“I am nothing like you, old man.”
“Really?” The arm that’s holding Jazz moves until his hand is right over her breast. My trigger finger gets itchy when he squeezes it, taunting me. “We have the same taste in women.”
I have to consciously avoid looking at Jazz’s face right now because I don’t think I can handle seeing the fear I know she must be feeling. “I’m not going to say it again, Dad. Let her go.”
“Or what?” he scoffs. “I don’t think you have the balls to shoot me.”
I aim the gun to the right and pull the trigger. Jazz screams when the mirror above the dresser shatters. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Charles crawling on the floor, slowly inching toward them. I quickly glance his way and find him looking right back at me, silently trying to communicate his intentions. I don’t trust that bastard as far as I can throw him, but I do believe his hatred for my father is strong enough to let this play out. I know I need to keep my father distracted long enough for that to happen, though.
“You don’t think so?” A muscle in his cheek jumps as I goad him. “Why not? Because you’ve been such an exemplary father all these years?”
“You ungrateful little shit. I should’ve had someone kill you, just like I did with your bitch of a mother.” My father’s mouth forms into a malicious grin when he sees my lack of shock. “Ah, I can see that comes as no surprise to you. Maybe you are smarter than I’ve given you credit for. Does your sister know?”
“Know what an evil bastard you are?” I ask. “Yes. Does she know the details of what you and Callahan have done? She’s about to find out. I’m sure it’ll be all over every news channel soon enough.”
His eyes narrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means exactly what I said. By the time you get off this boat, Ainsley—and the rest of the world —will know all your dirty deeds. The trafficking, the embezzlement, the cartel connections, bribery, and blackmail. All of it.” When his eyes widen, I continue. “You see, dear father, the FBI has been on to you two for a long time. And it just so happens that your jilted lover, Madeline, gave them the missing piece of the puzzle they needed to bust your ass. Your warehouse is being raided as we speak.”
His eyes flash with rage, right before he points the gun at Charles and shoots him in the head. Blood splatters as Charles’ lifeless body immediately falls to the floor. My father then swings the gun back to me, but Jazz uses the distraction to shove out of his hold before he gets the chance to pull the trigger. As his weapon drops to the floor, Jazz takes the opportunity to duck into a closet. With her out of the line of fire, I can now focus solely on taking this motherfucker down.
My father’s nostrils flare, and his eyes are crazed as he lunges for me. I don’t give him a chance to touch me, though. I aim the barrel of my gun and fire. My first shot hits him in the leg, causing him to fall to his knees. He doubles over when my second shot hits him in the shoulder.
“You shot me!” He scrambles for the gun he dropped when Jazz pushed him, but he’s having trouble moving his arm.
I step forward and kick the gun away. “And I’ll do it again if you don’t give up. I’d rather let the feds deal with you so I can enjoy the thought of you rotting away getting raped in prison for the rest of your miserable life, but I’m not afraid to blow your brains out if you force my hand. Either way, you’re no longer a problem.”
“You’d murder your father for a piece of pussy?” he screams.
I scoff. “No. I’d kill you because you’re a sadistic fuck who doesn’t deserve to breathe. The world is a better place without you.”
“When did you become such a goddamn vigilante?” My father’s face pales and sweat beads his brow as the blood loss starts to affect him.
“Right around the time I found out you were responsible for my mother’s death. But to be fair, I didn’t like you very much before then.”
“I wish you were never born, you little punk.”
“And I wish you were the one who died that day instead of her.”
I see the moment he decides to go for it. I suppose he thinks he has nothing to lose, which I can’t exactly say I disagree. I fire my last shot the second my dad reaches for his gun. The bullet lands in the center of his forehead, the light instantly fading from the same hazel eyes I see in the mirror every morning. I feel strangely unaffected by the fact that I just killed my father as I tuck my gun in the back of my jeans and head straight for the closet where Jazz is seeking shelter.
“Jazz.”
“Oh my God, are you okay?” Jazz frantically runs her hands over my face, inspecting me for damage.
“I’m fine.” I lightly brush the bruise on her jaw. Her eyes are bloodshot from crying, and she’s shaking, but she appears mostly okay. “Are you? Did he touch you?”
She shakes her head. “No. He didn’t get the chance before you came. Is it... is he...”
I nod. “Dead. Both of them.”
Jazz wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me into her, sobbing into my chest. I hold on tightly, never wanting to let go. I sink to the floor and pull her into my lap, giving her time to process everything.
“So, it’s over? It’s really over?” She sniffles.
I kiss the top of her head. “It’s over.”
“Kingston?” My PI, John, calls out. “It’s clear, Bentley.”
“Yo, dawg, you in here?”
Jazz lifts her head. “Bent? In here!”
A moment later, Bentley and John appear in the doorway to the closet.
“Hey, baby girl,” Bentley says. “You okay?”
She sniffles. “Yeah.”
John nods to me in acknowledgment. “Everything good? I heard shots.”
“Yep,” I confirm. “Everything okay up top?”
“It’s clear. The only other person on the boat was the captain, and I took him down quickly. He’s cuffed to one of the railings on the upper deck. Your friend Reed is watching him.”
“How did you all get here so quickly?” Jazz questions.
I smooth some hair away from her face and finger the locket around her neck. “I was waiting at the driving school to pick you up. The second I saw your instructor returning without you, I checked the GPS. When I saw you were at the marina, I knew my father had gotten to you somehow. I called the guys right away and told them to meet me here.”
“Aren’t we offshore? Where’d you get a boat?”
I nod. “About two miles or so. I borrowed some guy’s speedboat. He was just getting ready to go out.”
Jazz raises her eyebrows. “And he willingly just let you have it, huh?”
I shrug. “I gave him the keys to my Agera as collateral.”
She smiles softly. “Thank God you’re such a stalkery stalker.”
“Don’t encourage him, Jazzy.” Bent laughs. “What do you want to do now, bro?” He jerks his head over his shoulder, adopting a more serious expression when he gestures to the two dead bodies behind him. “What do we do with them?”
“I’ll call it in. I need to check in anyway.” John holds up his cell. “If you’ll excuse me.”
I nod. “Thanks, man.”
I take a deep breath and help Jazz stand. Bentley averts his eyes when he notices she’s not wearing any pants.
“I... uh... I’ll meet you up top, yeah?”
Jazz blushes. “Yeah, Bent. Thanks.”
I wait while Jazz gets dressed, then we both exit the master cabin, carefully avoiding the two bodies. Jazz stops at the threshold and turns around to survey the room. She takes a deep breath as her eyes land on Charles, before she grabs my hand and we head up to the bridge together. Right before we get there to meet up with the guys, I pull her to a stop.
Her delicate brows crease. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I assure her. “Just needed to say something before we have to deal with the inevitable shitstorm of explaining what happened here.”
Jazz runs her finger along the length of my eyebrow, down the bridge of my nose. “What’s that?”
I press my lips against hers. “I love you. You know that’s never going to change, right?”