Chapter 167: We are in this together
1170words
The butterflies in my stomach fluttered with those two little words.
Drake wanted me to marry him? Or was it just an in the moment kind of question? As much as I'd love to be attached to Drake like that, I didn't know if my past would allow it. I could say I had healed and moved on from my marriage to Jason, but I'd be lying. There would always be a fear in the back of my mind with memories of him. I didn't think I'd marry again so soon, if at all. And how did I reply to that? I wasn't ready to but I didn't want to hurt him. It wasn't that I didn't want to marry Drake, it was the fact that I didn't think I was ready to be someone's wife again.
"Guys!" Luis's shriek came from the doorway and I could kiss him for interrupting. I knew the subject would come up again if Drake was truly serious, but we had other things to worry about right now. "Micky just rang and said he followed Diego to some abandoned warehouse district. He knows that Dakota and I got away but looks like mother dearest and Diego are making a run for it."
Drake stood up in a rush, crash landing me to my fit as another pain shot through my ribs. I held back the pain and turned to P.
"Where are they going?" Drake asked as he ran after luis.
I was right behind them, descending the steps as fast as my sore ribs would allow. Aunt Rose was still in the living room talking to who I assumed was Micky on the phone.
"They're going to a small airfield," Aunt Rose told him. "I can't see a name but I can see it in my head. It's out by the water and a large fence is surrounding it."
I glanced at the faces in the room when I froze on Drake's. He knew where that airfield was. I could see it all over his face. His jaw tightened as he slowly backed away and went into the kitchen. The sound of keys jingling caused a panic in my chest. Drake was going to the airfield and I'd be damned if he was going alone.
"Drake," I rasped out as he grabbed the garage door handle.
He slowly peered over his shoulder at me with uncertainty etched on his face. "I have to do this, lynn. This ends tonight."
I stormed up to him. "Then I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not. I can't think straight if I know you're in danger."
I grabbed his face. "You're not going without me, Drake. We're in this together. I can't go on living if you don't walk away from this. We go together or you don't go at all."
He wrapped his strong, tattooed arm around my waist and pulled me tightly to his chest. "I love you, lynn." Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the garage.
We got in his Audi before he took off out of the driveway like a bat out of hell. He was on a mission and he wouldn't stop until it was done. I could only pray that he wouldn't do anything rash when we got there. He was infuriated with Diego and I knew all too well what anger could make you do without thinking it through.
I reached over and took Drake's inked hand in mine, wanting to let him know I was still beside him. He squeezed my hand a few times before he wiggled free and grabbed the shifter. The car jolted forward as the lights illuminating the freeway blurred by. There was hardly any traffic out this time of night so he was able to fly, but my heart thundered in my chest at these high speeds. I trusted his driving, though.
When he veered off the highway, I saw the remote airfield come into view and nausea swept through me. I almost hoped it would take longer to get there, but it had literally been minutes. My eyes sought out any movement but saw nothing. Micky's van was MIA and so was Diego's truck. There was no movement and I was thankful for that. Maybe it was the wrong airfield.
But when Drake raced through the open gate and circled one of the large hangars, I saw what I didn't want to. Diego and his mother were prepping a small engine plane as they threw the leather bags with my money into it. Their gazes turned to us as Drake slammed on the breaks and got out.
"Well, well, well, look who didn't make it to Chicago! I guess having money really can get you out of anything. Tell me, who'd you pay off this time?"
I cringed at Diego's words as they filled the car. How dare he stand there and accuse Drake of bribing someone! He was the one who put Drake behind bars, so maybe he was the one who made a bribe.
"This ends tonight, Diego," Drake snapped. "You fucked with the wrong guy and you put your hands on the wrong woman. We're supposed to be family, man!" He barked out the last line.
Diego laughed. "Family?! You abandoned your family! You were always too good for us, weren't you?"
"No!"
Drake stepped forward as panic consumed me. I jumped out of the car as Drake peered over his shoulder at me, looking more pissed than I'd ever seen before. But I wasn't about to let him face this alone.
"I never thought I was too good for you! I just wanted better! Is that a fucking crime?!"
"It is when you knew where you were leaving us! You didn't even bat an eye when you left that morning!"
"And yet I'm the one to blame?! Why aren't you blaming her?!" Drake shouted as he pointed a finger at their mother. "Or how about the man you work for? The man who fathered us! Why aren't they to blame?"
Diego shook his head as his deep laughter filled the hangar. A chill swept across my body as I watched the horror unfold before me. Diego reached into his back and pulled out a small handgun, the very one he held into my mouth before.
He pointed it straight at Drake as alarm bells went off in my head. Where the fuck was Micky?! My feet moved as I rounded the open car door, careful not to make any fast movements.
"Lynn, no!" Drake cried.
I held up my hand as I pinned Diego with my glare. "Please don't do this, Diego. We can all talk about this. Nobody needs to get hurt."
He laughed again. "Hurt? Honey, I plan on putting this motherfucker into an early grave!"
A sob escaped my lips as I shook to the core. I wouldn't let Diego kill Drake if it was the last thing I ever did.
