Page 42 of Shadows Redeemed
Before she even knew what she was doing, Sage shot to her feet, her gun aimed right at Bryce’s chest. “You killed my father? You?” She moved around the table, no longer worried about her safety, a burning fury raging through her like a forest fire out of control. “You watched me struggle with his death all that time, and it was you?” She gripped the handle of the gun, her muscles taut, trembling, and it took everything she had not to fire.
Bryce looked at her, genuine anguish creasing his weathered face. “Look, girlie, it wasn’t supposed to go down that way. I warned him, just like I warned you.” He ran his free hand through his hair, sighing. “Damn, but you Silvers are some pigheaded busybodies.”
Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched as the four men with her stood to their feet, each one aiming their gun at a different target. Without looking at her, Dane took over the conversation. “This needs to end. Now. My tech guy has heard it all, detectives, and has already called it in, I assure you. Police will be here any minute. There’s no need for anyone else to get hurt.”
Sage cast a quick glance at Jacob—or where Jacob should have been, except now he was gone. Only a puddle of blood marked that he had even been there. She jerked her gaze around the warehouse, searching for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.Where the hell did he go?
Yet, it didn’t surprise her he was gone. Typical Jacob.
She turned her attention back to Bryce. “So, are you the one who stole Broussard’s drugs?”
“It was him,” Parker said, walking around the man as he glanced at Sage. “It was all of them, actually.” He cocked his head as he turned to Broussard. “Seems little Luc here no longer wanted to wait for his inheritance and decided to branch out on his own. And why not? With two detectives and a street-smart investigator in his pockets, he could do whatever he wanted. Until he couldn’t, that is.” He moved over to Sage, stopping a couple of feet away before turning back to Bryce. “Someone got a little greedy.” He cocked his head as he studied each of the detectives and Bryce. “My guess is Sullivan was ready for more.”
“Why you son of a—” Sullivan stepped around Bryce, shoving the older man out of the way as he lunged for Parker.
“Stop!”
Everyone looked up into the rafters where Jacob stood again, blood seeping into his chest and a black duffel bag in his hand. He swung the bag out into the air, letting it fall to the concrete floor, where it landed with an echoing thud. “Your drugs.”
Everyone turned toward the undercover cop, and Sage felt confusion pinching her brow. “You did it? You took the drugs?” Why was she not surprised? Anger replaced confusion. “They almost killed your brother, damn it!”
Parker stepped in front of her, however, pointing to Luc. “He looks kind of pale, don’t you think?”
She turned to look at the young Broussard. The man simply stared at the duffel bag.
“You?” Bryce spun on the man, jerking his gun arm up as he took a step toward Luc. “You stole from us? You lousy son of a bitch!”
“Bryce!”
Everyone looked up at Jacob, who leaned against the support, looking paler than he had a second ago. He aimed hisgun at Bryce, but his hand shook and Sage doubted he could aim it with any accuracy. Still, he pressed forward as if he had all the time in the world, time the dripping of his blood to the floor said he didn’t have.
“It’s jail for him,” Jacob said. “Now back off. The drugs were in his car. I just needed him here so I could get in it and search. Now, back off.”
Bryce snarled, jerking his gun arm around and firing. “Like hell I will.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THE CRACK OF A gunshot rang out as Bryce spun, his pistol raised in a flash of movement too quick to follow. The sound reverberated through the alley, a deafening boom that drowned out the ragged gasps of everyone present. Parker’s eyes widened as he saw the investigator fire—once, twice—directly at Jacob.
“Jacob!” Parker’s shout ripped from his throat as his body reacted before his mind could catch up. He sprang forward, but it was already too late. He saw his brother stumble back, gripping the support to keep himself from falling for a second time. As he fell back against the iron column, Parker saw blood blooming on his brother’s shirt. Again.
In the split second it took for his heart to seize in his chest, Parker’s instincts kicked in. Bryce wasn’t done—none of them were. As Parker rushed toward the older man, fists clenched, a new barrage of gunfire erupted from the other side of the alley. Blake, Sullivan, and Luc and his men turned on Sage’s team, determined, more than likely, to get out of there without leaving witnesses behind. The precision of her team was undeniable, however, their movements efficient. He could see why she trusted these men with her life. Yet now, the firefight theyhad been drawn into felt like an impossible nightmare in the confines of an almost empty warehouse.
“Get down!” Dane shouted over the clatter of bullets.
Parker barely had time to register the chaos before he saw Sage—brave, determined Sage—moving in the line of fire, doing her best to distract Bryce from firing anymore at Jacob. Fear slashed through him, sharper than anything he’d ever felt. In that moment, his mind blanked on everything else. Not Jacob, not Bryce. Only Sage.
Without thinking, he lunged across the warehouse floor, grabbing Sage and yanking her down just as bullets ricocheted off the concrete wall behind her. They both hit the ground hard, Sage’s breath rushing from her lungs as she twisted to face him, rage reddening her face.
“What the hell are you doing?” She jerked herself out from underneath him, pushing him away from her, but he cut her off, his voice tight with panic.
“Stay down, damn it!” He growled through gritted teeth, shielding her with his body as he peered over the top of an overturned table.
The rest of Sage’s team was returning fire with brutal efficiency, their movements honed from years of combat. Dane fired in rapid bursts, his aim true. Elvis, ever the calm one, inched his way around, ready to come between Jacob and Bryce. Meanwhile, Gage and Cookie flanked the enemy, their weapons singing death across the warehouse.
However, even as Parker breathed in the relief of seeing Sage alive beside him, a sharp burning pain tore through his shoulder, ripping a scream from his lips. His body jolted as the bullet tore through his flesh, and for a brief second, he faltered, his vision going white with agony. He could feel the warmth of his own blood spreading across his shirt, the sensation both surreal and terrifying.
“Parker!” Sage’s voice slipped from rage to desperation, her hands on him, trying to pull him back down as he swayed on his feet.
