Delivered (The Monster Trilogy Book 3) (18 page)

Sophia peered out into the hall, leaning out of the doorway.

A figure stepped out from behind her and placed a knife to her throat.

“Drop the gun or I’ll slice you open.”

The figure moved fully into view, securing her grip on the knife at Sophia’s throat.

Lily gasped in surprise. “Jess!”

The girl looked strung out and wild, her eyes wide, and her skinny frame appearing even thinner compared to Sophia’s build. Her rats-tailed, dirty blonde hair hung around her face, and her knuckles were protruding and white as she gripped the handle of the knife. Despite her manic appearance, Lily was overjoyed to see the other woman, and not just because she had a knife at Sophia’s throat. She’d been worried about what had happened to her, part of her wondering if she might have made a break for it across the surrounding desert, but she must have been hidden in the house this whole time.

Jess held the knife tighter, and a trickle of blood ran down Sophia’s pale throat. “I said drop it,” she threatened again.

“Okay, okay!” Sophia cried, and the gun clattered to the floor.

Lily ran forward and snatched up the weapon, turning the muzzle back around on Sophia. “I should shoot you,” she said, “but I’ve seen enough people dead.” She looked to Jess and Monster. “Let’s get out of here.”

Jess clutched the knife tighter, not removing it from Sophia’s throat. “What about her?”

“Bring her with us. She can be our insurance policy in case we run into Rodriguez again.”

Lily ran over to Monster and placed the gun on the floor beside them while she untied him, her fingers fumbling with the coarse rope. She pulled and tugged, worrying she wasn’t going to get it undone and would need to use Jess’s knife. Finally, the bonds loosened and Monster was able to pull himself free. Lily snatched up the gun again.

He got to his feet, rubbing at his wrists. He reached out and pulled her into a tight but brief hug, and kissed the top of her head. She clutched back at him, never wanting him to let her go.

“Get out of here,” he said. “Do you know which way the front door is?”

“Yes, but you’re coming, too.”

He shook his head. “Take the gun, and Sophia as insurance. There should be a car or two still parked outside.” He nodded toward Sophia. “She should have the keys to one.”

“I don’t!” Sophia spat. “Rodriguez took them from me when we arrived.”

The smoke grew thicker, drifting around their ankles, and more shots were fired from somewhere deeper in the house, followed by a male shout of pain.

“Guys,” said Jess, glancing worriedly down the hall. “We really need to go.”

Lily turned back to Monster. “Come on.”

But he shook his head again. “Sean and Chapman are here. They’re the cause of the explosion and the fire. They might need my help. I owe it to them.”

Frantic fear rose up inside her. “No! You can’t. You’re not going anywhere without me.”

“And I’m not going without you,” said Jess.

Monster looked between the two women. “This is crazy. Don’t women ever do what they’re told?”

“No,” both Lily and Jess said simultaneously.

Monster (Present Day
)

Heading into a
fire, and toward the sound of gunshots, was never going to be a good idea in Monster’s mind, yet it appeared that was what they were doing. What made him even less happy about walking directly toward a fire was that he was taking Lily with him. He’d weighed the option of abandoning Sean and Chapman, but if the men had just saved their lives, and not to mention numerous other forms of torture at Rodriguez’s hands, his conscience wouldn’t allow him to run away and leave the two other men without backup.

“Take the gun,” Lily told him, holding the butt of the weapon out to him as they hurried down the hallway.

The smoke was growing thicker and darker with every step. For the moment, they were still able to breathe through it, but he didn’t know how long things would stay that way. It also made it harder for them to see what was ahead, and he worried Rodriguez or one of his men would start shooting at them from out of the gloom.

“No, you might need it.”

“You’re out front. You take it and cover us. I’ll stay back with Jess.”

He didn’t like the idea of leaving her without a weapon, but it was time for him to protect her now. He’d failed her up until this point, and he didn’t intend on doing so again.

Taking the gun, he said, “Just stay behind me.”

The other woman, Jess, was still pushing Sophia along behind them, the knife pressing into the skin of her throat. Sophia’s chin was raised, defiant, despite the situation.

“You’ve taken my gun,” snapped Sophia to Jess. “You can put down the god-damned knife now.”

