The Love We Hate

PROLOGUE

Danielle Marvick leaned her head back and closed her eyes for a moment. The vibrations of the car traveled through her body like a soft massage, willing her muscles to relax, but it did nothing to calm her down.

Her favorite wireless earphones were jammed into her ears. The music playing drowned out all the noise around her. Which was a good thing, considering she was in an SUV with all three of her brothers and their father.

One would have thought being on a drive with her family brought warm thoughts and feelings to mind. Like the fun family road trips usually depicted in movies. Far from it was the truth. It was like being locked in a confined space with unpredictable wild animals. Poisonous animals at that. Her skin twitched every time someone shuffled in their seat or looked her way. As though she was expecting any of them to suddenly turn on her ad inflict harm.

Danielle tried to calm down. Strapping herself into an emotional roller coaster wasn’t the best of ideas right now. She took a deep, slow breath and focused on the song playing in her ears. The lyrics from Pink and Rag’n’Bone’s Anywhere Away from Here flowed into her brain.

Pull me underground

Don’t know if you notice

Sometimes I close my eyes

And dream I’m somewhere else

Anywhere away from here

Truer words had never been spoken, Danielle thought. She really wished she could close her eyes and just wish herself away from everything, not just the car. But that wasn’t going to happen and Danielle knew better than to waste precious energy wishing and dreaming. All the wishes and dreams hadn’t saved her yet. And they never would, so long as she still had Marvick's blood running through her veins.

A beat passed, and then Danielle opened her eyes and changed the song. She quickly scrolled through her playlist. Something by G-Eazy: Good Life; that worked better. At the very least, it lifted her mood.

Her fingers tapped on her thigh in tune with the beat as she finally looked at her family. Even though she couldn’t hear them, she knew her brothers and father were discussing their plans as they drove towards the forest. The plan. Danielle nearly scoffed just thinking about it. The plan was dangerous, crazy, and very illegal, but it wasn’t something new for their family.

Danielle wasn’t sure she could say she loved her family, but she was a part of it. The youngest and only daughter of the well-known Clement Marvick. Not known for his good heart and charitable contributions though. Her father was a tough-as-nails middle-aged man who still looked as fit as his young sons. He had founded and ran the Marvick crime family for decades. And like every good father, he had made sure to incorporate all his children into the family business.

Some had taken to it a little too well. Like Henry, for example, Danielle thought as she stared at her elder brother seated on her left.

Henry Marvick, Clement’s youngest son, was actually the reason they all drove in the middle of the night to what Danielle categorized as a major clusterfuck. But no one was going to listen to her. Actually, she had made the error of voicing her opinion over the matter, and her other brother, Chip, Clement’s second-oldest son, had made sure she understood her role in the family. Do as you’re told and don’t ask questions.

Just then, the car turned off the road and entered a bumpy, rough path barely wide enough to accommodate their car. The sudden change was enough to interrupt her thoughts. After being bounced around for a couple of seconds, Danielle removed her earphones and grabbed her seatbelt. The shakes were making her already empty, nervous stomach churn dangerously.

She realized that her brothers and father were still discussing their plan and seemed unbothered by the shakes. Without the music from her earphones to drown it all away, Danielle was now forced to listen.

“I want this over and done with before sunrise,” Clement said in a low but firm voice. The one he used when he wanted to remind everyone that he was a very bad man. Not that people ever had time to forget such an important detail.

“They won’t know what hit them,” Henry responded, a little too eager for his own good.

Danielle didn’t like the excitement in her brother’s voice. He had already proved the level of his madness in past events by murdering almost an entire family. That’s what started everything.

In all honesty, in Danielle’s opinion, Henry had been making one poor decision after another. And it didn’t appear he would stop and think any time soon.

Danielle’s mind drifted away from the conversation, and she thought of how the events had played out.

First, Henry had made the mistake of committing murder in a public place which resulted in an eyewitness, Abraham Jackson. The biggest mistake any criminal could ever make. To correct the mistake, Henry then gathered his loyal thugs and tracked down the old man’s house, where they butchered the man, his wife, and his son in cold blood.

