Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

MINA

"We need to get back," I said urgently. I darted away from the SUV, back to the shadows. "Now."

Gun in hand, I trotted in the direction of the gunshots, leaving Gianni to hurry to catch up.

Several of Kurt's minions still surrounded the SUV, their backs to the vehicle while they exchanged shots with Damon and Reuben. Two lay dead near the front tyres. The others were way too alive for my taste.

I preferred subtle and quiet, but when Kurt put a gun to my sister's head, all bets were fucking off.

I raised my gun and took out two of them with two shots before they even knew I was there. I ducked behind their second vehicle before they could turn and return the favour.

"We need to get away from these vehicles," Gianni said as he crouched beside me.

I glanced at him and nodded.

Another gunshot rang out. Another minion fell to the ground, Damon taking advantage of the distraction I provided.

That left ten. Too many for comfort.

I rose high enough to peek through the window at our vehicle. I caught a glimpse of the twins, both looking like they were waiting for an opportunity to push out of the vehicle and join in the gunfight. Both were frustrated they'd been designated with the task of keeping Leon inside the vehicle and stopping him from joining his 'friends.' If you could call them that.

I ducked back down, pulled out my phone and dialled a number. A couple of moments later, Daze's voice came down the line.

"Hey, Mina, what's up?"

"Just wondering if you're up to anything right now," I said lightly. "We could use a little help, if you're not busy."

Gianni rose and took a shot at one of the minions who'd turned his back at the wrong time. "Fuck." He dropped back down. "I missed."

"Are you having a party without me?" Daze sounded slightly miffed.

"You could say that." I peered around the side of the vehicle and took a shot at the closest set of ankles. "I know it's short notice, but if you'd like to hang out for a while, you're more than welcome. I've texted you the address."

She laughed. "We're on our way. That's only a couple of minutes from here. Later, we might have words about you having a gunfight in my neighbourhood." She ended the call.

I smiled and pushed my phone back into my pocket.

"We just need to hold them off for a little while." I thought for a minute. "Are you ready to be a distraction?"

"If it involves you, I'm ready for anything," he replied. "Even a quickie while we wait."

I grinned at him and shook my head before scooting over to the other end of the SUV. "On the count of three?"

"Three works for me." He scooted up behind me, close enough to place a hand on the small of my back.

I whispered the words to count us down, before we rose and broke into a run. We swerved as we bolted to where, if I guessed correctly, Reuben and Damon were crouched behind a stand of trees.

Shots rang out behind us, but none connected. Somehow, we managed to make it to the trees and behind the thick trunks without being shot.

"Long time, no see," Gianni said to Reuben and Damon. He briefly filled them in on what we saw on the phone in the back of the car.

Predictably, they both looked pissed off as hell.

"We need to get the twins out of here," Reuben said.

Before I could tell him backup was on the way, two dark sedans pulled up behind our SUV. Both were packed with people.

The doors swung open. Daze was the first out. She ducked behind the door, a gun in her hand. Ric was right behind her. Followed by her two other boyfriends and six others, split between the vehicles.

"This really is a party," she called out.

I smiled. "That's what I thought."

One of Kurt's minions called out orders and several split off to approach the newcomers, a couple trying to get off shots before they were fully out of the sedans.

"Fuck off." I recognised my cousin, Phoenix DiMarco, who landed a bullet right between the eyes of one of the enemy.

"Good shot." One of his companions patted him on the shoulder.

I squinted. Was that… I'd have to wonder about that later.

In the corner of my eye, I caught a couple of the minions heading back to their SUV.

"It seems like not everyone wants to join the party," Gianni remarked.

I hummed my agreement. "Spoilsports."

They slid inside and turned on the ignition.

The SUV exploded with a burst of flame and a shower of metal and glass.

"That was meant for us," I said softly.

"As they say in the classics, suck shit." Gianni grinned.

"Seven left," Reuben said.

Apparently the twins had enough of sitting tight. The front doors of the SUV swung open and they all but jumped out, taking out two of the men around them in the process.

"Five left," Damon said. "And they're outnumbered."

Evidently, the minions realised that too. They dropped back behind one of the remaining SUVs.

"I think they're reconsidering their life choices," Gianni said.

"I would be too," I said.

The other two vehicles might be rigged to explode. They had to decide if they could outrun us or not. Considering we had three vehicles which probably wouldn't explode, we had the advantage.

Reuben nodded to Damon and gestured for us to stand and join Daze and the small army she brought with her.

"There you are." She turned to me and grinned. "Thanks for the invitation."

