CHAPTER 19
MELANIE
“DID YOU REALLY JUST KILL A MAN FOR TOUCHING YOUR HAIR JORDAN DRAWLED, leaning against the doorframe. I shrugged as I wiped off the blood trickling down my face, “He should’ve known better than to touch a girl’s hair.” I said lightly but my heart was pounding.
I’d never killed a man before. Throughout the course of my career, I’d sliced, shot and wounded people but never fatally. I’d only killed him when I caught sight of Jordan because I knew he’d want to interrogate them and I couldn’t risk them talking about Cadell who sent them and blowing this whole thing straight to hell.
Now because of him, I had blood on my hands that wasn’t his. Yet another grievance to add to my list. Jordan gave me a once–over “Are you hurt?” he asked
His question suddenly made me aware of the burning pain in my hand and we both glanced down at it. It was the hand I’d used to smash the glass cup on the first guy’s head and shards were embedded in it. I blinked at the blood dripping down
“There are pieces of glass in your hand and all you have to say is “Ow?” he asked and I shrugged again, the motion bringing the stinging ache across my ribs to my attention
1 immediately raised my shirt up and hissed at the large purple bruise splayed across my stomach. I caught a small movement from Jordan like he wanted to come to me but then we heard the squeal of tires and doors slamming and he stayed put
Blaine rushed in, brushing past Jordan and making his way to me
“Mel. Are you okay?” his gaze fell to where I was still holding up my shirt with my bloodied hand and he let out a sharp breath. My head whipped up as I suddenly remembered something Julio. Josephine. The cute gardener boy.”
I pushed past Blaine and ran over to the staff quarters attached to the house.
I found most of them unharmed and gathered around Julio who was lying on the floor groaning in pain
A quick glance told me he’d been shot in the leg and as I tore up my shirt to try to stop the bleeding they filled me in. Apparently the intruders had come in here first hoping to intimidate them into letting them into the face but they’d faced off against Julio who’d tried his best to defend them until he’d gotten shot.
Then the intruders had smacked a quiet girl named Gabriella across the face until they’d surrendered the keys to the
house
I I
As I tied the strip of material on Julio’s leg the best I could, a knot formed in my throat. This is the exact reason why I didn’t associate much with anyone, even on the most basic of levels.
They got hurt because Cadell would stop at nothing to get me to do his bidding and I’d be left to live with the guilt. It was better to live and work solo; that way I didn’t have to shoulder any responsibility except the one I had to myself.
Some men came over and lifted Julio onto a stretcher and carried him away. I sat back on the ground and put my head between my knees as I tried to control the anger coursing through me. Getting angry was useless now because there was nothing I could do about it
Rash decisions would get me killed. I was better off sticking to the plan. I raised my head and glanced at the staff, I didn’t even know all their names yet, but they’d still tried to protect me before they were forced to give up the keys.
Im so sorry you guys had to go through this” I sighed, the guilt I fought so hard not to feel clawing its way up my throat. No matter how much I blamed Gadell, the facts remained the same. Their lives wouldn’t have been in danger if I wasn’t
herr
Before any of them could reply, I felt hands grab hold of me and hoist me onto my feet. Arms went around me and I found myself pressed into someone’s shoulder with him stroking my hair.
“I’m so glad you’re okay” Blaine whispered. I stood there frozen, not knowing how to react.
The closest thing I’d gotten to a lung in years was when this big guy attempted to le
crush me after I swindled his boss out of half a million. Thad to react in the next few seconds or it would get awkward but I was saved from that by the sound of someone clearing his throat,
Blaine jerked and released me, stepping back to reveal Jordan standing behind him.
CHAPTER 19
They exchanged a loaded glance before Jordan stepped up to address his staff.
“I do apologize for the events of tonight. You will all be given transportation to your families and a bonus as compensation, especially you Gabriella. You all should also take the next few days off. Rest assured Julio will be well taken care of.”
There were mutters of consent and he turned to give Blaine one of those looks only both of them seemed to understand and Blaine walked away but not before giving me one last glance.
“As for you” turning to me. Jordan took my arm and started to walk away, pulling me along. “You’ll be coming with me. “I started to pull away but stopped. What was the point? It’s not like I had a say in anything.
We passed the main house where some of his men were pulling out the bodies of the intruders. My mind flashed back to the man I’d killed and I felt sick. It was funny how I’d only intentionally killed one but all of them had ended up dead.
The one I’d sliced with the glass had hit his head on the sharp edge of the counter on his way down, the other two had been shot by the sniper and The sniper.
“You took out the sniper, didn’t you?” I asked Jordan though I already knew the answer which was confirmed by his silence. “Thanks” I muttered. We walked down the driveway, turned into the street and kept walking until we reached the end of it. There we stopped in front of a car and I was too out of it to appreciate the beauty of the Bugatti as I slid into it. Jordan got into the driver’s side and handed me a towel he’d produced out of thin air “Don’t bleed all over my seats” he
ordered.
Too drained to find a suitable comeback, I just rested my bleeding hand on the towel and sat up as straight as I could even as he pushed the car to its limits, probably breaking several speed laws. I half expected a police patrol car to pull us over and write him a ticket, but then I remembered this wasn’t New York.
Soon we were driving through electric gates and around a fountain, stopping directly in front of the impressive doors of a villa “So this is where the big boss lives 1 drawled. He didn’t even spare me a glance as he got out of the car and waited for me to do the same before leading me up the steps and into the large house.
We’d barely taken two steps in before he halted and turned to face me….
“Now, you’ve got some explaining to do.”
