Brianna leaned in to kiss Markus's ashen face before she shoved herself to her feet, running towards Tiffany. The women clung to each other just as Jake instructed Derek, "Time to drop your weapon. Slide it across the floor to me."
"Like hell."
Tiffany felt the gun leave her head just long enough for Jake to shoot a warning shot into the ceiling and quickly return the muzzle to her temple.
"The next one is going into her brain. I'm pretty sure Mitchell is gonna hate coming home to find the love of his life's brains splattered across his foyer. It'll make a hell of a stain that he might never get out." Jake chuckled as if he'd told a funny joke.
He was fucking deranged.
Tiffany saw Derek's helplessness as he finally lowered his weapon, leaning down to place it on the floor and then kicking it across the floor towards the elevator. It stopped about halfway across.
Tiffany was trying to figure out how she might break free long enough to get to the gun when Jake lifted his weapon.
It happened so damn fast. Jake aimed at a now unarmed Derek, and pulled the trigger twice, hitting him in the dead center of his chest as the deafening shot rang in her ears. The hulking man was slammed against the wall behind him from the velocity of the shots and then crumpled to the floor in a heap.
This time both Tiffany and Brianna screamed. Markus and Derek had both been shot trying to protect them and yet, unbelievably, Jake was dragging the women back the few feet to the open elevator. Tiffany struggled and finally broke free only to be backhanded by the hand holding the gun. She twirled from the force of the strike, slamming her forehead into the back wall of the elevator, and falling to a heap on the floor.
Jake had grabbed Brianna's long dark hair and yanked her into the elevator, quickly pressing the 'close door' button. Bri scrambled to Tiffany's side and cradled her in her arms as Bri's tears fell onto Tiffany's face. This was the best friends' worst nightmare coming to life. Their eyes met and Tiffany saw a cocktail of emotions just before her vision started to black out.
The last thing she heard before she lost consciousness was Jake's victorious taunt. "I've missed you girls. The men in your lives have been a real pain in my ass, and I'm going to truly enjoy taking my frustrations out on both of you. I hope you're ready to have some fun."
Tiff was almost grateful when she felt herself fading. Her last thought was of Lukus, and how sad he was going to be to lose all of his best friends and his fiancée on the same night.
Chapter Fourteen
Lukus
Lukus was twitching with impatience as the airport shuttle stopped to drop off yet another traveler in the remote parking lot at Chicago's O'Hare airport. He was beginning to regret his decision not to have someone pick them up. The only reason he hadn't just had the three of them hop in a cab was because he wanted to get to the small arsenal of weapons he kept in his trunk.
He glanced over to see Hannah sitting on Dylan's lap as they rounded the last curve before their stop. Hannah looked pale. They probably should have left her back at the hospital, but she'd thrown a fit, demanding she be taken to Connor.
Five minutes later, they were on the Kennedy, speeding towards the loft. Dylan had been trying to reach Derek ever since they got in the car, with no success. When Markus didn't answer either, warning bells had started going off.
Lukus used his Bluetooth to call Cameron.
The kid answered ready to do business. "What next?"
"Look at the security feed at the loft. Everything in order?"
Cam answered immediately. "I've had it up for the last few hours since you called. It looks good. Markus, Bri and Tiff are still playing cards in your living room. You don't have cameras in the bedrooms, but I saw Derek, Rachel, the lady in the wheelchair and the kid go back to the bedrooms over an hour ago."
Lukus should have relaxed, but he knew he wouldn't until he got there and saw all was well with his own eyes.
"Thanks. Keep watching. Anything new while I was in the air?"
"Not really. I helped the crime lab in California understand the coding in the journal. They're rounding up more suspects now."
"Good job, kid."
"When are you gonna stop calling me kid? I'm twenty-two," Cam said.
"Fine. Good job, man."
"Better. Later."
Lukus didn't answer. He hugged the exit ramp, getting off the expressway to zigzag his way through side streets in order to get to the loft as quickly as possible. They were only ten minutes away when he made his next call to Aiden, who picked up on the first ring.
"I figured you'd call soon. I saw your flight landed."
"Yeah. We're ten minutes out. Everything quiet?" Lukus asked.
"Yeah. Josh and I just did another lap through the neighborhood, looking for any suspicious vehicles or pedestrians fitting Davenport's description. All's quiet outside."
"That's good, I guess." Lukus couldn't hide his anxiety.
"Hey, you don't spook easy. What's up?" Odd words of praise from his future brother-in-law.
"It's probably nothing. I just can't get through to either Markus or Derek. I got some texts from Tiffany when I landed, but even she isn't picking up."
Silence greeted him at the other end of the phone until he heard Aiden telling Josh to pull up to the back door. "I'm gonna head up and check in with them. I'll stay there until you get here."
"Thanks, man. I know I'm being a pussy, but do you mind if
