised a hand behind me, hoping he would see the thumbs up. Whether he did or not, I don’t know. The lights went out completely, and it washed away any plans I had. I couldn’t see the guard at the end of the hallway. The crashing and shooting calmed for a second, and besides my beating heart, there was nothing. I was pinned down; trapped.

Something banged against the floor and rolled into my leg. I jumped, my heart coming to a crashing halt until I realized what it was. The Mag Light was heavy, but the cool metal felt great in my hand. I cupped my other over the end and hit the switch. Red glowed through my hand, and even covered up, it lit up my immediate surroundings.

It was risky, but I had no other choice. The radios had gone silent since we had gotten inside the mansion. If Alcatraz had gotten up the stairs, he hadn’t let us know. There was no reason to stay silent. My heart ached at that thought. I couldn’t waste another second. Men were fighting; putting their lives on the line for me, and I couldn’t live with myself if anyone wasn’t at the bar the next night.

I flipped the Mag light off and got onto my haunches. I’d only have one shot to get it right, and even that was one in a million. With my back to the chest of drawers, I tightened my grip on the flashlight in my left hand. My finger teased the trigger in my right hand. I let out one shaky breath and moved.

Standing, I hit the button on the Mag and lobbed it with everything I had. The blinding brightness tumbled through the air, lighting up a circular sliver of the hallway. First the floor, then the ceiling, then the floor again. It tumbled through the air, and I caught a quick glimpse of the security detail standing dead center. I brought the handgun up and squeezed.

My bullet might have missed, but the flashlight didn’t. While the private guard was busy aiming at me, the flashlight clocked him just to the side of his nose. I ran from behind the chest, bursting towards him as he raised both hands to his face. Every shot I’d taken had missed up until that point, but when I squeezed the trigger just a few feet form the blinded, bleeding guard, my aim was true. I squeezed a second time, and he went down for good. I kicked his gun away, just in case.

Bandit and Thunder came up behind me. My man was the first to speak, “Holy fuck, babe. That was absolutely legendary.” I smiled. There was nothing like genuine admiration from Bandit.

I was about to reply, but an explosion blew us against the wall and to the floor.

“Bandit?” I couldn’t hear my own voice, just ringing. One of my hands shook, but it wasn’t from the fear. I looked around and just saw dust.
What in the fuck?
Adrenaline was surging through my body, and as I struggled to my feet, I had to grab onto the wall to steady myself. Taking a breath was painful, and when I reached up to my face, my fingers came back red. There was a long cut at my temple. Wrestling my mind from the daze was a monumental task.

I looked around, “Bandit?” If he answered, I couldn’t hear it. No figures appeared through the dusty darkness. My next thought was for the gun Bandit had given me. If I was alone, I was vulnerable. I looked around, but it wasn’t anywhere near me. My mind told me to move. I couldn’t stay put. Whatever or
whoever
caused the explosion probably wasn’t done. Conrad was serious, and time was running out.

Stepping from the hallway, I hunted down the smaller staircase in the darkness. My guess was the grenade or whatever caused the explosion had killed power to the house. Emergency lights came on, but they were few and far between. With my hand on the wall, I made my way to the east end of the mansion.
 

Keeping my voice down, I called out, “Bandit!” Wherever Bandit and Thunder were, they didn’t need me shouting through the house for them.
 

Lights poured into the windows at the end of the hallway, showing the staircase. It had once been a servants’ stairwell, and I had to hope that the narrow way wasn’t guarded. Conrad’s study wasn’t too far from there. Without the gun, I only had one option. From the moment I couldn’t find it after the blast, I knew it was the case. My mother had been through enough with the accident. She didn’t deserve to go out like that.

Each step to the second floor felt like one step closer to the electric chair. I guess the firing squad was more apt, though. If someone from Conrad’s security force didn’t get to me first, I knew he’d finish the job. Each step upwards felt heavier than the last. I thought about Bandit, Conrad, and my mother. Tears fell, but I kept moving upwards. I
had
to. I had to finish things.

The hallway was clear when I reached the landing. The shaking in my hands had died away. Some exterior light there shadows down the long hallway of the second floor. I knew that the fourth door on the left would be where it all ended. Conrad’s study looked out over the back grounds. I could see that the door to the study was open. The lights from the decretive fountain poured into the room and out the door. A shimmering, changing light bathed the wall opposite the study doorway.

Everything was silent as I made my way down the hall to Conrad’s study. There were no distractions. My heart wasn’t beating hard, anymore. I was calm, my mind free of anything but the task before me. Somewhere in my head, a phrase repeated:
It’s time.

They were bathed in light from behind. I couldn’t see their faces, but I knew the figures. Conrad’s tall and lanky outline with my mother’s frail body in front of him. I knew I was bathed in the light from the fountain. There was nowhere to hide from Conrad or from fate.

“Celeste.” His bitter voice was the straight line of a heart monitor. “Good to see you.”
 

My mother let out a whimper. She looked weaker and skinnier than ever. I tried to make my voice sound somewhat soft, “You okay, Mom?”

“What’s going on, Celeste? What is all this about?” Her voice was weak. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Conrad had put her through. Maybe I didn’t want to see her with the lights on. Had he tortured her? I wouldn’t put it past him anymore. I wouldn’t put
anything
past him anymore.

I raised a hand. “Sorry, Mom. I’m really so sorry. This is all my fault.” I knew my words wouldn’t do much for her. After all, nothing helped when a man you had complete trust in threatened to kill you. That is the kind of thing that shakes you to your core.

Conrad wanted nothing to do with feelings. “You’re damn right, it’s your fault. Why don’t you tell Laurel where you spent the last day before you try to suck up to her?” Conrad took a step forward, shoving my mother up with him. “She was off with Kyle, that fleabag, trashy nothing. She left me, Laurel. She decided that this life wasn’t enough for her, so she abandoned me for the dirty life of a redneck. She left me, and here we are with the grave consequences in front of us.”

My mother sounded like she was about to lose her mind, and I could understand why. “What? Celeste, I’m so confused.” My mother thought that Conrad was the perfect gentleman, and now she was held hostage by that very same man. I could see the fear and complete confusion in her eyes.