Never Enough: The Vipers MC (42 page)

“Run,” he said. “Go into the woods and stay there until I come for you. Or one of my guys.”

She nodded, fresh tears running down her cheeks. He coughed again and had to turn from her. She put her hand on his shoulder, then was gone.

Aaron stood beside Leo, his foot on his hand. Leo’s gun was tucked in the back of Aaron’s jeans and he periodically leaned around the corner and fired a shot. The other fight had to be over soon. How many of the Rose Blades had shown up? Were any of his guys injured? Jasper glanced out the window in time to see Fiona run into the woods. Then he turned his attention back to the kitchen floor.

Leo laughed from his place on the ground. “You idiot.”

“Shut it.” Jasper kicked him in the ribs. He was glad Aaron hadn’t killed him. Gave him time to beat him, make it hurt a little. And this way he could be the one to take him out and have his revenge on the man who tried to kill him.

“They’re going to die anyway,” Leo said. “You think we won’t find them? You think I won’t have fun torturing them and making their deaths painful?”

Jasper kicked him again. Leo curled around his ribs and coughed up blood.

“Go ahead,” Leo spit. “They’ll die anyway, and so will you. I’m not the only one who wants them dead.”

What was he talking about? Who else could possibly want them dead? The only person who came to mind was Sam, but what did he have to do with any of this? Who even knew where Sam was. And he wasn’t affiliated with the Rose Blades in any way that he knew of. But there was no one else Leo could mean. Maybe San had hired them to kidnap Fiona and Sophia. Or was working with them somehow. If that was the case, then this fight was far from over.

The smoke was getting thick. How was it possible Jasper was in a burning building twice in one day? His lungs burned so badly; he wanted nothing more than to run out of here and follow Fiona and Sophia into the woods and clean air. But his guys were still here and Leo needed to die first.

He took out his gun and pointed it at Leo’s head. “Then I guess it won’t matter if I kill you.”

“Fuck you,” Leo said, and spit blood at him. “Why didn’t you just keep to your own territory? We could have worked together. But no, you had to be a greedy bitch and move in on my sales.”

“You think I’d work with you and your dumbass crew? I made that money fair and square. Not my fault you lost out because you charged too much. Business is business, and apparently I’m just better at it than you. But then, I’m better at a lot of things.”

“You stole from me!” Leo pushed himself up with his other arm. Aaron still stood on his hand, though, so he didn’t get far. He tried to pull his hand free, but Aaron glanced down at him and shifted his weight to put more pressure on him.

“I stole nothing!” Jasper said.

“I beg to differ.” A voice from behind came through the din.

Before he could turn to see who it was, Jasper felt his knees give out and he crashed to the floor. He’d been hit hard on the back. A fist right to his kidneys, forcing pain through him so excruciating, he had no choice but to crumble under it.

“Where are they?” the man demanded.

“Who?” Jasper asked.

The man pressed a gun to the back of his head and used it to push Jasper’s head down. “My wife and kid.”

Jasper’s stomach lurched. This was Sam, then. Fiona’s ex and Sophia’s dad. The one who’d beaten Fiona and yelled at her and treated her horribly. The one who’d hit his own kid. They’d been so desperate to get away from him that they left everything behind, and now he’d found them. And Jasper had sent Fiona and Sophia off into the woods alone, unprotected. The panic rose in his chest, weaving around the rage, and it made him start coughing again. He got onto all fours and tried to find clear air.

“Drop it.” Aaron’s voice. Jasper couldn’t even turn his head to see what was happening.

“They ran into the woods,” Leo said. “Out that door.” He pointed to the back door, the one Fiona and Sophia had run through to get out.

Sam turned and bolted out the door.

Jasper tried to get to his feet to chase him. Flames had broken into the room.

“We need to get out.” Aaron reached down and took his hand to pull him to his feet.

Jasper coughed and looked back at Leo.

