Forever Rockers (44 page)

Where the fuck was she, then?

And where had Liam gone off to?

I glanced around me, looking for any signs of them. Nothing.

“Liam?”

I heard a sound coming from behind a few trees to my left. It could have been Gabriella. She could have been hurt and needed help. I was torn, wanting to run to meet the approaching vehicles and finding the other woman at the same time. I couldn’t do both.

The decision was a hard one, but I owed Gabriella my life. I couldn’t just leave her there if she was hurt. Holding her phone up as a flashlight, I headed toward the wooded area where I’d heard the noises.

I walked a few feet farther, ready to call out to her. But the sight I nearly stumbled on stopped me cold when I saw Gabriella lying on her back with Liam lying over her, using his own body as a shield.

“Don’t do this,” Liam pleaded to the woman who was pointing a gun at his chest. “She’s done nothing to you. Let her go and take me. I’ll do whatever you want.”

Helena didn’t look like she cared much which one she shot right then, as long as she got to shoot someone. Instinctively I knew, though, that if she shot Liam, she would shoot Gabriella next. I moved forward slowly, trying to be quiet, but as much as her attention was on the two on the ground, I knew that the bitch couldn’t hear me.

“She’s done nothing but get in my way. Over and over again. She refuses to die.” Helena blew out a frustrated sigh. “She had to save that little brat and even though I shot her twice in the chest she just wouldn’t die. I can’t let her go now. She knows who I am and will tell Shane.”

Liam shook his head. “She won’t. Shane won’t know. Just let her go. Please. You can shoot me, I don’t care. Let me take her place.”

“Sorry, rocker boy. I can’t do that. You’re Shane’s friend and he won’t like it very much if he has to bury his friends.” She sighed and crouched down over them. “Besides, I kind of like you.”

“Touch him and I’ll gut you,” Gabriella snapped at her and I nearly cried in relief.

She was awake? She was alive?

Thank gods. Oh, thank gods.

Helena laughed at Gabriella’s show of defiance. “Ballsy, aren’t you?”

“I got bigger ones than you, cunt-face.”

“I can actually believe that. Definitely bigger ones than Reginald, that’s for sure.” She made a disgusted face. “My husband never really had enough balls to satisfy me. Too bad you have to die, Gabriella. I might have liked you in another life.”

“I can do without friends like you, psycho.” Gabriella spit at her. “Shane is going to kill you when he finds Harper. Just wait. I wish I could see your face when he ends you.”

“Shut up, Brie,” Liam commanded. “She’s going to kill you.”

“Nah,” Gabriella assured him. “How is she going to do that when Emmie’s about to beat her ass?”

I had about two seconds to realize Gabriella had seen me before Helena was standing again and looking around. She glanced behind her and then to the right. The idiot was so sure she hadn’t been found, however, that she didn’t even bother to glance to her left.

Her mistake.

All the fear and anger I’d been bottling up all day—all my life—poured forth and I charged Helena. Her small frame hit the ground, her head bouncing off the ground and making a nice
thud
sound that gave me a hell of a lot of satisfaction. The gun dropped to the ground beside us but I didn’t pay it any attention as I lifted my right hand and slammed it into her face. The pain that shot up my arm was completely worth it when I saw her lip was bleeding, so I did it again.

Behind me I heard Liam and Gabriella moving around, but I was too caught up in the pleasure of decimating the woman who had turned my life upside down. This stupid cunt had destroyed my peace of mind, taken my child—
twice
—and who knew what would happen to Mia now?

She was so sick.

So—
I punched Helena again, feeling her nose break under my fist—
sick.
Again I punched her. Over and over until my arm felt like it was going to fall off. I grabbed her hair and started slinging her head, using her like a yo-yo and ripping one handful after another out. She screamed in pain and anger and tried to fight back, but I didn’t feel her nails on my arms and face. All I felt was the boiling rage as it bubbled out and I took my vengeance out on her. I saw my mother’s face, then Vince Grady’s, both faces seeming to switch one after another as I tore Helena Brennen apart.

