Talon (Uncompromising #1)(113)

I went back upstairs thinking about what she’d said. On one hand, she’d be the last person in the world I’d want to partner with. On the other hand, it’d mean more time with Siren and Maddie.





I’D MADE BREAKFAST, CLEANED UP then called my lawyer. I wanted to make sure I was off the hook for Carter’s death and I wanted a record of everything that had gone down with Siren and Maddie and Stone in case Siren ever decided to press charges. I didn’t mention Maldonado.

I told Siren we were getting all new stuff for Maddie because it wasn’t safe to go her old place but in truth, I didn’t want any reminders of Carter in my house. Siren reluctantly gave me a list after telling me I was wasting money. While she and Maddie were napping, I left Tyler at the house and went shopping. My first stop was at the Land Rover dealership. I bought Siren a Range Rover. They were tricking it out with the extras I’d wanted and it was being delivered tomorrow. That was the easy part.

Now I was staring at fifteen different choices for a crib and wondering what the fuck I’d gotten myself into.

“You think you can get away with this?”

My muscles tensed and my back went straight. Motherfucker.

I slowly turned, not letting Stone know he’d gotten the jump on me. “You think you’re gonna get away with kidnappin’?” I asked in my most lethal tone.

His face beaten to hell, his clothes rumpled, Stone sneered. “No one’s left alive to tell about it. You even fucked that up. Rule number one to implicating someone, leave a witness.”

Rage boiled in my veins and my hands fisted. I was going to kill him. I didn’t give a shit about the two LCs flanking him, their hands under their cuts, Stone was a dead man. “I’m gonna enjoy watchin’ you die.”

“You don’t have the balls. Just like Randy, the Marines made you soft.” His voice lost its controlled edge. “Where’s my fucking money?” he demanded.

“What money?” I snarled.

Veins popped on his neck. “Don’t give me that bullshit. I know it was you who tipped off Maldonado’s men. They’re too stupid to break into my compound and rob me all on their own.”

If I wasn’t so fucking enraged, I would’ve laughed. “Go fuck yourself.”

Sweating, his jaw clenched, and he growled, “Get. My money. Or Maddie’s gone for good.”

I moved.

I took out the bigger LC on the left with a single throat strike and grabbed my gun from my back waistband before the other LC even drew his weapon. I jammed the barrel into Stone’s ribs.

“Here’s how this is gonna work.” I lowered my voice to a deadly calm. “You wanna walk outta here, tell quick-draw to drop his weapon and kick it over.”

Stone glanced at his flunky and nodded. The asshole set his gun down and kicked it to me.

“Pick it up by the barrel,” I demanded, shoving my gun even harder against Stone.

“You won’t shoot me in here,” Stone said confidently.

“More’n one way to kill a man.”

“You’ll be on video. There are security cameras all over the store.”

I swung my elbow out and landed a perfect temple strike. Stone reached for his head and I brought my leg up and kneed him in the balls. He bent at the waist with a grunt and I shoved him to the floor next to the asshole clutching his throat.

“Pick the gun up,” I said calmly.

On his knees, one hand on his junk, he grabbed the barrel of the gun and held it up.

I took it and quickly checked to make sure it was loaded then I aimed it at Stone. Releasing the clip from my own gun, I held it out to Stone, handle first. “Here.”

The fucking idiot wrapped his hand around it then I yanked it back and shoved it in my waistband. I pressed the muzzle of the gun I was still holding to his swollen temple. “Now your prints are on the gun that killed your son. You wanna play games with me, know who the fuck you’re dealin’ with.”

Face red, he didn’t say shit.

I finished what he’d started. “Your compound, your SUVs, your club house, I know where to fuckin’ find you. You come near me or Nicole or Maddie again, losing all your fuckin’ money will be the least of your worries.” He had no idea who he’d fucked with.

“Have some fucking balls, pull the trigger,” he ground out.

“You think I won’t?” I leaned toward his ear. “You think the Marines made me soft?” I didn’t wait for an answer. Ruthless, calculated, I grabbed the back of his neck and shoved down as my knee came up. The satisfying crunch of breaking cartilage sounded and blood spewed from his nose. “Does that feel soft?”