Jess shook her head. “Not happening.”

“Fucking bitch.”

“Takes one to know one,” Jess sniped back, and gave her an extra shove.

They moved as a small group, stalking slowly down the hallway. The heat increased, all Rodriguez’s white furnishings now a dusty grey from smoke and ash which had drifted this way. The lights continued to flicker overhead. Monster didn’t know how much power the solar panels retained, but at some point the lights were going to go out.

The heat intensified, the smoke growing thicker. Monster’s eyes started to sting, the smoke tickling his throat, so he stifled a cough with the back of his hand, not wanting the noise to alert someone to their position.

They turned left down the hallway, but the smoke and heat grew worse. “Cover your mouth and nose,” he told the women.

Through the gaps in the smoke, Monster could see the walls had turned to rubble, and flames licked and danced across the wooden clad walls and furniture.

“Hurry,” he choked, knowing spending too much time here would likely kill them all before Rodriguez got the chance. The force of the generator exploding must have taken down a chunk of that side of the property walls. The fire had spread through those rooms, now threatening to engulf the rest of the house.

They ran through the worst of the smoke, toward the very back of the property, each of them coughing, despite their faces being covered with pieces of their clothing. Through the smoke, Monster spotted something, and lifted a hand to make everyone halt so he could make sure whatever it was wasn’t going to cause them any problems. But as he got closer, he realized the thing was a body lying on the floor.

Monster moved quickly, the gun pointed just in case the person was faking and was actually armed and dangerous. When he reached the body, he smelled the blood even through the stench of smoke.

“Damn it.”

The body was Sean. Blood seeped in a dark pool beneath him, a stark contrast to the white decor. Monster had no doubt the other man was dead.

He glanced back and caught Lily’s eye. She bit her lip and shook her head, telling him there was nothing more they could do for Sean.

So where was Chapman? They must have entered the house trying to find him, though perhaps they’d separated to cover more ground.

Leaving Sean’s body where it was, they entered the rear of the house, where a long conservatory spanned the back of the property. Most of the glass panes had shattered in the explosion, and lay in deadly, massive shards across the floor.

Monster drew to a halt, and reached back to position Lily behind him.

Rodriguez stood with a gun pointed at Chapman, who had both hands lifted in defeat. The other young man, Luis, was dead at his feet, another gun on the floor not far from the body. Chapman’s. Monster assumed he’d been made to drop it.

“Drop the gun, Rodriguez,” Monster shouted, aiming the weapon at his enemy. “It’s over.”

Rodriguez’s head snapped toward him, realizing he had company. “You really think you can shoot me before I shoot your man over here?” he said with a snarl.

“If you do that, we’ll cut your
sister’s
throat.”

Jess pushed Sophia forward, so Rodriguez was able to get a better view of her pressing the knife against Sophia’s skin. Blood already dribbled down her neck, soaking into the neckline of her t-shirt.

“Where did you appear from, little mouse?” he said to Jess. “Creeping out from under the floorboards like the rodent you are.”

“The only rodent around here is you,” she shot back.

He smirked. “Nah, I’m the cockroach. I’m the one you can’t kill, even through a fire like this. I’ll be the one who survives.”

Rodriguez’s gaze darted to the weapon Chapman must have dropped.

“Leave it,” said Monster.

“What are you going to do? Shoot me? Good luck doing that before I kill him.”

Monster was torn—not wanting Rodriguez to get the other gun, but he was too far away to reach it himself.

Knowing he’d won this part of the battle, Rodriguez used his foot to scrape the other gun toward him, and then, keeping the other weapon trained on Chapman, he bent to pick it up and point it at where Jess held Sophia.

Sophia’s eyes widened. “Rodriguez?”

“Sorry, little sis,” he said, and the second gun went off, the shot a crack over the top of the fire which roared behind them.

Jess screamed and released the other woman.

Sophia slumped to the floor, her eyes blank, a bullet wound in the centre of her forehead. Lily’s scream joined Jess’s.

Monster stared in horror at seeing the girl from his childhood dead on the floor in front of him. She was the one person still alive from his youth, or at least had been, and even though she’d betrayed him, he hadn’t expected her to die like this. Clearly Rodriguez believed everyone to be replaceable, and if he was willing to shoot the woman he’d both once married, and referred to as his sister, it proved there was no one he cared about enough to spare their lives before his own.

