Buried (A Bone Secrets Novel 03) (40 page)

Gerald breathed hard, his hands tight on his backup weapon as he locked in on the bleeding man in front of him. One of the first things he’d done after arriving at the mansion was arm himself; he’d felt naked in front of the trooper who’d given him the cell phone ticket. In the past, Phil had made fun of him for preferring to carry two guns. He wouldn’t be laughing now.

Coffee dripped down Gerald’s face. The heat had stung at first, but shock had replaced the pain. Michael Brody had surprised the shit out of him in the kitchen.
How the fuck did he get from Eastern Oregon so fast?
Gerald had assumed he was still moping around the town looking for his girlfriend. Now he was oozing blood on the governor’s floor, looking ready to pass out.

He’d seen the recognition on Brody’s face as he spotted his tattoos. In the past, Brody hadn’t spared him a second glance. An occasional greeting, that was about it. Gerald had always been careful to keep his arms covered as much as possible. The governor had felt his tattoos were unprofessional, even for someone who worked security, and he urged him to wear driving gloves and long sleeves, especially around other politicians.

The woman must have reported that he had ink. She could have gotten a glimpse.

“Where’s Jamie?” Michael panted.

Gerald laughed.

“
Where is she? What did you do to her?
”

He smiled back at Brody.

“If you’ve hurt her, I will kill you.”

“Then I better keep my mouth shut for now.”

“You’re a fucking sick asshole.” Brody spit the words. “You killed all those kids.”

Gerald raised one eyebrow and sighted his weapon again. Center of mass. Brody’s right arm drooped an inch.

“I heard about the pictures.”

“What pictures?”

“The police have Polaroids of you…and the kids…”

Those pictures.
“Big fucking deal.”

“What did you do with Jamie?” Brody’s gun quivered.

One side of Gerald’s mouth turned up. He saw no need to answer questions.

“
Is she dead? Did you kill her, you fucker?
” Brody’s arms shook violently with his question. “
Where is she?
”

Gerald wanted to just shoot the asshole again and be done with it. But part of his brain knew the governor would be livid. Livid at the political scandal. Right now everything that had just happened could be written off as an accident.

He needed to get Brody out of the house. Blood pooled near his knee. He could wait and Brody would be unconscious in minutes.

“What I want to know is why that bus of kids?” A different voice spoke from Gerald’s right. From the corner of his eye, he saw a man step into the dining room with a gun pointed at him.
What the fuck?
Gerald didn’t take his eyes off Brody.

“I’ll kill him! I’ll shoot him right now!” Gerald yelled at the newcomer. “Shoot me and I’ll have a bullet in Brody’s heart a
split second later.” He had a solid wall four feet behind him. The other man couldn’t move behind him for an advantage.

“Chris. Don’t shoot.” Brody breathed hard. “He needs to tell me where Jamie is.”

“Jamie’s downstairs. She’s fine.”

Chris Jacobs?
Gerald grinned. “You boys got together? You must have a lot in common.” Gerald saw Brody’s gun waver the slightest bit, relief touching his eyes.

“More than you know,” snarled Brody. “Put your gun down.”

“No, fucker! Why don’t you?” Gerald kept his gaze on Brody.

“Go back downstairs,” Brody ordered Chris. “I need to be the one to do this.”

“No, I’m going to put a bullet in his brain,” Chris insisted. “I will make him pay for what he did to me and my friends.
Do you know how often I wished I was dead?
While I was in that bunker and after? I’ve been looking over my shoulder
all my life
for this guy! And now he’s right in front of me.”

A new voice spoke. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Gerald smiled at the sound of his boss.

Thank God.
Michael exhaled. Uncle Phillip had spoken from his left.

Now Gerald would back down.

Michael’s rigid stance made his muscles shake, and his right side burned like a red-hot bitch. But he wouldn’t remove his focus from Gerald. He couldn’t.

“No!” Jamie’s voice rang from Uncle Phillip’s direction.

“Here’s something for you, Gerald! Look what I found in the garage,” Phillip said. Brian shot into the dining room, tripping over his feet and sprawling in front of Gerald. “This is the shit that happens when you don’t
follow orders!
”

Chris leaped forward but was too late. Gerald had already snatched the boy, scrambled to his feet, and held his gun at Brian’s temple. Michael glanced at Chris, who had his gaze locked on his son and his gun locked on Gerald’s head. Chris looked stricken. His son was in the hands of his nightmare.

“
Brian.
” Chris choked out the name.

Michael realized Phillip had shoved the boy into the room and now had a long blade at Jamie’s neck. Her furious green gaze met Michael’s.

He stared from Jamie to his uncle. “She’s okay, Uncle Phil, she’s with me.”

Phillip had Jamie as a shield. Her eyes were bloodshot, her usually sleek hair raggedy, and she rocked on her feet like she could barely stand. Phillip met his gaze and shook his head.

Michael couldn’t breathe; his lungs had no function.
No, Uncle Phil…why?
He swung his gun toward his uncle and faltered. “Uncle Phil…” His uncle didn’t let go.

Michael swayed. “Let her go. It’s Gerald, Uncle Phil. Gerald is the one—”

His uncle looked at Gerald. “
I can’t believe you fired a gun in my home!
”

Gerald blinked. “Accident.”

“There are no fucking accidents. Look where you’ve put us!” Phillip’s face darkened.

Michael’s vision narrowed, and events snapped neatly into place as his stomach heaved. “You knew,” he accused his uncle,
his gun shaking. “You knew what Gerald did!” Michael looked at Jamie. “I’m gonna get you out of here, princess.”

