“I’m so sorry, Maura. He said we were protecting the family. He said we had to make the deal with De Luca to stop the war and if it worked, over time he would tell Stefan. We haven’t touched the money. It’s all sitting in a safe. We were going to give it back. We took it as insurance to make sure Stefan wouldn’t kill us until my father could calm him down and make him see reason, that the peace between us and the De Lucas was working.”
“Shh…shh. I know.” I comforted him by caressing his cheek. Samuel had fed him nothing but lies and manipulation. My poor senseless cousin, who idolized his father, had believed him without question. “I’m going to give you an opportunity to redeem yourself.” Dylan’s eyes widened as hope filled them. I moved the gun away from my chest and made Dylan point it at Samuel. “You can shoot your father.”
“You stupid bitch! You think you can make my own son shoot me?!” Samuel roared, standing from his chair. Dean moved quickly by shoving Samuel back down into his seat while aiming his gun at Samuel’s enforcer. Jamie stepped into my peripheral, gun also out and pointed at the enforcer, who now held his hands up in surrender.
“Or…you can take me hostage,” I said, pulling the gun back to my chest. “You can try to give you and your father a chance of getting out of here.”
“Maura!” Stefan yelled.
I gave Dylan a little smirk and shrugged. He needed to be faced with temptation if he was going to prove himself. Stefan wouldn’t let him live otherwise.
“What’s it going to be?” I asked, releasing the gun, leaving the decision up to Dylan. “If you shoot your father, we will spare your life. You can look after your mother and sister in your father’s stead. Or you could try to save both of your asses by taking me hostage. The front door isn’t that far from here and I highly doubt Stefan will risk my life to try and stop you.”
“Maura, stop trying to convince him,” Jamie admonished.
Dylan glanced back and forth between me and Samuel. He looked completely torn.
“What’s it going to be, cousin? The clock is ticking.”
“Dylan?” Samuel said, trying to get his son’s attention.
“I’m growing impatient. I’m going to give you until the count of three. If you don’t decide by then, we will all know where your loyalties lie…one!”
I could feel Dylan shaking through the gun still pressed to my chest. His eyes were cast down, lost in thought.
“Dylan, look at me,” Samuel demanded, but it was as if his voice didn’t reach him.
“Two!”
“Damnit, Dylan!” Samuel yelled.
My eyes met with Jamie’s as I took in a breath to say three. Before the word could leave my mouth, the gun moved from my chest. Dylan aimed it at his father with detached yet determined eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, cocking the gun.
As his finger curled around the trigger, I chuckled. Dylan froze, eyes darting to me. Everyone stared at me like I’d gone mad as I struggled to contain myself.
“Wow!” I grinned like a loon. “That was fun.” I reached out and took the gun from Dylan’s hand. I gave his cheek a little pat. “Thanks for playing. You did excellent.” I hopped off the table and turned to face the rest of the room. They all looked stunned. Stefan was the exception. He looked like he wanted to string me up by my toes in the basement.
“If you decide to spare him, I’ll take the responsibility,” I said.
Stefan held my eyes for what seemed like forever but was really about thirty seconds. “Do you understand the consequence that will fall on you?”
I arched a brow. “And what consequence will that be, Stefan?”
“If he destroys this family, I will kill you both.”
My darkness had always seen Stefan as a formidable opponent and the thought of going against him in a bloody fight formed a dark, twisted smile across my face. “Let’s see what happens, shall we?”
Stefan’s features hardened at the challenge. I, on the other hand, was becoming bored. My job here was done.
I sighed. “Can you take over? I’m hungry.” I hadn’t eaten all day because I'd been hungover. It was almost dinner time and my stomach knew it. Stefan nodded slightly. “I wonder what Jeana has planned for dinner. I hope it’s tacos. I’d kill for some tacos,” I rambled, holding my gun out to Dean. He took it from me as I stepped past him, making my way to the door.
“Holy shit,” I heard Rourke say just before the door closed behind me.
CHAPTER 37
With a shuddering breath, I relaxed. Allowing the darkest part of myself to take the reins by suppressing everything else that made up my soul took a lot out of a girl. Sure, it made things a lot easier, definitely more enjoyable when toying with the enemy. In fact, I fucking loved every minute of it, but the aftermath…when my emotions surfaced, I became unsettled.
The meeting was over. The job Stefan had tasked me with was completed. I'd succeeded. I should have been proud or celebrating that my sexist, nefarious uncle was about to meet karma. Did he know karma is female and a bitch? I should have been laughing at the irony, but I could barely muster a smile. Dylan’s life had been spared—a mercy I hoped I wouldn’t regret. There was no changing Samuel’s fate, though. He had to die. That wasn’t my issue, but yet it was.
This betrayal was gutting Stefan. He wasn’t outwardly showing it, but I could still tell. Samuel was his brother—his twin. They had come into this world together, born with a bond—an assurance that they’d always have each other. Having walked the dark path of a Quinn alone, I was almost jealous. Even though I'd had Jamie growing up, he still was older and male. We'd learned at different stages and Stefan had had different expectations of us.
It was no wonder Samuel had been allowed to run amok for two years. There was no doubt in my soul that Stefan had sensed Samuel was up to no good from the very beginning. He’d have to have been dense not to and Stefan was anything but. Denial was a seductive asshole but now it was time for acceptance. Justice needed to be served. If I could have taken this burden from him, I would have.
“You need to eat more than two bites,” Asher said from my left. I looked down at my barely touched plate. Glancing over at his next to mine and then to Dean’s on my right, I saw both of their plates were clean. Jeana had made a pasta dish for dinner. I was equally bummed as I was relieved that she hadn't made tacos. The moment I'd begun to relax, I'd instantly lost my appetite. It would have been a crying shame if I'd let tacos go to waste.
The three of us were seated at the island in the kitchen. I'd come in here to join Dean and Asher when I'd realized I was going to be eating dinner alone. Stefan hadn’t showed up, and neither had anyone else for that matter. They were all preparing for the execution by hunting down the rest of Samuel’s and Dylan’s enforcers and men in their inner circle.
Fixating on a glittery speck in the quartz countertop, I mumbled, “I can’t eat.” I felt strung tight with an abundant mix of bipolar emotions. I was sad for my father but happy my uncle was finally getting put in his place. I was tired yet wired, like the family meeting had given me a euphoric high I was relishing but crashing from at the same time. The memory of myself rubbing up against Mark like a cat in heat made my skin itch for a shower, yet I wanted to roll around, basking in the sweet scent of victory. Maybe I was having a stroke?