Her words knock the air from my lungs. I take a step back stunned by what she just said. Shaking my head slowly, she moves closer.
“Stay the fuck away from me, Evie.”
“I can’t. Don’t you get that?” she says as tears fill her eyes. She rests her hands on my chest and I nearly explode. My chest heaves trying to get as my much oxygen to my lungs as I can. This is fucking with my head. I don’t know that I can do this.
“I need to go,” I tell her, my tone low. This isn’t going to work. There’s going to be an explosion and the impact is going to knock us on our asses I can feel that much.
“Are you coming back?” she asks, peeking up at me from under her lashes.
Somewhere deep inside of me I want to tell her yes. My dirty heart? That says to run and never look back. But my mouth? That motherfucker has a mind of his own. “I don’t know, Evie. I don’t know.”
I press a rough kiss to the top of her head before pushing past her and into the hallway. I can’t handle this shit. I never wanted a kid. I wouldn’t know how to raise one without fucking it up the way I was. I have become everything that my father was. I turned into him. Shaking my head, I walk out the front door and over to my bike, climbing on. I take one last glance over my shoulder and see Evie standing in the window with tears running down her cheeks. As much as it bothers me, it doesn’t hurt. As much as I want to make this right for her, I don’t know that I can.
Chapter 22
“What’s the plan?” Demon asks as we all stand on the side of the dirt road smoking.
“Ambush.” Demon eyes me before he shrugs.
“Fine by me. I want this shit done and over with,” he says as I nod my agreement. The Black Market Railroad. That’s what it’s called. We have searched and searched some more until we found the connection. It isn’t just here, either. It’s all over the fucking world. I was pissed when I realized that it wasn’t just local where we could handle it, but it wasn’t a surprise. Shit like this happens all over; I just didn’t realize the connection. Not that it matters, we have chapters all over the fucking world, too. Where we can’t reach, they can.
“Let’s just wait them out over there.” I nod toward the tree line. “Can’t see shit from the road.”
“You heard the man. Spread out but Chastain is his.” Demon orders.
The guys move, all of them taking their place in the trees. I take mine toward the opposite end. Once they get the fucker out, he’s all mine. There’s nothing down this road aside from his little vacation house. Little does he know he will never make it there.
As I stand here waiting with a cigarette hanging between my lips I think about Evie. I think about what she said about wanting me. If I’m being honest, I want her too. I don’t think I can handle watching her walk away from me. I’d burn the goddamn city to the ground to get her back. Sending her away wasn’t the smartest idea but a kid? What am I going to do with a kid?
“What’s botherin’ you?” Demon asks, stepping up next to me.
“She’s pregnant.”
“Evie?” I nod my head.
“Jesus. Fuck, brother!”
“Exactly.”
“And you ain’t happy?”
I turn to glare at him. He should already know the answer to that.
“What am I gonna do with a kid, Demon? Huh? Raise it to be a killer?” Huffing out a breath, I shake my head and look the other way.
“No. Raise it to be like his dad. Someone who takes no shit and protects the ones he cares about.”
“Are you fuckin’ insane? You want me to raise a killer? Just like me.”
“No. I want you to raise a kid to take no shit. You aren’t that fucked up, Drake. I mean, you are to a point, but you said it yourself - she makes you feel different. Maybe that baby is a good thing,” he says shrugging his shoulders.
“A good thing. Yeah, real fuckin’ good when he catches daddy puttin’ a blade to mommy’s neck,” I growl.
“You got yourself fucked up, brother. I mean it. The kid might not be a bad thing. You hated the way your dad was and you became him. You don’t want that for your kid, yeah?”
“Fuck no I wouldn’t want that,” I admit.
“That’s my point. You wouldn’t be raisin’ it to be like you, Drake. Think about it.” Just as he says that we hear the guys whistle signaling that they are coming.
I smirk as I look at Demon. Pulling my gun from the back of my jeans, I get ready for the last play of my game. The shots start and the first car comes into view. I know he’s in that one. Fucking idiot always goes for the first car. Aiming my gun at the driver I step into the driveway and smile.
“Stop that fuckin’ car or I shoot,” I roar. The car stops and I pull the trigger, killing the driver. Blood splatters the window, the seat. I nod to Demon who moves to the passenger side as I round the driver’s side. Giving Demon the okay, he pulls the door open at the same time as I do. Chastain sits with wide eyes looking between us with his hands up.
“You,” he growls when he sees me.
“Miss me, motherfucker? Get out of the fuckin’ car,” I tell him, keeping my tone even. He scoots across the seat looking as if he might piss himself. That would just make my day a whole lot better.
“You’re making a mistake here.”
“Am I? You didn’t have shit to do with the Black Market Railroad?” His eyes widen giving me my answer. “That’s what I thought. Move.” Ushering him in front of the car, I see the others walking up. That means they took out his entire convoy of assholes. I smirk. Job well done.
“What do you want? Money?” he asks the same old clichéd question.
“This isn’t about money. It’s about a little girl who was taken. A little girl who was sold to the highest bidder, raped, killed, and dumped for her parents to find. A little girl who meant the goddamn world to me!” My voice thunders through the space, echoing in the distance. The guys make a circle around him, watching us both.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh but you do. You were the big player in the Savannah area, yeah? Called the shots. Not anymore. How does that make you feel that you are now the one who’s fucked?” I ask stepping closer to him. He watches me intently, unsure how to respond. It’s probably best that he doesn’t.
“What do you wanna do with him, Drake? Won’t be long before cops show up,” Demon reminds me.
I slip my gun into the back of my jeans and pull my knife from its sheath. Grabbing his shirt, I cut the fucking ugly pink polo off his body and toss it to the side.