Her gaze held his, and she silently moved her lips.
Don’t call me princess.

God damn.
He blinked rapidly, realizing he would do anything for her. Give up any possession, any job, any friends to simply spend the rest of his life in her presence and have her smile at him with those eyes.

“Now, Michael,” Phillip said with a patient voice. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but barging into my home with a gun is uncalled for.” His uncle wore his politician’s smile, but his usually lively eyes were dead. The up and down of his emotions was unnatural.

“
Uncalled for?
” Michael’s head buzzed, and his limbs quivered. “This isn’t a political debate! A killer is your head of security. A killer who murdered children, stole children.
My brother and Jamie’s! Your nephew!
Why didn’t you do something?”

“Don’t make me hurt your beautiful woman, Michael. We can work this out.”

Michael swung his gun back to Gerald. Skin bulged where the muzzle of the gun dug into Brian’s temple. Red fury hazed Michael’s vision, and he heard Chris suck in a hoarse breath.

Brian was silent. His gaze darting between his father and Michael.

“Shoot me and he’ll slice the woman,” Gerald threatened.

Both Michael and Chris shifted their aim to the governor, who pressed the blade against Jamie’s neck. A drop of blood ran down to her collarbone. His uncle stared back at him, his eyes cold.
Why does he still protect Gerald? Over his own nephew?
Chris’s gun swung back to Gerald.

Michael’s mind raced. If he shot at his uncle, he could miss and hit Jamie. Either way, Gerald would shoot Brian.

If he or Chris shot at Gerald, the tattooed man’s gun could go off and shoot Brian. Phillip would slice Jamie’s neck.

There was no winning situation.

He met Chris’s eyes. A deathly fury shone in his brother’s gaze, but no answer of what to do.

For the first time in his life, Michael couldn’t take a chance. His gut wasn’t telling him what to do. There was too much at stake. It wasn’t just his life; it was Jamie’s, Brian’s, and Chris’s lives. Sweat ran down his spine, and he winced trying to clear his eyes. Fog started at the edges of his sight. He had to make a decision.

“Oh my God.” Phillip’s voice was ragged. Michael moved his gun in his direction and saw his uncle staring at Chris, his mouth slightly open. “Daniel.”

“What?” Gerald frowned and studied Chris. His eyes widened. “Jesus Christ. Where is Chris Jacobs?”

Jamie let out a breathy sob. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Michael’s heart split in pain for her.

“Chris didn’t make it,” she whispered.

“God damn it! You told me Daniel was dead!” Phillip shouted at Gerald.

The room went deathly silent. Chris met Michael’s gaze, and he knew they had the same thought.
Why did Phillip care if Daniel was dead?

Both men swung their weapons toward their uncle.

“It was you,” Michael stated quietly, locking eyes with his uncle. “You ordered Daniel killed. And all those other children got caught in the middle. You had Gerald do it. He was acting under your orders.”

Phillip said nothing, and the blade bit deeper in Jamie’s flesh. She gasped. Anger flushed his face.

“Why?
Why? What did I do?
” Chris screamed at his uncle.

Phillip said nothing, and Chris’s finger trembled on the trigger. Brian sniffled in the silence. Chris swerved his weapon at Gerald again.

“You’re a ghost,” Chris spat at Gerald. “You’re the Ghostman who killed my friends and ruined my life. My life and my family’s lives…both of my families.”

The Ghostman gave Chris a slow smile and moved his gun under Brian’s neck, pointing it up into the child’s soft skin. “I was just following orders.”

“
Gerald!
” the governor roared.

“
You ordered it!
” the Ghostman shouted back, veins popping on his neck. “You wanted the boy dead. You said he saw you strangle that woman.”

Jamie sucked in a loud breath, and Michael stared at his uncle.

Jamie felt another drop of blood run down her neck. The bite of the blade stung, and the man behind her frequently trembled. She smelled his sour sweat under the fresh scent of soap. He’d showered recently, but it wasn’t enough. The tension sucked the oxygen from the room, and she quietly gulped for air.

The governor had found her and Brian in Michael’s vehicle. She’d been telling Brian stories, talking quietly, trying to distract the boy and massage some feeling back into her feet at the same time. Brian’s gaze had shot over her shoulder an instant before she lost her balance and fell backward out of the vehicle as the governor yanked the door open. Her hands had grabbed
frantically at the SUV, but her head hit the concrete floor, and she’d stared up at an angry man.

Now she watched Michael sprawl on his knees in the huge dining room. His arms were taut as his weapon weaved between his two targets. Chris did the same gun choreography as the men shouted and threatened each other. Michael looked ready to collapse. The pool of blood by his knees slowly expanding. His entire right side was drenched in red.
How badly was he hurt?
Every few seconds, his arms quivered.

Jamie wanted to vomit. There was no scenario in her head where this ended well.

“What woman?” Michael shouted at his uncle.

“No woman.”

Jamie felt the governor’s arm tighten across her chest. She wanted to do something. Kick him or elbow his gut.
Do something!
She was a strong woman, but he was a large, fit man, and she’d spent the last several hours locked in a trunk with her limbs bound. She was lucky to be upright.

“You said he saw everything!” the Ghostman shouted. His pale face flushed with an odd luminescence, like his blood was lighter in color than anyone’s. Brian was holding steady. He watched everyone with his wide, dark eyes, not missing a thing. He sniffled occasionally, but Jamie was proud of her nephew. He was keeping his head.

Chris looked near the end of his rope. His feet were spread, his weight evenly balanced, and his gaze often locked with his son’s. When he looked at the Ghostman, Jamie saw death rise in his eyes.