Page 86 of Protected
“You should know better than to start a fight with the devil,” Wolf said, lethalness dangling from each word. “It’ll never end well for…
Parker grabbed the barrel of the gun as red-hot fury charged through his veins. Their bodies slammed against the floor. Wrestling back and forth for control in a tangle of arms and legs. Each struggling for the upper hand.
The gun went off. Two shots. The sound like an explosion in Parker’s brain.
His mind swirled. His eyes blurred. His ears rang.
And Wolf went limp.
Dark, thick blood oozed from the bullet hole in the side of his father’s face, and the air left Parker’s lungs. He collapsed to the floor next to Wolf, unable to move a muscle.
He’s gone.
It’s over.
Numbness turned to relief, and Parker closed his eyes, struggling to keep his shit together. He had just killed his father, and the weight of that knowledge almost crushed him.
No, he had no regrets, but still, this moment was…a lot.
Parker startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and his eyes flew open. That’s when he heard Chelsey screaming his name. Her fear was coming through loud and clear. Seconds later, her gorgeous face came into focus.
“Oh, thank God! Are you hit? Talk to me.”
Her words came in rapid-fire succession while her hands slid up and down his body as if searching for a wound. He didn’t have the energy to tell her he hadn’t been hit. All he could do was stare at the gray concrete ceiling.
Commotion all around him met his ears, that were still ringing a little.
“Is he okay?”
“Are you okay?”
“Do we need an ambulance?”
Everyone talked at once.His team. Atlanta’s Finest had arrived.
“Parker? Come on, baby. I need you to say something.” The pleading in Chelsey’s voice snapped him to attention.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d laid there, but he forced himself into a sitting position. God, he was tired. Every musclein his body, as well as his mind, was weary, and he could barely move.
Chelsey’s arms were around him, and she planted kisses on his face. He could feel her trembling against him. “Please tell me you’re okay,” she said, tears staining her cheeks.
“Yeah, sweetheart.You?”
She nodded.
Parker glanced beyond her and saw Atlanta’s Finest standing around, some of them gripping the arms of Elder, Terrence, and the thugs who had kidnapped him.
Parker had never been so happy to see a group of people in his life. “What the hell took y’all so long to get here?” he asked, and the laughter that flowed around the space soothed his tattered spirit.
His friends. His family.
Rock seemed to come out of nowhere. He strolled over to where Wolf lay and stared down at the lifeless body. Then he met Parker’s gaze.
“Well, I guess this is one way of getting rid of the slimy motherfucker.”
“Seriously, Rock?” Angelo said from somewhere nearby, and that started a swell of loud talking around the warehouse.
Parker tuned out everyone and gave Chelsey, who still had her arms around him, his full attention. He wanted to touch her, hold her, but he didn’t want his bloody hands on her body.