Flames crept along the doorway opposite the one Jasper and Aaron had come in. It was now lined with orange and yellow flames, reaching toward the ceiling. The heat made sweat run down all their faces. Leo looked at the flames and sat up, now that his hand was free from Aaron’s weight. He put his hands down and slowly pulled himself up until he was standing.

Jasper held out his gun and shot Leo in the leg. He cried out and grabbed his leg, falling back to the ground.

Leo looked to the doorway again, this time fear clear on his face. “Come on, man,” he pleaded with them. He got to a crawling position to drag his leg behind him, but Jasper kicked him in the ribs, hard enough to break a few. Leo fell to his side, clutching the ribs and groaning in pain.

“Get out!” Jasper said to Aaron. Leo had no gun and two gunshot wounds. Jasper wouldn’t need back-up now. “Make sure everyone is out.”

Aaron took off at a run out the door and around the building.

“Don’t let me die here like this,” Leo said. “At least shoot me in the head or something. Anything but burning alive.”

Jasper shook his head and smiled. “You tried to kill me. You threatened my girl, then took her and her kid. You deserve far worse pain than this.”

Jasper kicked him in the face. Leo’s nose cracked and blood gushed down his mouth and chin. He slumped back for a moment, then started coughing. Jasper shot his other leg for good measure. He needed to make sure he wouldn’t escape. Leo wasn’t moving, but sat against the cabinets, going pale, coughing, and groaning in pain.

Jasper ran out the door and looked for his guys and for Fiona.

He saw his four Hawks off to the side of the house, several hundred feet away, near the woods. Alex had a shirt tied around his arm, blood seeping through. There were some bruises and cuts among them, plenty of coughing from the smoke, and a few blood smears. But all in all, they looked okay. Alive, mostly unhurt.

He didn’t see Fiona, Sophia, or Sam. He took off running into the woods.

“Jasper!” Aaron called after him.

“I have to get Fiona!”

He heard footsteps behind him. They were coming to help. But he was several hundred feet ahead and not stopping. His lungs were in agony with every breath. He couldn’t breathe deeply and if he tried, he ended up coughing. He took fast, shallow breaths, panting as he ran. But running was difficult, too. His legs felt heavy and the trees tilted slightly around him. He shook his head to clear it.

He had to keep going, even if his ears still rang and he wanted to collapse. If Sam had Fiona and Sophia, who knew what was happening. Were they still in the woods? What if he’d taken them and run off? Jasper may have lost her again. That idea was too much to consider. He’d just gotten her back. They were supposed to be safe now. Supposed to get away and be in the woods waiting for him and be safe. Then they could leave and go home and he could protect them. And they’d be together.

If Sam was here, did that mean he’d been working with Leo for a while? Leo had certainly helped him back in the house when he told him where Fiona and Sophia were. How in the world did that happen? Now he wished he’d talked to Fiona more about Sam. Where had they lived exactly? How violent was he? And what would he do if he ever found them? He reached back and made sure his gun was still secure in the back of his jeans. If he got the chance, he’d take the guy down. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about him. There would be no more fear of him showing up.

He wondered for a minute, though, if Fiona would be mad if he killed Sam. He was Sophia’s dad after all. Maybe she wanted Sophia to get to know him later, when she was older. Or maybe Fiona was hoping Sam would change and they’d get back together some day. For now, he just had to find them. Then he’d worry about the rest. He was so outraged at all Sam had done to his family and those he claimed to love, it might be worth angering Fiona just to get the chance to kill a man like that. The world was much better off without him.

Jasper glanced behind him. He could see two of his guys running after him. They were far back, but they’d be a big help when they caught up to him, assuming he’d found Sam by then.

He picked up his pace, forcing his lungs to work harder, until they screamed at him stop. He forced them to work anyway, ignoring the pain. Then he heard a faint shouting.

Fiona. She was shouting something that he couldn’t make out. A deep man’s voice answered her, low and steady.

She sounded upset, hysterical maybe. Jasper ran toward the sound. He saw something in the woods ahead. Something white and blue and purple amongst all the green and brown. It had to be them.

