“Stay here,” she told him and he thought she’d lost her mind.
“Like fuck I’m waiting here while you go in there,” he said. She ignored his outburst and instead nodded to another man that was built like a tank. When he approached, obviously intending to physically restrain him from entering the building, he gave up. “Fine, I’ll wait here for five minutes. But no longer.” He only gave in as he wanted to make sure she had as much backup as possible. He grabbed her again and tugged her to his side, planting a hard kiss on her lips. “Be careful.”
Leaving him behind to stew in his male ego ridiculousness while ignoring the looks of shock from her men, Shea entered the club cautiously. She spotted Penny right away, playing quietly in the center of the stage with a few of her dolls. Heart racing, she rushed forward, ignoring the pleas from her men to wait.
“Penny!” Reaching her side, she snatched her daughter in her arms and let the tears fall. Relief washed over her as she sent a quick prayer of thanks up that she wasn’t harmed. “Are you okay?” She looked her over from head to toe, searching for any apparent injuries.
“Mommy, I’m fine, but you wrecked my game!” Penny accused, frowning spectacularly. “Maybe that man will let me play with his toy now,” she wondered. Shea glanced in the direction she was looking, spotting the three men surrounding them with guns trained on her daughter.
Oh, how they were going to pay.
“Maybe later. Right now, I want you to go with Fab in the back. He brought you something special.”
Fab obeyed without argument, though she imagined it was difficult for him to leave her side. Once they were out of sight, she drew her own weapon and took aim.
“I don’t know who the fuck you degenerates are, but what I do know is you’ve made a grave error. If you think I’ll be merciful because I’m a female, you’re dreaming. I’ll be dancing on your remains when this is over,” she promised darkly.
The shorter of the three men, shifted uncomfortably. “You take us out and you’ll be bringing a shitstorm down on yourself,” he warned.
Shea laughed. “Oh, sweetheart, that shitstorm is already here.”
“You’re right, it is,” a familiar voice called out from behind her.
Turning in a slow circle, she came face to face with Atticus, less than a foot away. She had a moment to be furious he’d disobeyed her until she noticed he had a gun trained on her.
“What?” she spat out, not comprehending what was going on.
“Boss! What’s your orders?” the short man asked.
“Boss?” she repeated. Slowly, the pieces started to fall into place. He’d been shocked by her admission in the car, but not disgusted in the way she’d expected. He was on scene at every crime scene; and as mayor he had access to information that no one else did.
“You aren’t the only one deceiving people, it appears. I guess that’s why we’re so drawn to each other,” he told her. “We’re a lot more alike than we thought.”
“Motherfucker,” she swore, training her gun on him. “So, now what? You’re going to kill my daughter? Take me out?”
He frowned. “Your daughter never should have been taken. That was a mistake.” He moved his gun over her left shoulder and fired once, hitting the short man square between the eyes. He dropped to the floor in a heap. “I offer my apologies for that insult,” he said, gesturing to the dead man behind her. “We got intel that Joe had a granddaughter. I had no idea it was Penny. I was in the process of digging deeper to find what I thought was his secret son, when my men got the harebrained idea to take matters into their own hands. I didn’t want any of this, Shea.”
As much as he was a liar, so was she. And for some stupid reason, she believed his words. However, believing him didn’t solve the problem in front of them. Their identities had been exposed, their secrets spilled out into the open. In their line of work, discretion was key and learning who they both were was a fuck up neither of them could afford.
Simultaneously, they raised their weapons once more, taking aim at each other. Shea breathed heavy, ignoring the shouts of the men around them as each of their crews fought with each other.
“I don’t want this, Shea. Just drop your gun. Fuck, please just drop it.” His handsome face was twisted in pain, as he struggled. He truly did care for her and hated the situation they were both in.
“I can’t do that,” she whispered. Her own heart constricted in her chest. She’d been ready to fall for this man, and now...well now their fate was destined to have a different ending.
Black spots danced in front of her eyes, sweat broke out on her brow and the room started to spin. This was it, the moment she was going to die. At least, in her final moments, she was proud of how far she’d come. Of how she’d honoured her father and raised her daughter with love. Her cover might have been blown, but at least she’d die as her true self and not as the person she pretended to be.
“Shea…”
The loud bang of gunfire interrupted whatever Atticus was going to say and then everything went black. A fitting end to the legacy she’d fought so hard to maintain. If nothing else, she’d managed to ensure hers and her father’s name would never be forgotten.
Epilogue
Several small birds chirped as they flew over the cemetery, a lovely tribute on a day of sorrow. Penny tugged on her braids, trying to pull the binds free. The minister had a sour look on his face as he spoke, and she wanted to ask him if he needed a hug to cheer up. Hugs always cheered her up, or maybe he needed a new dolly to play with.
All around her adults were crying, passing tissues back and forth. Penny didn’t know why everyone was so sad. She had a new dress and shoes on and Henry told her after they would be having cake.
“Penny, stop fussing,” her mommy scolded her. Frowning, she obeyed, leaving her braids be.
Shea stood still as a stone at the site that would be Atticus’s final burial spot. The funeral itself was surreal; she was torn between heartbreak and satisfaction that her business was in tact.
“And so...it is with great sadness we say our final goodbye to Atticus Ellison, here, in his final resting place. Mr. Ellison, as is evident by the turnout today; you were very loved and respected. Truly a great man taken from us too soon.”
Shea felt a twinge of guilt at the minister’s words, but shoved it aside. She’d done what needed to be done. It was either kill or be killed in her line of work, and she’d been raised to be a survivor. Her daughter needed her, dying prematurely wasn’t a fate she would allow to happen.
Placing a rose on Atticus’s casket, she closed her eyes and pictured him as she always wanted to remember him; running his hands over her body, driving them both towards ecstasy. Their story was epic; legendary and one that would live on in her memory even though he couldn’t. His death had secured her place of power in their industry and for that, she’d always be grateful.
“Goodbye, Atticus.”
Across the green field, concealed in the shelter of an unmarked van, the man loaded his sniper rifle. He sighted his mark, a beautiful brunette, took aim and waited for the perfect moment to make the kill. They’d never expect the hit; making revenge all the more sweet.