The three brothers walked by Senior's desk placing their nine millimeter handguns in front of Windy one by one. Each brother giving a death stare as they passed by but the intensity of her stare equaled their

Robert Junior, the last son to approach Windy tried to broker his father's release. "Okay, we did what you wanted, let our father go."

Windy slowly lowered the letter opener from Senior's throat.

Senior held his throat, gasped, then in a raspy voice pointed at everyone behind the desk. "I want them all dead!"

Jimmy grabbed two nine millimeter handguns from the desktop. "That's not happening!" He readied the two guns to fire putting the Fortune men on high alert.

"Now Carrick, think about it." Joey stalled Jimmy. "You will be a hunted man the rest of your life!"

Jimmy laughed. "As if you won't hunt each and every one of my family down! Now sit your asses down."

Senior took one of the visitor's chairs, Johnny took the other chair, Robert Junior sat on the floor next to his father. As Joey sat he reached for the thirty-eight holstered to his ankle.

Joey fired two quick shots before it jammed on him. "Shittt!"

Jimmy rushed Joey cracking the left side of the mobster's of his face with one of the nine millimeter handguns, dazing him. He grabbed the thirty-eight from the floor.

Jimmy looked at the other men seated. "Anyone else have a spare? Senior?"

Brad's voice broke Jimmy's questioning. "Jimmy?"

Jimmy looked back at the usually quiet Brad. He couldn't see him or Windy. "Don't you fuckers move a muscle!"

Dana let out a shriek. "Windy!"

Jimmy's heart sank. He walked backwards watching the Fortunes and checking on Windy behind Senior's desk. "Joey, she better be okay, you son of a bitch!"

Johnny chose this time to rush Jimmy on his injured ankle but the sixteen year old girl scrambled for the last nine millimeter. Jordan had swiftly loaded the chamber of the handgun and pointed it at the youngest Fortune's head.

"Back off, Loser!" Jordan stood rigid, her feet wide apart with her arms extended and her index finger on the trigger. She tilted her head. "Or don't and see what a nine millimeter can do at three feet."

Jimmy's heart sank even more at the thought of his daughter's life being cut short by personally involving herself. "Jordan." But now he had to decide who to protect. Windy and his daughter.

He chose to tend to Windy. "Brad take these and point them at those fuckers." Jimmy looked Brad in his eyes. "Shoot to kill."

Brad frowned. "What? No!"

Jimmy pulled Brad near to whisper the next terrifying thought. "They will not hesitate to kill you and everyone you love." He stood Dana's husband, lifted the drummer's arms locked his elbows. "Squeeze the trigger and don't close your eyes."

"You're already dead, Carrick. My security guards will be here in a minute." Senior smugly folded his arms.

"Oh you mean Chili and Stevie?" Jimmy rolled his eyes at Senior before he tended to Windy. "Win? Win?"

Joey recovered from the pistol to the face. "I hope I killed her you mother..."

"If my grandma hears you finish that word I will shoot that tiny member between your legs." Jordan's voice did not waiver.

"You?" Joey scoffed as he tried to stand.

Jordan waited until Joey was in a vulnerable position before she kicked him in the plums. The middle son groaned as he feel to the hardwood floor. "Yeah ~ me!"

Brad cracked the slightest of smiles before Senior's security guards entered the office. A wide eyed Chili entered first with his gun held high."Hey, hey, hey! Put those guns down!"

Jimmy popped up. He pointed to Jordan. "Chili! That's my daughter!" Then he pointed to Brad. "And that's her father. Just chill, would ya?"

"Okay, Jack!" Chili scratched his head before looking back at his partner. "It's just Jack, Stevie."

Senior jumped up exploding into a tirade. "You two idiots work for me! Fuck! You couldn't be any more stupid if you fell off a fucking truck! Kill them all!"

Chili looked at Stevie then back to Senior. "No Sir! I won't kill anyone for you." He holstered his sidearm. "I quit! How 'bout you Stevie?"

"Yeah, I'm not a hitman." Stevie agreed with his friend. "Let's get outta here, Chili!"

