Chapter 40

CHAPTER FORTY

SHEP

"Two hasn't given me his name, but he asked not to be called Wes anymore." Angel sighed loudly. I was at the shop, baking strawberry cupcakes.

I'd taken a Lyft there and called Mason and Gabe on my way, hoping the driver's earbuds would keep him from overhearing. They'd listened to my plan, forged from Four, and loved it. They'd left to get things and were getting a hotel room for the night. We didn't want to risk being followed to the house, and a hotel would be a lot harder to shoot up.

I'd locked up tight before going in the back to bake, and called Angel.

"No offense, Angel, but I don't really give a shit what he wants to be called right now."

"I get it. Anyway, I got Two to talk. He won't be using his hands for a while, but in the end I think he wants freedom like Four does."

"Awesome, but why are we talking feelings? I want answers!"

"Fine. Damn, usually I'm the grumpy one."

"Yeah, well, the man you love isn't hanging on by a thread in a hospital where you can't see him while the man behind it all is sitting pretty somewhere."

"Shep, we all care about JJ."

"Angel, enough. Tell me something good."

"Jasmine's Goods is the only place Harper Reese gets his morning pastries and sweets from. Every morning there's a delivery."

That didn't seem impossible. "So, we need to intercept Jasmine's Goods and swap them with mine? And where the hell would they be delivering it? We don't know where Harper Reese is."

"Easier said than done. Jasmine is loyal. And we do know where he is, actually. Nick was able to confirm through street cameras that he's in his building."

So we knew where he was and that he had a possible plan. "Even with all this news coverage, this lady is still loyal?"

"That I don't know. But after finding out, I called the bakery as Harper's assistant and canceled the delivery for the day, and nobody questioned it."

"Look, Angel, these cupcakes—everything needs to get to Harper, and he needs to eat it. Then we need to make sure he can't seek medical attention."

"Oh, I have a plan if it comes to that, don't worry. Right now, we just gotta get him those cupcakes."

We strategized and decided with Angel canceling the order, we could intercept as Jasmine's Bakery. Nick began creating mock logos that matched the ones from her shop. Fortunately, their packaging was clear like ours, so we didn't have an issue there. I'd gone onto the store's website to see exactly how their cupcakes looked, and I'd replicated them perfectly. No one would be the wiser. Noel was going to drive the stickers to Saintly Sweets when they were done, and I'd be able to put them on my container of cupcakes.

Sure enough, as the sun peeked through the clouds and morning was upon me, Noel arrived.

"Were you safe while you put that shit in the cupcakes?" Noel slapped down the logo stickers.

"Of course I was! Ass."

I handed Noel the tray of covered cupcakes. "You sure you can do this?"

"Sure, Mom. You can't be seen there because you and Gabe went all Natural Born Killers at the creepy house."

"Okay, I'll be close by."

I followed Noel out and got into a separate car. The shop wasn't too far from the Harper Reese Building. I parked across the street and watched as Noel strolled in.

While I waited, I called Mason.

"Hey," he answered.

"Hi, you at the hospital?"

"Gabe and I just arrived. JJ's parents will be here soon; I just got off the phone with them."

Shit . "What are you going to tell them?"

"The truth, Shep. JJ was hurt trying to save kids. Trevor and Melody aren't stupid. They know we aren't just running a bakery."

"Fine. When you hear something, let me know. I need to follow through on everything to make sure Harper Reese doesn't survive this."

"I understand."

After hanging up, it was another twenty minutes before Noel came back out emptyhanded. He drove off, but I stayed. I was listening to our scanner to see if 9-1-1 would be called to the building.

Noel drove around the corner and parked behind me. He hopped into the passenger seat.

"That was easy. I was asked who I was, and I said new driver. No one cared. I didn't see if Harper ate any, but he got them. This could take a while."

I nodded. "I'm aware. But when I face JJ, I want to be able to tell him Harper Reese is dead, and all that man loved is dying with him."

Noel didn't say much. We listened to the scanner. Mason called with updates on JJ. He was still in a medically induced coma. The doctor had allowed his mom and dad to see him.