Henry then made another decision and spared Abraham’s daughter with the plan to sell her in their trafficking business. Her brother had obviously thought he could make a good profit out of his initial mistake. That, however, backfired when Talia Jackson escaped and found herself with Lorenzo’s group.

From the little Danielle knew, Lorenzo and four other men were part of a powerful gang, just like her family. They were dangerous and whispered about in the criminal world. Especially among the major players. But no one knew exactly what they were into. Which was what worried Danielle. She believed without a doubt that it was of utmost importance to know what weapons your enemy held before you went charging into the battle head first.

But no one else shared her concerns. Hence the plan they were executing in the middle of the night when Danielle would have preferred to be in her warm bed sleeping.

They were headed to Lorenzo’s forest-hidden house to clean up Henry’s mess by eliminating everyone. The entire Lorenzo crew and Talia Jackson. An ambitious plan.

Danielle looked away from her brother to hide the disgust she knew flashed through her eyes, but before her eyes landed on the darkness outside her passenger window, they clashed with Innocent’s gaze in the rearview mirror.

Innocent was the oldest and their father’s protege. He was being groomed to take over the empire when Clement would finally give up the reign. Not that Danielle could see that happening. She had a feeling only death would make her father give up power, even to his own son.

Of all her brothers, Innocent was the only one she really cared about. He was dangerous, obviously, but he was good to her. When their eyes met, Danielle saw the warning in them. Her brother was telling her to behave. She was slipping. Showing any form of emotion, especially one of disapproval with the family, was not allowed. And she would pay for it painfully if she didn’t rein it in and put a solid lid on that emotion.

She drew a quiet breath and focused her eyes on the window. The darkness outside the car quickly captured her attention. She stared at it for the rest of the bumpy drive.

When they finally stopped and got out of the SUV, Danielle kept her eyes averted. She realized they had stopped where the almost non-existent road they had been driving through came to a dead end. Trees. That was all she saw with the help of the headlights from the cars. Thick trees everywhere she looked. They were really at the boundary of the thick forest. In the middle of the night. The thought made a tremor travel the length of her spine.

Her gut told her this was a terrible idea. The very thing it had been screaming at her ever since she learned of this plan. She still kept her eyes off her family and the extra men that had driven behind them in three other SUVs. But little good it did her. There was no avoiding the fact that she was going to be a part of everything.

Right on cue, Chip walked over to her with his usual confident stride. He flipped the gun in his hand around so the grip faced her, and then he extended the gun towards her before he even reached her side. “I don’t expect any mistakes.” His clipped voice warned.

Danielle swallowed hard despite what felt like a lump of coal in her throat. Dammit. She wasn’t getting out of this.

***

The dark shadows offered the perfect cover, but Danielle still stepped behind a tree and stood perfectly still as she watched a man walk toward her.

She was sure he couldn’t see her. Not dressed in full black and hiding in the shadows like she was. She was perfectly blended with the darkness of the forest. However, it was clear the man coming her way knew someone was there. How that was possible, she wasn’t sure. But she saw it in the quiet way he moved, alert of his surroundings and his gun drawn, ready to put a hole in her the second she made a mistake and revealed herself.

Danielle ground her molars together in frustration. She had a task to complete. There was zero doubt in her mind that Chip would put twice as many bullets in her if she did not do what she had been sent to do. And this man was standing in her way.

The sounds of insects continued to rent the air around them. The gunshots being fired between her family and Lorenzo’s men could also be heard if she paid attention beyond the blood pounding in her ears. None of it helped her nerves. This was not something she wanted to do. But she couldn’t walk away. Not with Chip’s threat hanging over her head.

Carefully, she stepped out from behind the tree. The man was right there. She raised her gun and c****d it. She had to get rid of him and do what Chip had ordered her to do.

The man froze. Danielle saw his gun twitch in the moonlight even as he cursed under his breath when he obviously realized someone was about to end him. But he hadn’t yet determined where exactly she was standing. She had the advantage. She could end him with a single bullet.