“Emmie!”

Gabriella’s warning came almost too late as I suddenly felt the gun pressed into my stomach. The bitch must have gotten it while we’d been struggling. The barrel was hard and cold, but I wasn’t afraid. If this was going to be the end of me, I was ready to go.

But I’d be taking this bitch with me.

We struggled with the gun, both of us trying to keep a hold of it. I rolled her, trying to get control, but my head hit a rock and I saw stars for a moment. The gun shifted but my finger was on the trigger. With a laugh that sounded manic to my own ears, I pulled the trigger.

Gabriella

The sound of the gunshot hurt my ears, adding one more part of my body to the long list of things that hurt.

I didn’t know how, but by some miracle I’d been able to get to my feet after Helena had shot me in the leg. I’d limped into the woods, hoping to hide from her in the trees. I’d picked a good place to hide and had watched as she had stopped and searched for me for a few minutes. Funnily enough, I’d thought I was safe.

Until I’d seen Liam headed right for her. He hadn’t seen her but she’d caught sight of him. I couldn’t let him walk into an ambush. “Liam!” I’d called out to him, alerting him to my exact location.

And Helena as well.

That stupid cunt had reached me first, but Liam hadn’t been far behind.

That was how Emmie had found us. With my husband shielding my body with his own, offering to die for me. I was going to kick his ass later, but right then I just wanted to hold on to him and tell him how much I loved him. Didn’t he know that trading places wouldn’t save me? It would only condemn me to a life of pure torture without him.

The gunshot was still echoing when Liam left me where I was and ran toward the two motionless bodies several yards away. Emmie was on her back on the muddy ground but I couldn’t see if she was breathing.

“Emmie,” I cried, but there was no answer. No. No, I needed my frenemy. Who would I banter with? And Mia… Mia needed her mother. Nik needed his wife. Everyone needed her, including me. “Emmie, don’t you fucking do this to me. You’d better be alive.”

There was no noise for a long moment as Liam bent over her…

And then there was the smallest laugh followed by Liam cursing. “I’ll live,” Emmie promised as she slowly sat up with Liam’s help.

“Yeah, but she won’t.” Liam pushed Helena’s body aside as if she were nothing more than day-old trash. Which was exactly what she was. “Do you need help getting up?” Liam offered her a hand and after a few more moments of catching her breath she took it and got to her feet.

“Well, that’s over.” She looked over at Helena’s lifeless body with cold anger. “I kind of wish I could kill her again.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Liam bent and lifted me into his arms and for the first time I didn’t complain and worry about his leg. I had my own leg to worry about at the moment. The bullet was still in my damn calf. “Think we can find a voodoo doctor and bring her back so we can take turns?”

Her laugh filled the air and it was almost cathartic. Emmie laughing was a rare thing lately, and hearing it right then pushed home for me that it was over. The stalker was gone. The bitch who had shot me in the chest all those months ago was gone.

For good.

But instead of laughing like Emmie was doing, a sob bubbled up in my chest and I buried my face in Liam’s neck as the tears fell.

It was over.

Finally, completely, over.

Liam’s arms tightened around me. “Let’s get you out of here, little Brie.”

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY
S
IX

Emmie

With Liam carrying Gabriella, I slowly followed them. There were still things that needed to be done. Mia and Harper needed a hospital and I suspected Gabriella did as well. The rain had reduced to an annoying drizzle as we headed for the spot where I’d left Shane.

We’d barely gone a few yards, however, when an entire army of men with guns appeared.

Well, a small army at least. I recognized the one called Spider and the three men who had to be Hannigans with their blond hair and odd green eyes. Jesse was with them, and so was Nik, holding Mia against his chest like he was never going to let her go.

