Quinn II (Undaunted Men #2) (17 page)

A bead of sweat rolls down from my temple. My heart beats rapidly in anticipation of Connor squeezing off a round into my body. Physically, it would take nothing for him to pull back on the trigger, but mentally, it’s an entirely different ball game. It’s the difference between life and death for me, depending on where he is psychologically.

The silence is heavy, the threat imminent, and even Vince is speechless. Connor’s index finger twitches, and I think this is it, and it is. My ears ring from the gun blast; my eyes squeezing tightly shut. I keep waiting for the horrific pain to ensue, but it never comes. Maybe he’s shot me in the head, and I’m already dead? Breathing heavily, I open my eyes to see both Vince and Connor standing still, visibly in shock.

“Drop it,” a man's voice growls. I look in the direction of the sound, and I don’t know if I should be relieved or shit my pants. It’s Preston, Alexis’ brother. Vince and Connor put their hands up in the air as Preston orders again, “Drop the gun, Connor.”

He does as he’s told, and then Tony Moretti walks in like a king. He’s in control and in his element, and it shows.
 

“How’d you know where we were?” Vince asks in a heated tone. He’s definitely not happy about his little party being busted up.

A big, burly man walks into the room, and Preston gives him an order. “Tie 'em up.” Preston holds Connor and Vince at gunpoint as the man takes zip-ties out of his back pocket with intent to secure them.

Tony bends down on one knee in front of me to slice off the ropes. “Your friends would’ve been here for the show, but once I found out where you were, I gave them strict orders to let me handle this. I gave them my word I had your back and would get you out of this in one piece.”

“It’s not like them to take orders like that.”

He lifts his chin, and half grins at me, giving me a wink. “Not many people argue with me, Quinn, and live to tell about it.”

“Can’t argue there.”

“They’re on their way now. They’ve had a bit of a busy day, to say the least.”
 

“Yeah, I can appreciate that.” Although, I don’t understand their hold up. They definitely could’ve made it here by the middle of the night last night, but that’s a heated conversation for when I see them. Without a doubt, they will fucking answer to me about it. This isn’t how we operate; they know the protocol. I force myself to let it go for now, and focus my thoughts on the here and now.
 

“What’d you tell them?” he asks in a low voice so only I can hear.

“Not a damn thing. They want revenge for Vince’s brother, Bennett. They think I killed him during the Chevron sting.”

“Did you?” he asks with a raised brow.

I shake my head. “I think I took down five men that night, but I don’t remember any of them dying,” I reply in all honesty, “and if memory serves me, you were the one who saved my ass by sending someone into the building to cover me.”

“I did.” Tony pauses his conversation with me, and calls out over his shoulder, “Preston, let me know as soon as you get those two tied up.”

“Almost done,” he replies. I let out a sigh of relief when he cuts my arms free. Fuck me, but my chest hurts. My hands instinctively use a feather light touch to assess the damage done to my ribs.
 

Tony notices my wince and adds, “I’ve got a doctor waiting outside. He can check you over, and get you some pain meds.”

I briefly close my eyes and relax my shoulders. The adrenaline-fueled moments of terror have left me drained. “That sounds really good, but I don’t want any pain meds.”

Moretti chuckles at me and shakes his head. He knows why I don’t want the pills. I don’t like to be drugged, ever. “You’re one tough son of a bitch,” he states. Just the thought of wanting to laugh at this man has my fractured ribs screaming in pain, but I manage a small grimace.
 

Preston comes up behind his father and places his hand on his shoulder. “All done,” he announces, his deep voice perfectly matching his large six-foot frame. All three of us look over at Vince and Connor, whose hands are tied tightly behind their backs. Moretti nods and officially introduces me to his son.

“Quinn, I’d like you to meet Preston. He’s the one who saved you during the sting last year.”

“Hope you don’t mind if I don’t get up and shake your hand,” I rasp for a breath, “but we’ve met a couple weeks ago in the Shenandoahs.”