Her finger twitched on the trigger. It wouldn’t take much effort to squeeze it, but she hesitated. Then the man lifted his head and looked straight at her. Even though she was still surrounded by darkness, it felt like he could see her. The air in her lungs froze even as she frowned. What was more unnerving was the way the man squared his shoulders. It was like he was not afraid to die.

Both shocked and unnerved, Danielle tried to draw in a breath, but it caught in her throat. What the hell?

A breeze ruffled the leaves of the surrounding trees. It was the only sound Trey heard as he waited for the gunshot to come. He had already heard the gun c**k, there was no mistaking the sound. That was the sound of a bullet just waiting for the firing pin to strike it and send it piercing through the air for a victim. So he knew that any second gunfire would rent the air. But the seconds ticked by and no deafening sound of a gun going off filled the air around him. And no new burning pain hit his body.

Cautiously, Trey lowered his gun. A part of him screamed at the stupidity of his actions, but something in his gut told him he should. Then he waited for whoever stood in the shadows to make their move.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long. Movement in front of him alerted him that the person was finally moving again. He resisted the urge to lift his gun again and take a shot now that he knew exactly where the person stood.

After a few seconds, the intruder that had triggered the sensors stepped out of the shadows. The moonlight escaping through the trees landed on the figure, and Trey found himself looking at a young woman dressed in black. He blinked, suddenly confused and wondering what the woman was doing there and if she was lost. He simply couldn’t imagine that she was part of the nightmare that they were fighting. And then another thought crossed his mind; if she wasn’t one of them, then who had c****d the gun at him? But before he could panic that someone else was out there, the moonlight caught something; he saw the gun in her hand, and he knew there was no mistake. She was part of the Marvick group and she was going to kill him.

Trey’s hand twitched and tightened around his gun.

“Don’t,” the woman said sharply and raised her gun. She was quick and her aim was solid. If she took a shot, she would hit him right in the chest.

Trey debated with himself for a moment, watching her steady hands aim the gun at him. A quick conclusion was that she knew how to use a gun. But the question was; was she going to use it on him? He worked his jaw for a second and then decided to ask. “Are you going to shoot?”

“Are you that in a hurry to die?” she responded without missing a beat.

Trey shrugged. “When you have come close to facing death enough times as I have, you get a little too familiar with the process. So... Are you shooting me or not?”

He watched as the woman hesitated, then finally lowered her gun. “So,” he started, “Since that is out of the way… Mind telling me what are you doing here?” he asked even though it was obvious she wasn’t just out taking a stroll in the forest in the middle of the night with a gun for a handbag.

Danielle bristled at the accusation in his voice, even though he had every right. She looked over his shoulder in the direction she knew the house had to be located. There was no way she was going to make it there now and do what she was supposed to do. Not with the man standing in front of her. Although, if she was honest with herself, she probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. Chip’s plan had left a nasty taste in her mouth. No amount of toothpaste and mouthwash could get rid of it.

Her eyes landed back on the man who had conveniently put a wrench into her plans. Or perhaps, helped her avoid something she would regret all her life. She couldn’t make out all his features and she was certain he couldn’t see her clearly, too. She still had a chance to get away from this before it got ugly.

Decision made, Danielle abruptly stepped back and turned to head back the way she had come.

“Hey! Where do you think you are going?” She heard the man demand.

Danielle paused and looked over her shoulder; he was now pointing his gun at her. “Are you going to shoot?” She repeated his words. When it was obvious he wasn’t, Danielle said, “I suggest you get to your friends and help them… They are outnumbered.” She took a step and paused again. “If you head to your left, you will avoid the man sent as insurance to make sure the task is done.”

“What task?”

She didn’t answer, and she was no longer there; Trey realized. The mysterious woman had blended into the dark and disappeared almost as though he had only imagined her.

Trey walked over to where she had been standing, but she was long gone. Only her faint perfume of roses remained behind. A contrast against the natural scent of trees and earth, but somehow still blending in just as she had blended into the darkness. He stood there, unsure about what exactly to think or do. Who was the woman and what had she been talking about? He wondered.

