Page 25 of He's All In

“Luke, this is Barbra,” Maxim says, and the older woman raises her chin at me before turning her glare on him.

“Almost ten years I’ve been working this case, and so help me god, you fuck this up and I’ll have your balls.”

“We’re on the same team,” Maxim assures her, but she doesn’t look convinced.

“I’m warning you, boys. I didn’t spend almost a decade on my back so you two could blow this case to shit.” She points to Maxim and then to me. “If this is going down, then you better put an end to it.” Her eyes lock with mine, and I can only imagine the hell she’s been through to get close to Vince Sledge and his operations. “You got me?”

“I got you,” I agree.

She leads us down a narrow hallway that’s almost not wide enough for a person to fit through. “This exit was added a few years ago in case Sledge needed to make a quick escape,” Barbra whispers when we get to the end of the hall. “These stairs will take you to the top floor.” She points up, and I can’t see where they end. “When you get to the top there’s a door. It opens into Sledge’s closet in his bedroom.” She steps back and lets us slide around her. “This is as far as I can take you.”

“Thanks, Barbra. You know I owe you.”

“This better be worth it” is all she says before she disappears down the narrow hall.

When she leaves, I remember that I saw her the first time I came here. She lives downstairs, but she sees everyone that goes in and out of this building.

“She’s given us everything on Sledge,” Maxim says as we climb the slim spiral staircase.

“Then why is he still walking the streets?”

“Because it’s all evidence of criminal activity, not him confessing to it. She can’t exactly wear a wire while she’s keeping her cover.”

I think about her saying she’s been working on her back for a decade, and I can’t imagine being willing to go that far. As if Maxim is reading my thoughts, he answers my unspoken question.

“Vince had her sister murdered. She’s been after him ever since,” he says. “With all that she’s got and what we recorded today it should be enough to shut everything down and end Sledge’s reign permanently.”

My thoughts go to Kelly and Marco. I don’t know what their father is truly capable of. My legs burn as I climb faster, needing to get to them.

When we get to the top of the stairs, I put my ear to the door and listen for any sounds or movement. There’s nothing, and Maxim and I share a look before I slowly open it.

The room is dark, but I can hear people talking in the distance. Once we’re out of the closet, we go to the bedroom door and peek out. Up ahead, I can see Vince talking to someone sitting on the couch, but I can’t see who it is. Then I hear Jackson laughing, and I open the door a little more so I can see him. He’s on the other side of the living room, leaning over someone, and hatred burns inside of me when I see him crowding Kelly. She flinches at something he says, and I grip my gun tighter.

“Shit,” Maxim hisses, and that’s when I see it too.

Marco gets off the couch and rushes Jackson. He hits him with a bandaged arm and then cries out just as Kelly moves between the two of them. She’s protecting Marco while Jackson stumbles, but it’s too late, and the asshole recovers quickly.

“No!” Kelly shouts when Jackson raises his hand to hit Marco, but she’s in the way, and he’s going to hit her.

Meanwhile Vince hasn’t moved from his seated position on the couch as he bends low and talks to a woman sitting there beside him.

“You ready?” Maxim asks, but I’m already in motion.

Maxim and I come out of the bedroom, guns trained on the two men, and we’ve got the element of surprise.

“Freeze!” I shout, but Jackson is already reaching for his gun. Before he manages to pull his gun out of the holster, I’ve got a bullet between his eyes.

Kelly turns her eyes on me, and I can see the relief as she holds on to Marco. I rush over to where she’s crouched on the floor and wrap my arms around the both of them.

“You came,” she sobs. “I knew you would save us.”

“Forever, sweetness,” I tell her and kiss the top of her head.

Maxim is covering Vince, so I don’t understand what’s happening when I hear screaming behind us.

“No!” Kelly’s terror is chilling, and that’s when I feel the pain explode across my back.

Chapter Seventeen