Stand Of Honor (21 page)

“Of course I knew. I’ve been waiting all these years for my revenge, but have held my hand.”

Zane and Nick had never let themselves get attached to anyone for too long.
They both had known that, if they did, something like this could happen. Melanie had no clue how much she had been watched over. Nick had finally convinced her to quit walking everywhere while Zane had always planned things to where she would only be out alone during the days, and he did his best to ensure she was with him the rest of the time. Her leaving so abruptly earlier in the night had left her unattended after dark.

He and Nick
had always believed that they would be the ones attacked at some point in their lives, but once he’d started seeing Melanie, he had begun fearing for her safety more than his own. She was the common link between Nick and himself, and they both had realized that they had to consider her safety as well when Zane had begun a relationship with her.

He had been the one to rock the boat when he had told
Dragon he was quitting, but he had hoped that Melanie would be covered well enough that he would strike out at him first. He had known all along what it was going to come down to between Dragon and himself.

“My mother is dead.
He deserved to die.” Nick’s voice was deadly; he was ready to kill Dragon. Zane wanted to kill him, too.

“Matthew was
just a kid—he didn't deserve to die,” the man snarled back.

“Your brother had no remorse.
I watched him laughing the next day on the street—the murder meant nothing to him. He took my mother’s life and laughed. He laughed!” Nick was strangling Dragon and losing what sanity he had left.

Zane pulled him off and
then took control of the situation. Dragon had no fear for his own life. Nick couldn’t get to him by threatening him.

Zane grabbed Dragon
then shoved him inside his house and out of sight. Zane had disarmed the alarm while they were waiting. Dragon must have been aware that they would come after him, but he’d had no fear because he’d known they wouldn’t do anything until they found Melanie. He hadn’t even been surprised when Nick and Zane had attacked them as they had emerged from his vehicle.

“Zane, you
dumbfuck. You thought we would just let you go? You knew what would happen if you ever tried to leave," Dragon taunted him. “I knew eventually I would find someone you cared for. You were smart, keeping to yourself all this time, knowing we had no one to hold over you. But that’s changed now, hasn't it? Now you’re both going to suffer the same pain I’ve endured all these years.” Dragon’s face was filled with hatred as he stared at Zane and Nick. “Although, it still doesn’t compare to the pain of me losing my brother. Consider yourself lucky,” Dragon continued as he stared at Nick, whose attention was focused on Zane.

"Zane, what in the fuck is he talking about?
Have you been working for him?" Zane could hear the shock of betrayal in Nick's voice.

He
ignored Nick and kept his attention on Dragon—now was not the time for his own explanations.

“Dragon, you think you finally have us, don’t you?”
Zane asked calmly.

“I have your woman.
Right now, she is blindfolded, tied to a wall, and a can of gasoline is close by. I look forward to watching her burn. I wonder whose name she will scream, yours or her brother’s?” Dragon said vindictively. “Don’t worry; I’ll let you know when I send you her ashes.”

Zane saw the movement from Nick and knew he was about to break Dragon’s neck.
Zane grabbed Nick’s arm and shoved him back.

Zane nodded his head.
“Think hard about what you plan to do to her because I will do the same with Ariel.”

Dragon caught his breath for a slight moment and then laughed.
“You expect me to believe you? No one can get to Ariel,” Dragon stated with confidence.

“She’s already taken, Dragon
.” Zane pushed Dragon back, letting him fall onto the couch as Nick and Zane looked down at him. Zane could feel the tension in Nick and hoped he kept his mouth shut. Nick didn’t know about this.

“Impossible
. I would know if she was gone.” Dragon leaned back on the couch and stated his assertion with confidence, however Zane could see the panic in his eyes.

“Are you really so sure
, Dragon?” Zane stepped closer, forcing Dragon to look up at his face.

Dragon smirked again.
“Yes, my men would not let Ariel out of their sight. She is safe at home.”

Zane pulled his phone out and showed him an image
, ready for Dragon’s reaction. Dragon lunged towards Zane as he reached toward his boot to pull his backup gun out that Zane already knew was there. Before Dragon could get his hand on the revolver, Zane had him face down on his stomach, grabbed the gun, and slid it towards Nick. Thankfully, Nick had enough sense to grab the gun and point it towards Dragon.

“What’s it going to be?
I’m not afraid to kill her, Dragon. She shouldn’t have to grow up in your world. You’ll just turn her into a monster like you and your brother. Killing her would be the best thing for her. She’ll know nothing but drugs and murder with you,” Zane spoke calmly, as if killing a young woman meant nothing to him.

Dragon knew he was no match for Zane and Nick’s strength
. He didn’t waste his energy struggling. Zane was aware that Dragon was shrewd and intelligent, which is why he had never been caught over the years.

“I have been watching you for years
, Zane. You will not kill her,” Dragon spoke quietly.

Zane grabbed Dragon’s hair and jerked his head back so he could look into his eyes.
“She's outside your protection now and you have so many enemies. Do you think I’m the only one that knows she is out there? You and I are both aware that others are looking for her now. She will remain hidden unless you hurt Melanie.” Zane took a deep breath. “Otherwise, I will either kill her myself, or let her be found so someone else can do as they wish with her. I still think killing her now is for her own good.”

Zane could see Dragon weighing his options
, and he was tired of living his life constantly looking over his shoulder and under Dragon's control. He wanted to kill Dragon now and get rid of this burden.

“Nick doesn't know that you
’ve been with me for all these years?" Dragon sneered, Nick saw which way Dragon’s mind was turning. He was making a last attempt at the revenge he had waited years for.