When he grew closer, he saw Sam first. Then Fiona a few feet from him. Sam turned and Jasper saw Sophia. Sam had a gun pointed at her head.

Rage ripped through him again, fresh and raw. What kind of a low life father held their own kid at gunpoint? No wonder Fiona sounded hysterical. Even his own worthless father had never stooped that low. Whatever hesitation he’d had before about killing Sam, it was completely gone now. Even if Fiona never talked to him again, he would kill Sam. He wanted to rip Sam to shreds and set the pieces on fire. He wanted to beat his face until it was mush. He wanted to twist a knife deep into his chest and pull out his stone heart to crush it in his fist. He wanted to make him suffer like he’d made Fiona and Sophia suffer.

Chapter 14

Fiona’s head snapped to the right at the sound of footsteps in the woods. Jasper was running right for them. She almost fell to the ground in relief. He was here. He would save Sophia. He would find a way to get them away from Sam.

The hot panic that made her heart race started to fade slightly. The tears dried from her eyes. He was here to save them. Now that she knew there was a way out, her fear became determination.

Sam looked over, too, and saw Jasper. He pressed the gun harder into Sophia’s head and she whimpered. Tears continued to stream down her face. She looked at Fiona, desperate and terrified. How could Sam do this? Hadn’t he done enough damage to them already? Now to put Sophia through this. Just when they thought they were safe. Just when they thought everything was going to be fine.

When Jasper had shown up in the farmhouse, she’d felt the same relief she felt now. Her gratitude washed over her like a wave coming to sweep away all the anxiety and tension. When he tore the pipe from the wall, she wanted to tell him right then that she loved him. That she’d love him forever and would give herself to him fully. Any man who would do that—that would risk himself and his guys and go to such effort to save her, had to be worth it. Had to be good. There could be nothing bad in this man.

But then Sam had shown up, just when they thought they were rescued and all was well. They’d been running, so happy to be free. Sophia gripped her neck tight with her little arms and cried happy tears. The loose handcuff, its other end still tight around Sophia’s wrist, had banged against Fiona’s back as they ran, but she barely noticed. She could still hear Sophia saying, “Mommy, Jasper saved us. Can he be my new daddy? I like him much better.”

Now she wanted to say, “Yes, Sophia. He will be and he will take care of us forever. He will always come for us, always protect us. Always make sure we’re safe.” She would do anything for him. She could never repay him, of course. But she could spend a lifetime trying.

They’d slowed their run to a walk after a while. They didn’t want to get too far into the woods so that Jasper could find them easily. When they’d heard footsteps approaching, someone coming to get them, Fiona had turned around toward the farmhouse, her face beaming and her heart full of joy. She’d taken two steps to run toward Jasper, to fling herself into his arms and never leave. But then she’d seen his face. It wasn’t Jasper coming to find them and take them home. It was Sam coming after them, a gun pointed at them as he ran.

The terror was so sudden, the shift from joy to horror so abrupt that she froze for too long. Sophia had to say, “Mommy? Is that Daddy coming after us?” before her feet loosened and she bolted farther into the woods. But she couldn’t run fast enough, especially not while carrying Sophia, and he’d caught up to them.

She’d felt the kick to her back and she’d fallen and sent Sophia flying, landing hard on the ground. Sophia was crying several feet away, and Sam was right here, on top of her. He punched her in the jaw, then pulled her to her feet by her hair. He’d let go of her for a brief moment to yank Sophia to her feet by her arm, and that was when Fiona had fought back for the first time in her life.

She kicked him as hard as she could in the knee. It had sent him to the ground, but not for long enough. She’d grabbed Sophia and run, but he caught them quickly. This time when he reached them, he tore Sophia from her arms, and held the gun to her head.

“Freeze,” Sam said. “Or I will shoot her.”

“That’s your daughter, you monster!” Fiona had shouted, hot tears filling her eyes and spilling over.

“Then I guess now’s a real good time for you to start apologizing.”

