Honored (City Series Book 4)(30)

We reached the ally's entrance and they shoved me inside.

"Down on your knees," one goon said.

I dropped to my knees. I was going to die in some filthy alley.

Unless . . .

"How much does she cost?" I asked suddenly.

There was a pause.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" one goon answered.

I turned my head and grinned back at him. "How much does your mom cost? I hear she's a fantastic lay, and I could use it right now."

He cocked his fist back and slammed it into my jaw, knocking me forward. I let out a small gasp of pain, but I forced it back and laughed instead.

"Jesus, this guy is crazy," I heard the one goon mumble.

They grabbed me roughly by the back and pulled me to my knees. I looked down at the other end of the alleyway. Come on Leary . . .

"Any last words, asshole?"

"Make sure you tell your mother that I'll miss her."

The one goon stifled a laugh, and I felt a hard steel barrel press against the back of my head. Cold horror flooded through my chest. I hadn't stalled long enough, or maybe he hadn't seen us leave the field, or a million other things could have gone wrong and I really was going to get a bullet to my skull. It's hard to really imagine your death, to really accept it, even when it's about to happen to you.

Suddenly, I heard the screeching of tires, and a car swung itself into the other end of the alleyway.

"What the fuck-" the one goon said as I dove forward.

The gun went off, missing my head but clipping my shoulder. Hot pain lanced up my skin and arm as I scrambled forward, another shot ringing out and missing me. I dove behind a dumpster.

"Get the fucking asshole," the goon yelled.

The car at the other end of the alley came barreling down toward us. I saw Leary's wild face, grinning like an insane person as he pressed his arm out the window and began to fire shots at the two goons. They scattered, finding cover in doorways.

I stuck my head up. "Leary!" I yelled.

The car came to a halt in front of me as Leary continued to fire wildly at the two goons. I dove at the car, tearing the back door open and shoving myself inside as the goons figured out what was happening and began to return fire.

"Drive, mother fucker!" I called out as Leary barreled forward once again.

The goons shoved themselves back to avoid getting hit by the car as Leary flew out toward the other end of the alley, car practically scraping the dumpsters, the whole body shaking on its suspension. I could hear bullets panging against the doors. The two goons followed us, firing wildly, breaking the back window but missing Leary as the car flew out into the field, kicking dirt and dust up in the air. Leary accelerated through the dying brown grass, hit the curb, and swung the car back out into the street. The goons were chasing us, running as fast as they could, but they were too far away to hit the car with any accuracy as Leary flung us forward again. I could smell burning rubber as he floored it, as seconds later we were cruising away from the scene and out into traffic.

"Took you long enough," I said, sitting up.

"That was fucking amazing!" Leary was laughing and his eyes were wild.

I couldn't help but grin, despite the pain in my arm. "Yeah, it was actually pretty intense. Except for, you know, me almost fucking dying."

"Holy shit, did you see me back there?"

"Yeah, I saw you. Hey, you need to take me to your doctor."

His face got serious as he looked at me in the rearview mirror. "How bad?"

"Flesh wound, not bad. But I'm bleeding."

"Don't get blood on my upholstery, dick."

I sighed. "Just drive."

Leary laughed wildly again, and I couldn't help but grin at him as I applied pressure to my wound. It wasn't that bad, and I'd definitely survive it, but I was going to need stitches at least.

I couldn't believe that stupid plan had worked. Leary had been hiding nearby, the engine of his car running, ready to come get me if there was any trouble. And he had showed up at just the right time with just the right amount of crazy.

I sat back, adrenaline coursing through my body as Leary drove us to his back-alley doctor, some dude who would stitch me up quietly for some cash. I couldn't believe that I was alive.

But I also had to face the fact that I was out of options.





Chapter Twenty-Two: Ellie


The first thing I saw when Liam came in through the front door was the blood streaked down his left shoulder.

The second thing I saw was the grinning weirdo that followed him in.   





 

"Shit, Liam-" I started.