Rodriguez used the momentary distraction to turn on his heels and make a run for it.

Bringing himself back to the moment, Monster lifted the gun and fired at Rodriguez, but he ran for the gap created by the missing glass in one of the panes of the conservatory, making for the fresh air outside.

Rodriguez squeezed off another shot behind him as he ran. Chapman, who had started after him, let out a yell and fell backward, clutching his stomach
.

The smoke was growing thicker, causing Monster’s eyes to water, and he realized he’d be shooting blindly now.

Rodriguez might be getting away, but if they didn’t vacate the property soon, they were going to find themselves surrounded by flames.

Eighteen

Rodriguez was going
to get away.

Lily could see it happening in front of her, how he’d managed to shoot two people before Monster had barely even fired a shot, and then dodged Monster’s bullet like some kind of god-damned superhero—or perhaps more like the evil mastermind. No wonder Monster had been so paranoid about Rodriguez taking her. It was like he was god-damned invincible.

She couldn’t let it happen. She couldn’t let him run from this. The fire was creeping closer, things crackling and popping around them. Would the ceiling hold up, or would it collapse and bury them all? She’d rather they all died in here than that son-of-a-bitch got away.

Monster fired his gun again, but Rodriguez returned the gunfire, sending them all scattering for cover. Jess hid behind a chaise longue, cowering. Chapman was already shot, and lay slumped on the floor.

Lily crouched beside the table, where Rodriguez had spanked her and tried to fuck her with the blunt end of a fork. She wasn’t going to let him get away, even if she died herself trying.

Her eyes alighted on one of the huge glass pieces that had fallen from the conservatory walls. The hot, desert air that gusted in from outside only helped to fan the fire, as though encouraging its burning fingers to touch more and more items—the drapes, the picture frames, the rugs. Wooden paneling on the walls ignited like kindling. The smoke was black, the sound of the fire roaring like a hurricane or the engine of an aircraft.

Rodriguez had almost reached a gap in the glass wall, where she knew he’d escape and run off into the night. She couldn’t let it happen.

Lily lunged forward, snatching up the large piece of broken glass as she went, feeling the splintered edges cutting into her fingers. She hoped the sharp edges wouldn’t sever the digits.

Monster looked to her. “Flower!” he roared, though he’d lifted the back of his hand to his eyes, clearly struggling with the smoke.

Rodriguez had turned his back on them to run, though kept his hand with the gun pointed behind him, and shot again. Lily ignored it, knowing she couldn’t let the chance of being shot make her hesitate this time.

Just as he reached the hole, she gave a scream of raw anger and hatred and lunged at him, holding the jagged shard of glass high. She fell on his back, and he let off another gunshot, but she didn’t feel anything. The dagger of glass had cut her hand, but it was also now lodged deep into the middle of Rodriguez’s spine. He went stiff beneath her and shuddered, gave a choking breath, and jerked again. The gun dropped from his fingertips and he fell still.

“Oh, God,” she cried, rolling off him, holding her injured hand curled in against her chest.

But he was dead. It was over.

Rodriguez was dead.

A sudden roar of rage snatched her attention and she spun around to see Marco bursting through the smoke, holding the knife Jess had dropped when Rodriguez had shot Sophia. Ignoring everyone else, he ran straight for Lily. His eyes were crazed, his face blackened with soot, some of the hair on one side of his head singed off.

“I told you I’d get you back, you fucking bitch,” he screeched as he ran.

Lily looked with horror between Marco and Monster, frozen to the spot, unable to react.

She knew with clarity that Marco was going to stab her.

But two gunshots sounded in succession and Marco came to a sudden halt. His eyes widened in surprise, and he dropped to the floor a mere foot from where she sat. Monster stood in the space behind him, holding the gun still pointed in the direction where Marco had been standing.

Lowering the weapon, he rushed over, dropping to his knees beside her. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

He pulled her against him, holding her tight. She didn’t cry, feeling cold and empty with shock.

Monster leaned back slightly and pushed her hair from her face, tucking the strands behind her ear. “We have to get out of here before this whole place falls down around our ears.”