Fiona shook her head.

“Let me hear it!” he screamed. “Sam, I’m so sorry I left you, I didn’t know how good I had it. Sam, I’ll never leave you again. I love you and I can’t wait to get home and suck your dick all night long. Sam, I just want to please you for the rest of my life.”

Fiona clenched her jaw.

Sam pressed the gun harder against Sophia. “It’d be a real shame if Sophia had to die for your pride, don’t you think?”

She’d forced out the words and each one tasted like acid. “I’m sorry for leaving. I just want to please you.”

“How? Say it.”

Her face was hot with shame. “I want to suck your dick all night long.” She squeezed her eyes closed.

“Oh, you do?” Sam laughed. “Well, that’s mighty nice of you. That’s how a wife should be, now shouldn’t she? You’ll come home with me, you’ll do whatever I say, and you will make this up to me. Right?”

She nodded, eyes still closed.

“You will fuck me all day and all night and clean up the mess of a house and cook me a nice dinner. You’ll tell me how much you love me and how much you missed me and how stupid you were to ever think of leaving.”

“Okay!” Fiona couldn’t look at her daughter. She didn’t want to see the fear there in her little eyes. But she could see Cuddles still clutched tightly in one hand. At least she had her bunny to comfort her. “Let go of my daughter.”

“Not a chance. Start walking.” Sam nodded with his head toward the farmhouse.

“Take the gun away from her head first and I’ll go with you.”

“You think I’m that stupid? Walk!”

She’d turn to walk and that was when she’d seen Jasper. Running right to them.

Now here he was, coming to save them from Sam. And coughing. Why did he keep coughing like that? It worried her. This wasn’t a cough from a cold. He’d been in the smoky house, sure, but there hadn’t been enough smoke to make him cough like that. What if he had asthma? He might be in danger physically of collapsing or passing out. She would watch him carefully and make sure he was okay. She didn’t like how deep the cough sounded, and she needed him now more than ever. If something happened to him, if he couldn’t save them and protect them, she had nothing. It was all over. She’d have to go back with Sam because she’d have no choice.

They’d all stopped walking when they saw him approaching. Sam still held the gun to Sophia’s head. Fiona’s eyes met Jasper’s and she tried her best to show her love and appreciation in her gaze. He was all determination, running as fast as he could, sweat bubbling on his forehead, soot smeared across his face. And he looked so amazing in that moment. So perfect and beautiful. Her heart burst with thankfulness and peace.

Jasper didn’t pause or hesitate. Sam turned to face him, still holding the gun to Sophia’s head. Before he could decide what to do, Jasper tackled Sam. He dove into the air, his hands grabbing Sam’s arm to pull the gun away.

Sam landed hard on his back. Fiona dashed over and snatched Sophia away from him. She turned and crouched down. “Go hide in the woods. Mommy or Jasper will come find you.”

“No!” Sophia shook her head, tears glittering on her cheek. “I’m not leaving.”

“Sophia, baby, I know you’re scared, but I need to keep you safe.”

Fiona looked up. More footsteps. But these belonged to two men wearing Crimson Hawk jackets. Jasper’s men. She pointed to them.

“Those men are Jasper’s friends. They’ll help you. Go to them.”

Sophia looked, but shook her head again.

“Go, and I’ll be right behind you.” She nudged her forward.

Sophia ran off, sobbing and looking back at her mom every few feet. Fiona made eye contact with the men and pointed at Sophia. She watched one run to her and scoop her up. Now that she knew Sophia was safe, Fiona turned her attention back to Sam and Jasper.

Sam was still on the ground and Jasper sat on his chest. Their hands were locked together in struggle. Jasper held a gun and Sam was trying to wrestle it away from him. She watched just long enough to realize that it wasn’t Sam’s gun they fought over. It must be Jasper’s. So where was Sam’s gun?

Fiona looked around. He must’ve dropped it when Jasper tackled him. She searched near them, but not close enough for Sam to be able to reach her. Then she saw it. A few feet away in the grass. Sam’s gun.