He held up his hand. "I'm fine, seriously."

"You don't look fine." I walked over to him, concern all over my face.

The other guy stood back near the door as I began to inspect the arm. It was a deep wound, but it had already been sewed up and covered with a sterile bandage.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"Didn't go well."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, sit down."

He tried to protest, but I got him moving and pushed him gently down onto the couch. He let out a long breath, obviously still exhausted. The weirdo moved in from the door, shutting and locking it. I kept poking and prodding at Liam's arm until he winced, obviously in pain.

"Tell me what happened."

"De Barra thought killing me would be more profitable than overthrowing Colm. And so he tried."

"Fuck, Liam," I said.

"Obviously it didn't work."

"Who's this?" I nodded at the other guy.

"That's Leary. He's a friend."

I looked at Liam. "I thought you said nobody can know where we are?"

"He's been helping me this whole time. Shit, aside from you, he's the only person in this city that I trust."

I looked back at the guy, and he smiled bashfully at me. He was thinner than Liam and shorter by an inch or two, with red stubble all over his face and a shock of orange hair. He had thick bags under his eyes, and he kept moving from side to side, almost rocking in place.

"I notice he doesn't have any blood on him."

"Leary saved my life."

I stared at the guy for another second. "I'm Ellie. Nice to meet you."

He grinned and walked over to shake my outstretched hand. "Heard a lot about you, Ellie."

I gave Liam a look, and he shrugged.

"What happens now?" I asked as Leary sat down in the armchair.

"How long you had this place, man?" Leary asked before Liam could answer me.

"Since I started in the business."

"Shit, it's a little creepy, but brilliant."

"Thanks, man."

Liam looked back at me and I could see the pain in his expression, though I knew he was trying to hide it from me. I reached out and touched his cheek gently, not giving a shit if the gesture seemed strange to Leary. I was breaking on the inside. I hated the idea that Liam was almost killed because of me, because of some stupid shit I had seen. It should have been me out there. I never should have let him go alone.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked him softly.

He stared back, his face hard. "That's why I brought Leary here. We need to talk about my next move."

I frowned and sat up straighter. "You have something in mind?"

"Yeah, but it's a last resort."

"Can't be any worse than what happened today," I said, nodding at his arm.

He sighed. "It really, really is."

I shook my head. "You're not turning yourself in."

"No, I'm not." He paused, and then he said more softly, "Not yet at least."

"Liam-"

"Just listen."

I stopped, jaw clenched, and nodded. He could be so self-sacrificing sometimes, such an asshole. He didn't realize how it made me feel to hear him say that he would be willing to die for all of this to be over. I would never have forgiven myself or been able to live if I knew that he had willingly given himself over for my sake. That simply wasn't an option.

"The way I see it, we don't have another choice. De Barra was the only boss that has the strength to go up against Colm on his own, and I don't think we'll be lucky or able enough to convince the others to team up. They'll end up squabbling over who gets to lead the Mob in the end and will probably just kill me out of frustration."

Leary snorted at that last bit and I gave him a look. He frowned at me and shrugged.

"But, there's one more play," Liam said, continuing. "Colm probably knows what we have on him by now, thanks to de Barra. Which means he might be open to a trade. Colm isn't stupid, although he's ruthless. He might be willing to accept that it's better to trade our lives for the proof."

Leary nodded thoughtfully. "Seems like a fair trade. Let you two go into exile, burn the documents."

"No fucking way, Liam," I said.

"Ellie, look, I know it seems crazy to deal with him. But Colm is practical. He might actually listen if he realizes the extent of the shit we have on him."

I shook my head. "What if he just murders you anyway?"   





 

"Then you'll send copies of the documents to every boss in the city."

"He won't buy that."

"We're out of time here."

"We can run. Why don't we just run?"

"I can't leave. Richie will be in danger."

I blinked. "You're right, I'm sorry."

He reached out and took my hand. "We can make this work."

"No, it's too dangerous. There has to be another way."