After a minute, although he wasn’t closer to an answer to the mystery, he was at least certain of one thing; he was taking the path to his right. He had no plans to avoid any man in the forest heading towards their house.

But when Trey shot the second man he encountered on his path to the right, he began to wonder if the woman had purposely misled him or if she hadn’t been given the full details of the plan.

He crouched low to the ground and waited to see if there was another man out there waiting to ambush him.

Both men he had met were walking in the direction of the house, away from the gunfire that was becoming louder the closer he got. That was worrying. He had half a mind to run back to the house and be there for Abigail and Talia. He knew that was what Lorenzo and Edward would have preferred he do. But he reminded himself that Abigail had locked down the house, and she was armed. He had to help his friends in what sounded like an ugly shootout.

Despite the aches in his body from his barely healed wounds, Trey made his way quickly towards the chaos.

~~~

Just as Trey reached his friends, a movement behind some trees caught his attention. He immediately froze and tried to make out what he was seeing. It quickly became obvious that there was a man trying to sneak up on his friends. The target appeared to be Edward.

Trey didn’t give it a second thought. As the man took aim at Edward, Trey raised his own gun and fired.

His shot created a chain reaction. The man who had been shot also fired his own gun, but his aim went wide and the bullet only grazed Edward’s shoulder. Edward turned, shocked at the unexpected direction of the gunfire. But his reflex was instant. He lifted his gun, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. The man went down.

Trey kept his gun aimed and ready to fire another round even as Edward’s eyes landed on him, first in shock, then in gratitude. Trey shook it off. There was nothing to be grateful about. Any of them would have done the same.

As Edward made his way to the man that had almost killed him, Trey stepped over a fallen branch and walked over as well. Even in the limited lighting, it was impossible not to recognize Henry Marvick.

In the moments that followed, gunfire still continued around them, but it was beginning to taper off. But no one relaxed. Trey kept watching with his gun up and ready.

Just then, Lorenzo came their way. He looked around for any further surprise threats but saw none, so he walked towards Edward.

“I got Clement,” Lorenzo announced as soon as he was near enough.

“Innocent is also down,” Trick announced as he and Gabriel also walked over from another direction. “As well as a good number of their goons.”

The gunfire had suddenly stopped. Either all of Marvick’s men were dead, or they were regrouping. Which of the two it was, was anyone’s guess.

Edward pointed towards Henry’s body. “Henry is down too.”

“That only leaves Chip Marvick,” Lorenzo commented, looking around as though he could spot the man among the trees. Instead, his eyes landed on Trey. “Trey? What are you doing here?”

The question seemed to also make Edward realize that Trey had been at the house with Talia and Abigail, and was still supposed to be there. He opened his mouth to also demand what Trey was doing there but quickly shut it and frowned when he spotted some figures standing between the trees a distance away staring at them.

At Edward’s intense frown, all his friends’ eyes turned in the direction. The figures staring back at them were two men and a woman. They were all dressed in black, almost blending into the trees.

Danielle helped hold Chip up on his feet. Her brother was wounded but alive, not like the rest of her family. She had seen her father and Innocent go down. She highly doubted Henry fared any better. Her chest squeezed uncomfortably at the realization that they were all gone.

But this wasn’t the time for that. Danielle shook it off and focused on what had to be done. She had to help her brother. ‘Family, loyalty, strength,’ Danielle repeated the words in her head. She had to save Chip.

She looked over at the men staring at them several feet away. She was actually shocked they hadn’t opened fire and finished them off. Whatever their reasons, she was grateful; she didn’t want to die just yet.

Before she could turn around and leave, her eyes landed on the man she had seen earlier. Even with the distance between them, her eyes locked with the man; she really wondered what had stopped her from shooting him. She stared at him for a moment, then turned back to her brother, who moaned in pain. This really wasn’t the time or place for her thoughts, Danielle reminded herself.

She tightened her hold on her brother. Then, with the help of the last of her father’s men still alive and able to walk, they turned and walked away from a plan that had gone horribly wrong. But she knew it wasn’t the end.