I stopped when I saw my husband and it was only then that it finally hit me. I’d just killed someone.

I’d pulled a trigger and taken someone’s life.

I waited for the guilt to consume me, but all I felt was an overpowering sense of relief. I moved forward, needing Nik more than I had ever needed him. One strong arm wrapped around me and pulled me against him, like he was never going to let me go either.

“What happened?” Jesse demanded as he inspected me, then Liam and Gabriella. “We heard a gun go off.”

I buried myself deeper against Nik, not wanting to admit what I had done. I didn’t feel guilty, but what if Nik was disgusted by it? What if he didn’t trust me after this?

“She was going to kill us,” Gabriella explained. “Emmie saved us and then she and Helena started fighting. Helena had the gun…and it went off. I thought Emmie was dead.”

Nik’s entire body stiffened and I could feel the heat leaving him. He pulled back. “Are you okay?” I couldn’t figure out how to get words to leave my mouth and his hand started skimming over my body. “Answer me, baby girl. Are you okay?”

All I could do was nod.

“She had no choice,” Liam was telling Jesse now. “She shot that Helena bitch.”

If I hadn’t been there to catch Mia, Nik would have dropped her. His knees seemed to have given out on him and he fell to them in front of me. I pulled Mia close, felt her soft breath on my neck and said another prayer that she was still okay.

Nik was sobbing now, his arms wrapping around my waist as he buried his face in my stomach. “I thought it was you,” he cried. “I thought something had happened to you. That I’d lost you.”

I was still having difficulty trying to speak so I just thrust my fingers into his hair and held him against me. I felt two strong hands on my shoulders and was thankful that Jesse was there. He pulled my head against his chest and I felt the tears spilling over. The three of us stayed like that, each of us crying with relief that it was over.

It was several minutes later before someone cleared their throat, forcing us to focus on what was still going on. “We should get the females to a doctor,” the one I thought was named Hawk said. “Flick says the mother needs some antibiotics as soon as possible. She’s burning up with fever.”

Oh, shit. I’d forgotten about Harper. I bent, still holding Mia, and kissed the top of Nik’s head. He wiped his face and stood, but reached for Mia immediately. “Let’s go.”

“Did Harper have the baby?” Gabriella asked them.

“Violet’s here,” Jesse assured her. “She seems fine, but Harper is sick.”

“Where’s the closest hospital?” Liam asked Spider.

“There’s one about ten miles north. We’ll get you there soon, rocker.” He walked ahead of us but before we reached the others he turned to face us. “I need to know what you want me to do with the body of the female.”

That had us all pausing. I’d never had to deal with a dead body before. That was something new for me. I had no clue what should be done with it.

“And the man. He’s still alive,” Spider went on. “Do you want us to fuck him up and let him go? Or…” He shrugged. “Your call, ma’am.”

I blinked. “M-me?”

“You’re running this show, ma’am. Flick said we were to do whatever you needed.”

Holy shit.

I couldn’t make that kind of decision right then. I’d just killed someone, and needed to get my daughter to a doctor. Dealing with Sean was at the bottom of the long list of things I needed to deal with. I turned to face Liam who was still carrying Gabriella. “You decide,” I told her. “He’s the one who took you. It’s your choice.”

The little Italian rocker lifted her head. “Me?” She frowned. “I…” She blew out a sigh and finally shrugged. “Can you make it painful?” she asked Spider. “I mean really, really painful?”

The big man with the black widow tattoo on his neck grinned, but it was the kind of grin I was sure followed the angel of death around. “I can make it as painful as you want, ma’am.”

“Make him eat his own dick,” she whispered, as if she spoke too loudly someone would stop him. “Make him choke on it.”

Spider tipped his head at her. “Yes, ma’am.” He turned back toward where Shane and Harper were still with Felicity. “Boys, let’s wait until Bash and Jet get here. Then we can have some fun with the child thief.”

“Sounds like a plan, brother.”