Chapter 222: ATTACK
Abigail
The knock on the door grew louder and harder, getting more ferocious with each passing second. Each thud rattled the wooden frame like someone was trying to break it down with pure rage.
Shit. Not now!
My heart slammed against my ribcage. Owen Smith’s face drained of all color, he looked as so pale. He stumbled backward, eyes wide with terror, hands trembling while he pressed himself against the far wall of his small living room like that would make him disappear.
"It’s them," he whispered, his voice cracking.
"They found me. You did this. You brought them here!"
His eyes shot daggers, accusing me and Annette.
"Okay, what now?" Annette whispered.
My pulse roared in my ears. The knock turned into violent pounding, like fists or boots slamming against the door. I flinched, wincing at the loud sounds.
Think, think, Abigail.
Owen wasn’t helping with his screaming and ranting, for goodness sake!
"You stupid girls!" Owen hissed, his voice rising in panic.
"I managed to live in peace for fifteen years! Fifteen years! I kept my mouth shut, I stayed hidden, I did everything they told me to. And now you show up asking questions? You’re going to get me killed, just like your parents got killed! Is that what you want? To drag more people down with you?"
His words stung like acid, but I couldn’t focus on the hurt. Fear clawed up my throat, making it hard to breathe. I grabbed Annette’s hand, squeezing it tight. Her palm was slick with sweat, matching mine.
"We have to do something," I whispered. My free hand fumbled for my phone.
Finnegan’s men were parked a block away, I just needed to call them and hope they came through before whatever asshole Gina sent this time put a bullet through our heads.
"Annette, get behind me."
My fingers trembled as I tapped Arnold’s contact. He was the one who drove us down here. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my teeth.
The pounding on the door grew louder, more violent. The frame splintered with a loud crack. Owen screamed, retreating further into the corner like a trapped animal.
"They’re going to kill me!" he wailed. "All because of you two! You selfish bitches! Why couldn’t you just leave the past alone? Your parents are dead, let them stay dead!"
"Stop fucking talking!" Annette screamed back at him while I fought the tears burning the corners of my eyes and forced them back.
He was just scared. And terrified people said very shitty things. I hit the call button just as the door exploded inward with a deafening crash, sending wood and sawdust flying through the air.
A man stepped through the wreckage, flanked by two hulking henchmen. It was the same asshole who had shot Richard Saxon at the gala.
The same man I had seen slipping away at the company. His eyes locked on me with cold amusement glinting in them. What had the police called his name again?
Jeff?
"Well, well, well," Jeff drawled, a cynical smirk twisting his lips. "Nobody invited me to the pity party. But here I am anyway. Fancy seeing you again, Little Kellerman girl. Still playing detective? How cute."
He took a slow step forward, his boots crunching over the broken wood. The air thickened with tension, I swear I could taste it on my tongue. I glanced down at the phone in my hand. The call was connected but no one was saying anything!
No way, what had happened to Finnegan’s men?
Jeff’s eyes flicked to Owen, then back to me. "You really are a pain in the ass, aren’t you? Snooping around, digging up things that should stay buried. I told the boss you would be trouble for her, and look at that."
He took another step. My heart hammered wildly. Annette’s hand tightened in mine. Owen whimpered in the corner, muttering prayers under his breath.
Jeff’s smirk widened. "Don’t worry. I don’t want much. I just want you to stop being such a fucking nuisance."
He lunged forward. I immediately kicked off my heels at him, hurling one in his face. It cracked against his jaw with a sickening thud.
He roared in pain but kept coming. I staggered back, but Annette screamed and threw herself at one of the henchmen, clawing at his face.
Chaos erupted.
The henchmen charged. Jeff swung at me, his fist grazing my shoulder. Pain exploded through my body, but adrenaline pumped wildly through my veins and kept me moving.
I drove my heel hard into his knee, making him stagger. Annette was fighting like a wildcat, but one of the men grabbed her by the hair, wrenching her back. Then the door burst open again.
"Thank fuck!" Annette gasped as Finnegan’s security team stormed in.
"Miss Kellerman!" Arnold called immediately, charging for Jeff and wrenching the asshole off me while the other men dove for Jeff’s men.
Shouts and grunts filled the air as fists flew and bodies crashed against the furniture. I could only imagine what Owen’s neighbours were thinking, hearing all the noise and ruckus.
One of Jeff’s henchmen went down hard, tackled to the ground. Jeff cursed, swinging wildly, but Finnegan’s men were faster and stronger. A punch connected with Jeff’s jaw, sending him reeling.
"Get them out!" one of the guards shouted.
Hands gripped me and Annette, ushering us toward the back door while the fight raged. Jeff and his remaining henchman broke free, bolting through the front door and vanishing into the afternoon.
We stumbled outside, blood rushing loudly through my ears, breathing ragged. Now I knew what all those high school gang fights felt like.
"Damn," Annette sighed, clutching my hand. "Well, that happened."
I glanced back at the house, chest heaving.
"Mr. Smith?" I called, my voice hoarse.
"Owen? It’s okay now. They’re gone!"
When we heard nothing, Annette and I rushed back inside to the room where Owen had run to hide.
The window was wide open, curtains fluttering in the breeze. The room was empty. Annette grabbed my arm, eyes wide with the same fear I felt. "Abby... where is he?"
Owen Smith was gone. My stomach dropped. "Maybe he escaped through the window?"
"Or maybe," Arnold walked in behind us, scanning the room with his eyes. "Jeff’s men took him while we were distracted."