Windy seemed to be responding to Jimmy's voice. "Win!"

She reached up and pulled Jimmy close. With the inadequate volume of oxygen Windy took in her voice was barely audible. "They're not worth it. Get out of here, Babe." Her eyes closed.

"Win!" Jimmy was on the verge of crying but the rage that had built up inside over the years of dealing with the mob family caught up with the usually mild mannered man.

Dana witnessed the crazed look her ex-boyfriend's eyes. "Jimmy, you're scaring me!"

Jimmy stood, turned, and look down at Joey. Though before he took a step an old foe walked through the office door infuriating the agitated man. "You! Where the fuck did you come from?" He pulled on Brad's shoulder. "Give me one of them!"

"Relax, Carrick." Frank Jacobs hands shot up showing his palms. "I can explain!"

Robert Senior turned to see his oldest paid insider cop. "Jacobs! Great to see you, man!"

Jimmy screamed at the mob father, making a fist and cocking his left arm threatening physical repercussions. "Senior, sit your ass down! Now!" He turned his attention back to the last man who entered the office.

"Fuck you, Jacobs!" Jimmy looked ready to kill every one of the Fortunes and the former cop, Jacobs as he pried a nine millimeter handgun from Brad.

With the atmosphere quickly descending into chaos Eagle Creek entered the office. "Jimmy." The immense native man stepped in front of Jacobs. "Frank is here to help."

Jimmy stopped mid step, frowned at Eagle Creek before lowering the handgun. "Oh, this better be good Eagle Creek."

"We took Frank back to the village." Eagle Creek began explaining why he was protecting the bad cop. "He has been through the healing ceremony."

"The what?"

"The people of the village have forgiven Frank for his actions." The indigenous leader walked towards Jimmy. "He has shown remorse and has been undergoing intensive immersion into our culture over the past few weeks."

Jimmy tilted his head as he questioned Eagle Creek. "Jacobs?"

"Yes, Frank."

"I thought he was going to pay for his dirty work?!"

"He has." Eagle Creek made his way to Jimmy, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Imagine having everything you ever knew and believed in be as hollow as a rotten tree on the forest floor."

The new, enlightened Jacobs spoke differently than he once had. "Mr. Carrick, I hope to prove this to you now."

Jimmy did not appear fully convinced. "How?"

Dana screamed. "Jimmy get over here!"

Eagle Creek quickly moved around Jimmy and Brad. "A little space please." Dana shuffled to one side allowing the man to assess Windy. He listened to her chest then placed his ear next to her mouth. He stood and looked to the former cop. "Frank. Help me move Miss South."

"Jacobs? Wait, no!" Jimmy objected stepping in front of his former nemesis.

"Jimmy, we must get Miss South to the hospital now." Eagle Creek's voice seemed to take the rage from the man. "You get everyone out of here!" He patted Jimmy on his shoulder.

Robert Senior again stood, this time firing openly at the former cop he had on the payroll for the past two decades. "Jacobs? You perfidious bastard!" His anger evident in his agitated voice. "After all the years of feeding from the trough. I demand your loyalty now or you will be hunted down the same as everyone here! I promise you that!"

Jacobs spoke simply as he walked past Senior. "You are correct. I was underhanded, treacherous and I even appeared evil to many. I was a traitor to the people of Van City but no more, Senior. Hunt me down if you must."

Jimmy looked at Jacobs, then to the equally stunned Robert Senior. I'll be damned! He admitted all that? Maybe he is a changed man.

Eagle Creek prayed for safe passage before he and Jacobs lifted Windy from the hardwood floor. Jimmy took the handguns from Jordan before he kissed her forehead. "I hope that is the last time you need to hold a gun, Kiddo."

Jimmy gave a wry smile to Brad. "Thanks for having my back, Drummer Boy. Now get your family out of here."

Brad nodded then quickly hooked his arm onto Jordan. Dana rushed around the desk, embracing the two.

Mama hugged Jimmy from behind. "Time to go."

