I watch, in horror, as she unzips her purse, removing a gun. My heart slams behind my rib cage, and panic lurches up my throat when she stands, pointing the gun at his face.
In the middle of a packed restaurant on a busy Saturday night.
With tons of innocent bystanders and witnesses around.
“Fuck.” Galen drags a hand through his hair. “What the hell is she doing?”
“I think that’s obvious,” Theo murmurs.
It’s clear Mom has reached a breaking point. That the gang rape has messed her up more than I thought. Tightness spreads across my chest, and I watch the scene unfold as if I’m not here. I’m floating on a cloud overhead, watching Mom walk around the table and press the gun into Sinner’s forehead. His palms are raised, and he actually looks scared. Mom’s mouth flies as she shouts at him.
Loud screams reach our ears through the open doorway as the diners surrounding their table notice what’s going on. Some stand, and others run toward the door, knocking chairs over in their haste to get away. Others stay rooted to their chairs, staring in shocked horror at the crazy woman pointing a gun at her male companion.
I snap out of the haze I’m in, nudging the guys out of my way, as I take off running toward the restaurant.
CHAPTER 27
I SHOVE PAST people fleeing the restaurant, most of them either crying or screaming, pushing them aside as I race inside. “Mom! Don’t!” I yell to be heard over the noise.
Her head whips around to mine, and Sinner makes a grab for the gun while she’s distracted. The gun veers wildly around, and a shot goes off. The screaming accelerates, and several diners dive to the floor, covering their heads with their hands. My breath stutters in my chest, and my eyes widen in horror as the bullet whizzes through the packed restaurant.
“Shit.” Saint reaches my side, his eyes darting wildly around the room as more diners scream and shout, making a beeline for the exit. The bullet lodges in the back of the bar, narrowly missing the bartender, and he ducks down as he scurries away while bottles shatter over his head, raining alcohol and shards of glass everywhere. “Theo!” Saint roars as the others emerge from the crowds swarming out the door.
“We’ve got this,” Galen shouts.
Mom turns back to her fiancé, pinning him with eyes loaded with venom, as they grapple for control of the gun. Her fingers are curled tightly around the weapon, and I’d challenge any man to pry it away from her. “Take your hand off. Now.” She wets her lips. “There’s no need for anyone else to get hurt.”
“Mom.” I sidle up beside her. “What the fuck are you doing?” I hiss.
“What I should have done months ago.” A dry laugh bursts from her lips. “What I should’ve done years ago.” She presses the muzzle of the gun to his cheek, and a clicking sound rings out as she readies the gun.
“Stop!” I gently clasp her arm. “You can’t do this.”
“It needs to end, Harlow!” she screeches. Her hand shakes a little, and she exudes nervous energy by the bucketful. Sinner looks up at me, pleading for my help. Little beads of sweat dampen his brow, and his Adam’s apple jumps in his throat. In this moment, he’s genuinely scared of her and terrified she’s going to do it. I wish to fuck I could let her, but I can’t.
“I know, Mom. But not like this.” I lower my voice, speaking softly to her as if she’s a child.
“This is the only way.” She sniffs. “Keep your hands up in the air where I can see them!” she shouts, pressing the gun to his temple. I drop my eyes to where Sinner’s hand is going for the gun in his pocket. He’s an idiot if he thinks he’d get away with shooting her before she gets there first.
“Do it,” Saint says, leveling his dad with a stern look.
“Let’s talk about this, sweetheart,” Sinner says, raising his palms, as commotion rains around us.
Saint grabs his dad’s gun from his pocket, not trusting he won’t try it again.
“There is nothing to talk about, you sick bastard.” She shoves the gun harder into his temple, and he winces. “You think you own me. That you can manipulate me and my daughter, well, that ends now. You are scum of the Earth, Neo. There isn’t another living soul on this planet I hate more than I hate you.” Her eyes burn with loathing. “I despise you and everything you stand for. You—”
Sirens blare in the distance, distracting us all and cutting Mom off midsentence.
“We need to get out of here now, Lo,” Saint says in a low tone only I can hear.
“Mom.” I press my mouth to her ear, saying the only words that stand any chance of getting through to her. “If you do this, like this, I will lose you too. Please don’t do that to me. To Dad. He made me promise to keep you safe.”
Her tortured eyes meet mine. “I have to, Harlow. He won’t stop.”
“We have a plan,” I whisper. “He will be stopped. I need you to trust me on that.”
The sirens grow louder as Theo, Caz, and Galen come racing across the now empty restaurant toward us.
I watch the cogs churning in her mind, spotting the instant she makes her decision. “You can thank my daughter for saving your life,” she barks before slamming the gun to the side of Sinner’s head with force, knocking him out cold.
“Go with Bry,” Saint instructs, taking the gun from Mom’s hand. “Go to the cabin. Galen, you go with them.”
“Come on, Giana.” Galen slides his arm around Mom’s shoulder. She’s virtually comatose; standing mute and rigid, and I’m guessing she’s in numbed shock as the adrenaline wears off.
“Theo, pull the car right up out front,” Saint instructs, and Theo races out the door without waiting. Caz grunts as he lifts Sinner’s unconscious form, slinging him over his shoulder, while Saint strides to where the manager is cowering inside the door, fingers clutched around his phone. “I’ll deal with him. Get the fuck out of here now,” Saint roars over his shoulder.
Galen scoops Giana up, his face contorting in pain, but he doesn’t complain as we run out the door.
Bry stayed outside, and it was a smart move because there are a few diners lingering outside, recording on their cell phones. We need to keep his identity protected, and if anyone had caught him inside the restaurant with us, his cover would be blown. “Bry’s gone for the car,” I tell Galen, pointing at his retreating form in the distance. “Follow him while I deal with this.”
Galen doesn’t argue, taking off in the direction Bry has gone, while I whip my gun from the waistband of my jeans. I point it at the nearest couple. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I will if you don’t cooperate,” I shout, angling my gun so it’s roaming the people still here. A guy tries to slip behind the water fountain, and I pop off a warning shot. It embeds in the side of the basin, cracking the stone, sending water gushing over the edge onto the ground. The guy’s cell drops to the floor, smashing into pieces, as he falls to his knees, cowering and whimpering.
“Hand me your cells. Now!” I add when they’re too slow to move. The sirens are growing closer, and time is running out. “Put them in my pocket,” I shout as they approach me. “You!” I glare at the guy still crouched on the ground. “Pick up those pieces and hand them to me.” I know enough to not leave his shattered cell phone on the ground.