“Ah, that’s right.” Tony shakes his head, remembering.

Preston, knowing I’m hurt, gives me a look of empathy.
 

“Thanks, Preston. I’d like to say I owe you one, but your father already collected on that debt.”

“That ship's already sailed, huh?” Preston asks with a grin.

“Oh, that ship not only sailed; it sunk.” Shooting pain stabs at my chest, and I wince again while holding my side. Their faces turn serious, both of them looking concerned. “I’m good.” I hold up my hand, assuring them, “Just a little duct tape and I’ll be good as new.”
 

“Damn hard-headed Ranger,” Preston says, shaking his head at me. “We both, however, can’t thank you enough for watching over Alexis the way you did...”

At the mention of her name, my expression turns cold, and I respond without emotion, “I wasn’t the one who got her home, but I’m glad she got there in one piece.”

Her father takes a deep breath in that moment and exhales loudly. “Which brings us to this moment in time.” He turns to face Vince and Connor, who are sitting down on the hard floor, leaning their backs against the wall. “I was really hoping things didn't have to turn out this way, especially since I've known you both since you were kids, but you've left me no choice.”

Deciding I’m going to watch the show unfold before I seek medical attention outside, I settle my ass back down onto the wooden chair to stay comfortable. I've never seen the inner workings of a mafia matter take place as a spectator before, and I'd love nothing more than to watch Vince and Connor get their due. Tony looks livid, and suddenly all his soft features turn hard and calloused.
 

“I don’t even want to know how the hell you were able to link Gerrard to the sting, but you did,” Tony starts off, intense contempt dripping from his voice.

Preston then hands me a bottle of cool water, and I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot. “Thanks,” I murmur.
 

“Here’s the thing,” Tony begins. “Quinn did not kill Bennett. In fact, it was fixing to be the other way around until Preston stepped in.” Preston comes up behind Tony and crosses his arms over his broad chest, looking every bit the son of a mafia king.

Vince and Connor listen intently, both looking stunned that the killer was Preston and not me. I knew Tony saved my life that night, which is why I owed him one, but I didn’t know names, and I had no idea Preston was involved.

“I was really hoping to avoid this talk, because a Pandora’s box is going to open up and swirl around this room like a tornado, but Vince here couldn’t help himself,” Tony continues, his voice lined with loathing for Vince as he pins him down with a hard glare. “You and your arrogance just cost you, boy. I let you play this out until I knew everyone was safe, and now that they are, there will be a price to pay.”

Connor looks confused and asks, “What’d he do?”

“What didn’t he do, Connor? That’s the question. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Bennett's intentions were less than honorable,” Preston adds. “It appeared he'd been working against us for some time.”

“No,” Connor whispers, refusing to accept the truth, “that can’t be. How do you know this?”

“It’s true,” Tony confirms. “With neither one of you working for me, you didn’t know we had made a deal with the government, and it was all kept top secret. There was a new gang that assembled at Mach speed, and they were stepping in and taking over our businesses left and right. Not only that, they were ruthlessly taking out anything that remotely resembled competition, and when I say
taking out,
I mean putting them six feet under. They had plans, big plans, and they needed to be stopped.” He looks at Vince almost accusingly. “Sadly, your brother, Bennett, was all-in from the get go. I knew this, but I refused to believe it until I saw him in action.”

I unscrew the cap on the bottle and take a sip of water as I watch the show unfold. It tastes so damn good I have to hold back a groan as the coolness soothes my parched throat.

“I don’t know why Bennett turned. He just did,” Preston adds as he too pins Vince with a cold glare. “Maybe someone made him false promises, ones they knew couldn't be kept. We all know what greed can do, don’t we, Vince?”

“I think you’re forgetting one small, important factor here,” Vince arrogantly replies.

Tony cocks his head to the side with a raised brow. “Oh, and what would that be, Vince?”

“I can still destroy you,” Vince sneers.