"What the hell is he talking about
, Zane?" Nick asked harshly.

Dragon continued
, his eyes on Zane, "Zane has been my collector. I send him after those that try to escape." He looked up at Zane and smiled, giving Nick the illusion that it was a mutual working relationship. "He has been compensated well."

Zane didn't try to explain the truth.
He would tell the whole story to Nick eventually. Right now, he had a job to do.

"Enough.
" Zane kept his voice steady.

He
knew Dragon wouldn't let anything happen to Ariel. She was his and Matthew's half-sister—the only remaining member of their family and his only weakness. Dragon had kept his distance from his half-sister for her own safety, yet Zane had always known about her. If Dragon had ever come after him or someone he cared for, he had planned that his only way out would be to take Ariel.

In order to keep tabs on Ariel, Zane had used Dragon's money to pay an insider with close access to
her. He had to have someone that could give him access to Ariel at any moment.

That was the first phone call he
’d made after he had discovered Melanie had been taken. His contact had delivered Ariel. Ty and Lane were both watching her now. It was why he had given them both a place to live at the gym and trained them for free. To have two street smart thugs in his back pocket kept him in the know for the information he required as well as his own backup when he needed it.

He had used the rest of the money to help the others pay back their debts to Dragon.

This was the first time he had the upper
hand on Dragon. Dragon was always careful and knew how to keep him in line. Zane had put up with it as long as he could, but it was time to end Dragon. He had hurt too many innocents. Melanie would be his last.

Dragon relaxed his body.
Zane had to give him credit, Dragon knew when he was beat.

"Why did you come here
, Zane? You already know where she is," Dragon said quietly, seeing the answer in his eyes.

"You mother fucker, tell me where she is!"
Nick leaned down and put the barrel of the gun to Dragon's forehead.

Dragon didn't flinch
; he kept his gaze on Zane. Nick couldn't get it through his thick skull that Dragon had never feared for his own life.

"Because
, I told you, I'm done," Zane spoke, ignoring Nick. "I tried to let you end this peacefully between us, Dragon. You should have just let me go. Let us all go.”

"You are released,"
Dragon said the words that Zane was confident he had never said before. They were the words he had been waiting to hear for so many years, however Zane didn't believe him. Dragon couldn’t change the man he was any more than Zane could change himself.

"How am I supposed to believe you?" Zane
asked regretfully. They were both aware that there was only one true solution.

"I know you came here to kill me, Zane.
Set Ariel free. She will be safe once I'm dead." Dragon’s voice was resigned.

Zane shoved Dragon over onto his back and
then took the gun out of Nick's hand. He was resigned to the fact that he had to kill him. There was no choice.

As he looked down at Dragon's stoic face, he felt no satisfaction at bringing an end to Dragon’s power over them.
He was finally strong enough to bring Dragon to justice. He had tortured and murdered so many people that he deserved to die. Zane had hoped and prayed over the years that someone stronger, or even the police, would bring an end to his reign. No one had, so it was time someone took a stand and ended this man’s tyranny.

Without another moment's hesitation, Zane pulled the trigger.

Chapter 24

Melanie jumped when she heard distant voices outside the door. She had been shackled to the wall and had finally dozed off due to pure exhaustion. She had tried so hard to pull her wrists free that she had left them scraped and bloody.

She held herself still, waiting for the door to open.
She had been alone all night with only a small pot to relieve herself when necessary. She didn't know who had her, but by their Spanish accents and knowing the Mexican drug cartels were thriving, she assumed her kidnappers dealt in drugs.

What she couldn't understand
was what they wanted with her. She wasn't involved in any way, so it didn't make sense. As she heard the voices approach, she felt the fear rise inside of her.

She waited for what seemed like forever,
yet no one entered. It sounded like they changed directions. She leaned her head back against the brick wall, looking around at her surroundings again. She was in a basement. The windows were covered and there was just a sliver of moonlight coming through one of the covers.

She thought back to how the night
had gone. When she had pulled into her apartment complex, she had been so furious with Zane that she hadn’t thought to grab the taser or even look around like she usually did. It figured one of the few times she wasn't cautious, she got snatched.

When she
’d heard footsteps rushing from behind her, she only had two items in her hand to drop to help someone find her, her phone and keys. The keys would have been too obvious, so she quickly tossed her phone down as she was scooped up from behind.

Melanie fought with everything she had
. She had been able to get a kick into one of the men, but the one that grabbed her from behind had been too big and strong. He’d had her locked in his arms and she hadn’t been able to break free. Before she could scream, the other man had gagged her and then they’d thrown her into the back of a van. Just like in the fucking movies; girl alone in a parking lot then taken and thrown into the back of a vehicle, taken to an unknown location. She wondered how this movie was going to end.

She wouldn't let herself cry
. She was still alive, so they must be keeping her for a reason. Hopefully that reason would come to her rescue. She thought about Zane and Nick and wondered if this had anything to do with either of them. She had always wondered what Zane did on the nights they didn't spend together. Until tonight, she had never had any reason to doubt him, but after seeing him with that bitch, who knew what he was capable of.

As for Nick, she
’d noticed he had been keeping to himself more. He never would tell her when he was seeing someone, and he was out of town a lot. She wondered if he was really taking those trips for business or if he was into something else. He had always been there for her and had her back, however she had seen a perpetual darkness in the back of his eyes. Now she wished she had delved deeper to find out what was going on in his head.