Jimmy looked at his family. "Better go while you can." Jimmy looked at Dana. "You can kick my ass later." She just shook her head. "Don't look back."

Joey was about to say something but Jimmy raised two nine millimeter handguns silencing the middle child. Brad closed the office door following his family.

Joey spoke first. "You're fucking dead, Carrick!"

"You have no idea what I have planned for your family." Robert Senior crossed his arms and raised his nose to Jimmy.

"How about you, Johnny. Anything you want to add?" Jimmy leaned against the expensive desk.

Johnny shook his head suggesting he had nothing.

Jimmy looked at the four. "We have a little time to kill, boys."

"What are you talking about, Carrick?" Joey spoke nervously. "Make your shot count."

"You think I am going to kill you?" Jimmy chortled. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've made sure you and Johnny drowned that night."

The office door opened angering Jimmy. "I told you not to look back!"

Two Russian women walked in as if they owned the mansion. "Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy. Why so hostile?"

"You really want me to answer that Lana or whoever you are." Jimmy sarcastically asked. "Annika, any stupid questions?"

"What are you going to do? Kill us all?" Annika scoffed.

Jimmy looked at his cellphone. "In about fifteen minutes I will lay these guns down. That was the deal, wasn't it?" Jimmy circled the desk, taking a seat on Seniors comfortable desk chair. "I give myself up and my family goes free."

"You are going to stand by your word?" Joey frowned. "Even holding all the cards you aren't going to change the agreement?"

"If your family has any honor at all you will stay away from the people I love. Windy and my daughter's family." Jimmy waited for the four men to talk it out. When it looked like they finished he asked the four. "Well, do we have a deal?"

Robert Senior stood. "You have a deal. Now lay the guns down."

"One moment." Jimmy laid his cellphone on the desk and struck it several times with the butt of the handgun in his right hand. "Okay."

Jimmy laid the two nine millimeter handguns down and backed away. "My future is now in the hands, boys!"

Lana and Annika both pulled handguns of their own. Lana chortled. "Not so fast boys!"

Senior turned to the women. "Ladies, we have the situation under control. No need..."

Lana stopped Senior. "We are taking the decision out of your hands, Robert. Jimmy, it's time to leave." She waved at him to join her and Annika.

"You dare to take this man from me?" Senior's anger could was palpable. "In my home?!"

"You should feel lucky we don't kill you, Robert."

"Do not threaten me!" Senior grinded his teeth.

"You forget you work for me, not the other way, Robert." Lana giggled. "Men? They never know their place."

Jimmy rushed to the women and away from certain death at the hands of the Fortunes. "See you guys!"

Lana waited at the door as her sister and Jimmy headed out. "Count to, let's say, fifty before you open this door. See ya, boys!"

The three raced away from the Fortune mansion in Lana's Lincoln Aviator SUV. Jimmy watched the mansion until it was out of view before he relaxed. "No one's following."

As Jimmy turned to thank the sisters for getting him out of the sticky situation Annika, stuck him with a needle.

"What was tha...." Jimmy was quickly incapacitated.

Lana watched Jimmy's head fall against the door. "Get back there and prepare him for his journey." Her laughter filled the SUV.

Annika questioned her sister as she pulled his leather jacket off and replaced his jeans with a pair jogging pants. "Why Mexico? He'll probably think he's on vacation!"

Lana laughed again. "He hates the heat! He's Canadian and won't last a month!"

An hour and twenty minutes later the three arrived at the marina. Lana called her yatch's captain and he dispatched two seamen to collect Jimmy.

Lana pointed to the men. "Remember, keep him heavily sedated until he arrives at the farm."

"Got it!"

Lana's watched her yatch pull out of the harbor. "Let's go! We have a lot of work to do to make up for after the warehouse was compromised."

"Sis, I think you still love Jimmy." Annika coyly looked at Lana.

"Shut your mouth!" Lana pointed at her sister. "I just sent him to his death."

We have come to the end of the second novel of my Dark Path series. Stay tuned, the next book is already surfacing.

Thanks to my most loyal reader Mrsdeemo for sticking by and being a great sounding board!