"Melody was crying so hard, Shep. With Trevor being a doctor, he understood the seriousness and did ask what happened. I told him enough that while angry, he sort of understood. I don't know."

I knew what JJ's body had gone through; I'd carried him out of that place. Add bandages, him being unmoving—a mother could only stand so much. Trevor was a good man and like Mason said, he knew we did more than run a bakery. That would be a long conversation someday.

At the fourth hour, Noel raced to the burger joint nearby for food. We sat, we ate, we waited. My mind wandered to the carnage at the building. Having to kill those boys would haunt me until the day I died. When I'd tried just subduing them, it had done no good. They'd get up and charge… Why wouldn't they stop when I told them I wasn't the bad guy?

It was coming to the end of the day; Harper had been up there for almost nine hours. My ass was falling asleep, and if I played one more word game with Noel I was going to scream.

Less than five minutes later, right out the front door was Harper Reese, and he looked like shit. Coughing, hunched over. His suit was a mess.

A large man was waving a car to come to them. So not 9-1-1. Even better. The car drove up fast, and Harper was ushered into the vehicle.

Noel got out of my car and into his. The object was to stop Harper from getting medical attention. Noel drove around me to get ahead of Harper. I'd follow behind, and we'd box him in.

I laughed when Noel decided to change it up, reversing his car as soon as Harper's advanced. And bang , that was a car crash. The driver was yelling, and he tried reversing to go the opposite way. Nope. I brought my vehicle to the exit where the car was currently trying to leave.

"Move your fucking car!" he shouted. He tried banging into my car, and I got out.

"Hit my car again, and see what happens." I lifted my shirt, giving him a glimpse of my gun.

The back door opened, and a large man stepped out. "Move your fucking car."

"No. See, that would mess with my plans to kill your boss."

He scrambled but wasn't fast enough. I pointed and shot. Repeated the same to the driver.

"Not part of the plan." Noel was racing over to me.

I surveyed the area, but it was a ghost town. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, yeah. So apparently, Harper closed the building yesterday. The person I left the cupcakes with said it was a skeleton staff, and he might actually get to eat one. It was just him and a few others; like you said, he was camping out. Scared." Noel scratched his head. "I hope no one else ate them." He shrugged. "Nick is making sure the street cameras are malfunctioning."

I peeked into the car, Harper was on his side, vomit sliding out of his mouth.

"Let's get these guys into the trunk of my car. Just keep an eye out for anyone."

It took us ten minutes but with no witnesses, that was fine. Good for us that he'd told everyone to go home. I didn't want to think of the few people who were in the building who were possibly eating the cupcakes. Not my problem—they worked for him.

With the door open, I kneeled outside. I didn't want to get too close.

"You're not looking too good, Harper."

He turned his gaze to me.

"You don't know me. I'm Shepard Saint; that's my brother Noel." I pointed with my thumb behind me.

Harper's eyes widened, and he continued coughing.

"Maybe you do know us. I know you tried to kill the man I love. Spoiler alert—he's alive, but you won't be."

Noel patted my shoulder. "I'll keep an eye out."

"Thanks." I tilted my head, watching Harper. "See, I just need you to lie there a little while longer. Ricin is a great way to kill someone, but it needs a wee bit of time. I mean I don't think anyone could help you, but I'm the type of person who likes to be one hundred percent."

Narrowing my eyes, all the hate in my heart bled out.

"I want to watch the light leave your eyes, see the organs seep out of every one of your orifices. Did you know it only takes one milligram of ricin in food or water to kill an adult? I gave you more than that."

He was hacking up blood now, and I was loving every minute of it.

"The second you ate your cupcake for breakfast, the clock began to run down for you. So, you'll die, and someone will find your body and wonder what in the world happened. Maybe you couldn't take the scandal of the personal hell you created falling apart."

It took longer than I would have liked. His chest movement slowed, he stared at me, and I just smiled.

"Your legacy dies with you, Harper Reese, and you'll be remembered in history as a monster."

A few minutes later, Harper was dead, and it finally felt like I could breathe again.