Tony’s eyes narrow as he takes a threatening step forward. “You really want to go there right now, Vince? Are you sure?” He is full of vexation as he points a finger at Vince. “Your self-adulation has no shame, does it? You hold zero regard for others, not even your best friend Connor here. You’re so full of pride, you shit it for breakfast.” He lets out a sardonic laugh then adds, “No self-respecting woman would ever have you, boy. You had to stoop so low as to blackmail both my daughter and me, thinking winner could take all.”

Connor’s forehead wrinkles in confusion. “What are you guys talking about?”

Visibly keyed-up, Tony fists his hands then splays them out wide, trying to let some of the pent up tension go. “Connor, Vince wants expose the fact that I'm you're biological father.” Connor's face pales as if he's seen a ghost, whispering in disbelief, “What? I don't understand.”

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” The scene is rather heart-rending, and Tony’s remorse is more than evident.
 

“I wasn't ever supposed to find out, was I?” Connor asks in a stupor.

Tony frowns and shakes his head as Connor soaks in the shocking news. Vince’s eyes narrow, and you can tell he’s not sure whether or not to believe him, but he stays quiet, allowing Tony to elaborate. “Connor’s dad couldn’t have children, but they wanted a family, and they didn’t want to adopt. Both he and Connor’s mom, Lillian, came to my wife and me, wanting me to donate sperm. There weren't any intimacies exchanged. It was all done legitimately, and my wife was totally supportive.”

Vince looks shocked, his mouth gaping open as Tony continues, “I only played along with you, because I wanted to see what your endgame was.” He then nods his chin toward Connor and adds, “And look who you’ve hurt, your one and only friend.
You may as well have just put a knife through his heart.”

Vince shakes his head, not wanting to buy Tony's story. “You're lying.”

“Am I, Vince? I do believe the joke’s on you this time,” he says, his soft tone being replaced with renewed anger. “The game is over. You've shown me all your cards over the past week, thinking you could over throw me and get away with it. Did you really think you could set up a major drug business under my nose and me not get wind of it?”

Vince suddenly changes his tune, knowing he's done for. “No, Tony. You've got it all wrong.”

“Really? Then why don't you tell me what parts I got wrong, Vince?”

Vince jerks his head toward Connor, explaining, “It was Connor who set this whole thing up, wanting to take over your empire. He’s hiding drugs on his own property, I even know where he keeps them.” Vince must know his demise is imminent if he’s throwing is best friend under the bus like this. “He still has enough stashed away to rebuild a new team and make a dent in your market.”

Connor’s jaw drops as he stares at Vince with utter shock. “What the fuck, Vince.”
 

Tony interrupts Vince’s tirade with a hearty, loud laugh. All of us are watching Tony with rapt attention. “Groveling doesn't become you, boy.”
 

Holy fuck, I feel like I’m sitting in the front row of a live Jerry Springer show. “You've been trying to figure out who it was that killed Bennett,” Tony gestures to Preston, “here he is. I had kept it under wraps so I could keep my eye on you, Vince.”

“You know nothing of what I'm up to,” he sneers, “and as for you, Preston…”

“Is that a threat?” Preston snarls.

Tony looks half amused, but I know he's anything but. “I know everything, it's why I'm king and you're not.” He gestures to Connor and waves him up with his hand. “Come here, Connor.”

Connor gets up, and slowly makes his way toward Tony. Tony pulls out a knife from his pocket and flicks it open and I hold my breath, wondering if I'm going to be witness to him killing in cold blood. Tony takes his knife and slips it between Connor's wrist and the Zip-tie, cutting through the plastic in one swipe.

“What are you doing?” Vince asks cautiously.

Tony turns his attention back on Connor, ignoring Vince. His expression softens as he asks in a placid voice, “Are you calmed down now?” Connor nods his head. He looks so damn lost, I almost feel bad for him. Not completely since the bastard
had
just been holding a gun on me. “Do you understand now why Bennett had to go?”