Error (Adrenaline Series Book 5) (14 page)

Azura

Adjusting my camera lens, I roll my eyes at Jamie's comment. “Why aren't there more women at these things? It's a total sausage fest.”

“Because women are usually smart enough to avoid things that can break their necks, not run directly for them,” I joke as I lift my device to my eye to capture another behind the scenes shot of Caleb and Cage.

She shrugs. “I don't know. I've met plenty of dumb women in my life.”

With another smile I shake my head. Snapping a few more photos in peace is momentary.

“I want a hot dog. Are the shops open yet? Is it too early?”

“Um...I'm not sure.” I glance over my shoulder. “Event doesn't start for another couple of hours, so I'm not sure how many vendors are actually open yet. You can feel free to check.”

“Want anything if I discover it?”

I shake my head.

No appetite with everything rolling around in my head.

Jamie wanders off towards the area of the park set for food while I continue walking around taking snapshots of Caleb and Cage. There are a few other participants here, but primarily it's maintenance people to set up for the event. A smile slides on my face as I watch the entire thing coming together before my eyes, in love with the building adrenaline of the possible history breaking moments that are waiting to be captured.

You know, I really could do this every day. I want to do this every day. I want to make videos and films. I want to edit footage for people like Jamie who are always hesitant to come change their mind about this shit then see it and fall in love. This is what I want to do....why can't I just do it from here?

After lying in bed last night, I decided to turn down the job. Whoa. Whoa. Before you go all Women's Rights on me, I weighed everything and it boiled down to what needs me more. Sure, this may be the only chance I get at some fancy company being paid in more money than I could figure out how to spend, but Destin needs me. He's been through a lot lately. Maybe once he's in a better place we can talk about it again. Kill me if you want for not wanting to give up who I love the most for something I love to do. I can keep doing my job here until we can agree on the timing. It's the least I can do. He gave me family and a home when I've never had one before. That's more important than any job.

I stop shooting to scroll through the photos I've taken when a maintenance man bumps into me.

“Sorry,” I quickly apologize. “I really am trying to stay out of the way.”

His dark eyes don't seem to match the rest of the features on his light body. The striking contrast is terrifying. “It's alright.” He tries to offer me a warm smile. “What is it you're photographing?”

“Oh just a couple of the skateboarders.”

“That's nice. Can I see?”

Cautiously I reply, “Sure.”

After I scroll through a few he compliments. “These are really great shots.”

“Thanks.”

I scroll through a few more, going back when he asks. Eventually the man looks up and states. “I should get back to work. Be careful. Have a nice day.”

With a sweet smile I reply, “You as well.”

Thankfully he strolls away taking the creepy vibes with him.

Tell me you don't have the chills right now?

A few minutes later I'm headed back towards my bag just as some of the heavy construction noises begin. Curious where Jamie ended up, I reach for my cell phone when a hand abruptly grabs me.

“What the hell?”

Destin who is out of breath for some reason says, “Thank God you're alive.”

“Okay you're taking this out of your sight thing a little too far.”

“Azura I-” is what comes from him before he yanks me out of the way, a bullet landing in the tree directly beside me. Had he not moved me, my brain would be pinned to that tree. The urge to scream comes flying out, which is when Destin covers my mouth. “Shhh. From that shot my guess is he's closer than you think.”

We crouch down together, Destin in front with a gun, me clutching his hand to follow.

Do I even wanna know where the gun came from?

He maneuvers us quickly around using the trees as our shield from the flying shots. Unsure of where the shooting is coming from, I do my best to keep my head down, relieved it's not up to me to get us out of this. Before I know it, we've made it to the other side of the park, closer to the parking lot, right beside the maintenance building.

With our backs up against the wall, Destin lets out a deep sigh. He rolls his head over to me. “Hi...”

“Hi...”

“I'm really glad you're okay.”

“Thank you for coming to save me.” Feeling like an idiot about the comment I made last night I confess, “I guess I am nothing but a damsel in distress.”

He winks. “Not exactly.”

I open my mouth to reply when there's a hard object placed against the back of my head.

Horror heaves itself into Destin's eyes as his grip on the gun tightens.

“Drop it,” the voice behind me says.

My boyfriend's hand twitches, but doesn't obey. “I don't think so.”

“Don't you want the girl to live?” he questions.

“Don't worry,” a third voice joins the conversation. I wanna look over my shoulder, but the fear of getting shot because of it keeps me still. “She will.”

Suddenly Destin pulls me to him by my hand, the disappearance from the pressure of the gun remarkable. When I'm finally at his side, my eyes fall onto the most unsuspecting face of my rescue.

The creepy maintenance man slowly grabs the gun from the shooter's clutch as he says, “McCoy, I hope you have a license to carry that.”

“Since I was eighteen, officer,” he answers tucking it away.

Really? Creepy man is a cop!

The maintenance man demands of the shooter, “Down on the ground. Nice and slow. Wrong move and I'll let McCoy shoot you in self-defense. No judge would question it.”

His tar colored face delivers one more dirty look before he does as the police man says. The officer begins to read him his rights during the process of cuffing him. Once it's done and the man is secured, the cop looks up. “I told you those were great shots.” Casually he adds, “His face is all over those photos. Perfect proof.”

A smile tries to crawl on my face.

“Get her out of here now. We'll send another unit to watch your place.”

“Yes sir,” Destin replies, tightening his grip on my hand. “And thank you officer....?”

“Brady,” he answers yanking the gunman to his feet. “Just doing my job.”