"Thanks for coming," I said. I glanced back to see Reuben talking to a man around his age.

"Aidan Draeger, head coach of the Dusk Bay Demons," Gianni supplied. "Along with a bunch of the first line players."

That explained the presence of my cousin, and his friend, Coast Riggs, the team's centre. I should have suspected a team owned by Caleb would be made up of people like us.

Aidan gestured for his players to circle around and surround the remaining enemy. He didn't look impressed at being dragged out in the middle of the night.

I turned my attention back to where the minions still huddled. Every so often, one would rise and try to get off a shot, but they missed every time. None of our return shots connected either.

I chewed my lip. Something about this felt off. What would I do if I was?—

"Tell everyone to come back," I said quickly. "Now."

Aidan looked at me, confused as to who the hell I was, and why I was giving orders, but Reuben nodded.

"Do it." He showed no sign of hesitation. He trusted my instincts completely.

Aidan shrugged, but called out the order for his players to trot back behind us.

"What's going on, Coach?" Phoenix asked.

"Hell if I know," Aidan said with a grunt. He glanced at me again.

I looked back, completely unflinching. I was right about this. Without a hint of doubt in my mind.

Phoenix squinted at me. "Are you?—"

His words were interrupted when the other two SUVs simultaneously exploded.

Flames burst from the top of them and spread to either side, instantly incinerating anyone within a few metres. If any of our people were still there, they would have been killed along with Kurt's minions.

"Well, shit," Coast Riggs said. "I feel like we just won the playoffs."

"We might as well have." Aidan looked at me again, this time with grudging respect and a curt nod.

I nodded back and turned away from him, to Reuben. "We need to get home."

"Yes, we do," he agreed.

"I have so many questions," Phoenix said, staring at me.

"I have answers, but not right now," I told him. We had one more piece of unfinished business to take care of here. Then we needed to get home before Kurt could pull any more of his bullshit. Bullshit I was getting thoroughly tired of. We all were.

Whatever happened, this ended tonight.

My back straight, I marched over to our SUV and wrenched open the door.

Leon Graves was still inside, curled up around himself as though he hoped we'd forget about his existence. Or bracing himself in case this vehicle exploded too.

"Mina," he said when he saw me. "So good to see you're still alive. We were on our way to the city when those other vehicles stopped us. They told us to get out, but Hunter and Parker insisted we stay here."

"They saved your ass?" Gianni came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I… I guess they did," he said.

"Very heroic of them," I said dryly. "Maybe we should give them a trophy."

"I'll take a trophy," Parker said, appearing on the other side of the SUV. "Can we have one each though? Having to figure out a way to share with Hunter would be a pain in the ass."

"I should be offended, but Parker is right," Hunter said. "We're good at sharing lots of things, but not a trophy. Remind me to tell you later about the time we played hockey as kids. Shit got ugly."

I snorted softly. "You don't need a trophy. Not from me anyway. I'm sure you're good at gathering your own."

Leon stared at me for a moment before realising I wasn't talking about a metal trophy. He let out an awkward laugh. "I'm sure there's still a few trophy heads attached to bodies out there. Can you believe Kurt sent all those people to get to me?"

"No, I can't," I said. Because he hadn't. Some of them were for Leon, but the rest were for me and my men.

"He doesn't get a trophy for world’s best friend." World's worst would be more accurate. Kurt Lasalle was good at looking after his own ass while not giving a shit about anyone else's. He hadn't changed a bit in all the years I'd known him. He was a narcissistic psychopath who used people to get what he wanted. There was nothing and no one he wouldn't step on, kill or shove aside.

Leon laughed awkwardly again. "No, he won't. So… If you can't guarantee my safety from Kurt…"

"I don't give a shit about your safety, Leon," I said coldly. "I know you were the one who found out what my father was doing. I know you were the one who told Kurt. You gave him the ammunition to use against my father and me."

Leon's face paled. "I don't know who told you that?—"

"You did," I said coldly. "Parker found your most encrypted files. Files you should have deleted. Messages between you and Kurt."

He looked genuinely confused. "I swear, I didn't have anything like that on the laptop."

"I saw it myself," I said with a slight edge of uncertainty. Either he was lying through his teeth, or this was another one of Kurt's setups.

"I wouldn't have left something like that on that," he insisted. His voice was high with panic. Clearly terrified we'd throw him back in the basement. Chain him up and leave him to rot.

"You're not denying that you were the one who told Kurt," Gianni pointed out.

Leon's hesitation was all I needed.

I raised my gun and shot him right in the centre of his forehead.

"We need to get home. Before he lays a hand on my sister."