She inched over to it, keeping her eye on the men to make sure they didn’t see what she was doing. She snatched the gun up. Neither had seen. They were still wrestling, Jasper gaining the upper hand. He almost had the gun pointed at Sam.

Fiona wasn’t entirely sure what to do. Sam would never dream of allowing her to learn how to use a gun. That might mean she could fight back. She could kill him in his sleep. And why hadn’t she? All those years he’d hit her and abused her. She should have fought back much sooner. Should have found a way to learn how to shoot or fight. Should have done something, anything, to get away from him. She shouldn’t have waited this long.

She looked down at the gun. It had to be loaded. Sam wouldn’t bother with pretending. Was there some sort of safety? She inspected it more closely, but couldn’t find anything that seemed like it would move or slide to turn off the safety. Maybe this gun didn’t have one, then. She had seen Sam and people in movies pull back the top part of the gun before they shot. She tried to think. Had Sam done that already? And if he did, would it mess things up if she did it again? Well, only one way to know for sure.

Fiona pulled back on the top of the gun. Part of it slid and she heard something click into place. It seemed like something had been gotten ready. She’d have to take the chance. If it didn’t work, it wasn’t like things could get much worse.

She looked over toward the direction she’d sent Sophia in. One of the men was running back to the farmhouse, carrying her. The other was still coming to them. Good. More back up.

She could just wait. She didn’t have to try to shoot Sam. With him and Jasper all tangled up, she might hit Jasper instead. But she wanted to. She needed to. There had to be some way for her to feel like she’d finally fought back against him. When she’d kicked him earlier, the rush she got from it was so strong, she wanted to keep kicking him. And hitting him. She’d let her fists fly all over him. Except then he had put the gun to Sophia’s head. But now Sophia was safe. She was away from here where he couldn’t get her. Couldn’t hurt her anymore.

Fiona looked carefully at the men, trying to find the best place to shoot. She didn’t think her aim would be good at all, so she’d need to be very close. Sam was on his back, legs stretched out. Jasper sitting on his chest, his feet at either side of Sam’s rib cage. There was no way she could get to Sam’s chest or head. Not even his hands or arm, since they were intertwined with Jasper’s. But his legs were free. And shooting his leg would keep him from getting away, right? It would at least slow him down.

Sam and Jasper were so focused on their struggle that they still didn’t see her. Whatever progress Jasper had made toward getting the gun to face Sam, he started to lose now. The gun pointed sideways, into the trees. She had to do it now, before Sam won. If he shot Jasper…well, she couldn’t even consider that possibility.

Fiona stepped closer, held the gun just an inch from Sam’s knee, and pulled the trigger. It was harder to pull that she thought and when she squeezed it, her hand had moved slightly. The shot didn’t hit his knee, but right under, at his shin. The recoil of the gun made her arm fly back and she stumbled. She tripped over her own feet and her butt hit the ground.

Her ears rang from the shot, but she could hear Sam clearly. He screamed in pain, grabbing toward his leg. Jasper had climbed off him, the gun in his hand, pointed at Sam’s face.

Jasper looked at her, a crooked smile on his face. He nodded at her and pulled back the slide on his gun.

“No!” she cried out, and scrambled to her feet.

Jasper gave her a confused look.

“Please. I want to do it.” She still had the other gun in her hand and she went to stand beside Jasper.

Sam squirmed on the ground, writhing in pain. “You bitch,” he spat. “I will never stop hunting you. You’ll pay for this.”

The other Crimson Hawks got to them and stood back, guns ready, watching and waiting. Fiona glanced at him and looked back to Sam.

She gripped the gun tightly and lifted it to point at Sam’s head. Jasper came over to stand behind her. He tucked his gun into the back of his jeans. His body was so close and so hot, it filled her with heat. He reached down, his arms sliding along hers, and pulled back the slide on her gun. Whoops. She’d forgotten to reload.