Destin's face turns to me with a smile. “Yeah. Me too...”

Should we write the Police Commissioner a thank you card? Send him a fruit basket? What the hell is the appropriate gift to thank a man for making sure there really is always a cop on me, even when I thought there wasn't? Is it cookies?

Destin

So there's pissed off Madden and then there's Mad Man Madden. Pissed off Madden dents car hood, breaks beer bottles, shatters glass with tools, basically any damage that can be counted in dollars. Mad Man Madden, well he does the kind of damage that haunts a person for a life time. If you're not terrified yet, you should be.

He paces the living room in front of the T.V. “You disobeyed me
again
.”

“Yeah.”

“Continued fucking with the
one
person I specifically told you to leave alone, so we wouldn't end up exactly where you did today?”

I sheepishly nod.

“You're fucking mistake could've cost you your life.” His hand travels down his face wiping away that wave of anger. “Let me just make sure I understand what happened today. The Devil called and gave you a choice.”

“A fucked up one,” I comment back. “But yeah. A choice.”

Madden stops and folds his arms. “And you chose the girl.”

My eyes flicker at the girl wound so tightly around me, she's beginning to cut off the circulation in my arm. When I look back at my oldest brother I answer, “I'd choose Azura every time.”

It’s just like the comic book. Sometimes saving one person saves the whole world…or at least my world.

To my surprise he gives me a smile.

I think he's broken.

“What's wrong with your face?” Knox points out. “It's doing this weird thing. We call it smiling, but yours just...looks infected.”

He wipes it away. “Fuck off, Knox.”

“That's probably what she was doing this morning, which is why she wasn't here,” Drew chuckles at Madden's expense until the death glare moves to him. Quickly he stutters out, “W-w-we know why Mel and I weren't here.”

“Where were you?” Knox folds her arms across her chest. “You typically bring your bitch bar trash back to your own bed.”

The jealousy in her voice makes the rest of us wince.

Madden states, “I always bring it back home. I won't do the walk of shame for anyone.”

“Are you capable of shame?” she snips.

“Can we focus?” Drew interrupts. “If you weren't out fucking last night, why didn't you come home?”

Uncomfortable Madden simply states. “I gave you a check in that I was fine.”

Drew quickly argues, “That's not what I asked.”

“That's the only information you need.”

“That's not fucking right and you know it,” Drew growls. “None of us can have secrets. None of us can just fucking disappear when we feel like it. We're all stuck in the house like fucking prisoners because it's what
you
demand! The least you can fucking do is give us some answers!”

Madden tightens his stance. “No.”

Silence chokes the life out of the room. Between the tension of unanswered questions and the tension of hurt feelings, it starts to feel like the only way any one will ever breathe again is on life support.

“How did The Devil know you would all be gone?” Azura speaks up. When our attention turns to her she repeats. “How did he know that Destin would be alone?”

A realization that makes me uncomfortable to my core strikes me. “He's watching us.” Panicked, I gripe, “He has someone watching the shop.”

“No,” Drew denies quickly. “You swept for bugs. You keep sweeping for bugs. You're security feed would've picked up something.”

“Traffic cameras,” Mel whispers. “The one closest to the shop. The one we have to pass through when coming or going. He could tap into that to watch for your vehicles.”

“But why offer Destin the chance to kill him?” Azura questions.

“It wasn't a real offer,” Madden growls. “He was fucking with him. He was proving the point that no matter what we do, he's always going to be ahead of us. No matter what happens, we won't risk hurting someone we love to hurt something we hate.”

“He may not always be ahead,” I mumble grabbing everyone's eyes.

Displeased by the remark Madden demands, “Explain.”

“A few days ago when the BV MC member came by, she mentioned something that I....was waiting to tell you.”  Drew shakes his head at me. Timidly I apologize, “Sorry, Big D. I just...I didn't wanna take the risk until I knew more.”

“You lied to my face.”

“You knew I lied to your face.”

“Is that why you were so upset that day?” Mel asks him.

“What's the information I'm waiting to beat the shit out of you over,” Madden says sharply.

That ass whooping is gonna hurt.

“If Azura swears she doesn't remember anything-”

“I really don't!” she squeaks.

“And we can return something they're missing as a peace offering, they'll leave her alone.”

“Something they're missing?” Knox questions. “They're a gang. How does something just go missing? And do you look like the Hardy boys? Where does it say you like to pull out your magnifying glasses and solve mysteries?”

Don't encourage her by laughing.

“A token they stole from another gang went missing a few years ago. I figured if I could find out what it was, we could make a forgery, give it to them, and everybody would win. I just...I had to figure out what it was first.”

Madden questions sternly, “And did you?”

“Yeah.” I reach for my phone and scroll through the pictures until I find it. “It's this.”

Holding the screen up Drew grunts, “Is that a shirt barrette?”

“Brooch,” Knox corrects him. “And no. It's not.”

“It's a diamond scorpion cuff link,” I inform everyone. “It wouldn't be that hard to recreate.”

A look I don't recognize comes across Madden's face. “There's no need to.”

“No need to what?” Knox asks.

“Fake it. I know exactly where it is.”

Blown away how that's even a possibility, I snap, “What?”

“What do you mean you know where it is?” Drew echoes.

“How do you know?” Knox joins the conversation.

Madden hums to himself. “I'll explain later. For now...I have a plan.”

You know, usually when there are this many McCoys all in the same room at the same time and there's not dinner or a party involved, it means the worst has happened or is about to. For everyone's sake, I hope for once, it's just the opposite.