Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Exhaling slowly, I squeeze the trigger. I don’t flinch, nor do I blink. It happens in a second. Death. The bullet flies from the gun, and his brain splatters across the brocade curtain behind him.
It's a horrific thing to witness, but somehow I feel nothing. I’m numb. And I guess maybe the reasoning for that lies in the fact that my love for my father died a long time ago. In my mind, the man he was supposed to have been was already dead.
Physically he was always here, but in every other way, my dream of a father died a long time ago. I mourned that loss then, and I won’t grieve it any longer. His body crashes to the floor, and the ringing in my ears intensifies. I slowly bring the gun back down to my side. I spent my whole life running, but I won’t run anymore. Not after today.
CHAPTER 24
SEBASTIAN
When you have everything you could ever want, it's hard to find something worth wishing for. Tanya's death has always been at the forefront of my mind, something within grasp and yet so far away. But now, after watching Ely face her demons and knowing she's gotten her wish, that she’s seen her tormentor pay…I can't help but feel a sense of pride and joy.
She’s escaped her prison; now it’s time to heal.
And now it’s time for me to get my revenge.
Nobody moves, and nobody says anything. We all stare at the ruin of the sheriff's skull, almost as if we are waiting to see if he will sit back up and spew more hateful words. He doesn't, of course.
Drew, Lee, and Aries stand on the outskirts of the room, all of them wearing some variation of a shocked—but not displeased—expression. I turn my focus to Ely. She slowly lowers the gun to her side, the muzzle pointing at the floor. Her lips are parted, her eyes wide and glassy, a kind of sadness lingering in her features. This is the final nail in the box holding all the memories of her past. I step toward her, and she shifts to the side, keeping herself out of reach.
Lee breaks the ice first, "I guess we all know now that she does in fact know how to use that thing." No one says anything, and Lee releases a harsh laugh and slams himself into the chair, snatching the bottle of bourbon off the desk as he does.
Aries moves toward the door to keep guard and watch.
Tanya shifts on the floor, flat on her belly now, crawling toward the open door. I ignore her; she's not going to get very far with Aries there and Drew only a few steps away from him. My need for revenge calls to me like a siren’s song, but I need to ensure Ely is okay before I do anything else. Closing the distance between us, I wrap my arms around her and hold her to my chest.
"Don’t do that, Little Prey. Don’t shut me out."
The gun falls to the floor when she releases it, and I spot tiny red splatters of blood on her cheeks and neck. Shit. We are going to have to scrub every inch of this room by the time we’re done. Her features remain as if she’s frozen in time. Shock. I hold onto her a little tighter, clutching her head to my chest to keep her still and steady. "It's okay. You did so good. I know you didn’t get an apology, but in the end he learned his lesson the hard way.”
The dam of emotions breaks, and a painful sob wrenches from her chest. It's loud and unyielding, and when her legs give out beneath her I bear her weight, keeping her upright in my arms. Moving towards the couch, I gently sit her down on the old worn leather. She folds into herself, wrapping her arms tight around her middle, her shoulders and head slumped.
Crouching down I whisper, "Talk to me, Ely. Say something, anything."
"I….I killed him. I can’t believe I killed him.” She looks up, panic and fear swirling in her eyes. “We’re all going to go to jail, and it’s because of me, because of me!!!” She sucks a shallow breath into her lungs. "Oh my God; I killed him."
She starts rocking back and forth, her body trembling. "I killed him. I killed him. I killed him."
She had a similar reaction after Yanov, but it wasn’t as bad as this. I ease my hand down her back and cradle her tight to my chest. "Shhhh, breathe. Breathe for me.” I try to soothe her. “There’s nothing that money can’t buy, or fix. Not in his circles, or mine. Do you understand? I'll take care of this. I'll take care of you. Trust me."
There's a scuffle at the door, Tanya having made it through the door. When I turn to see what’s going on I spot Aries dragging her back into the room by the neck of her dress. Tanya sputters, half choking, half coughing as she lands on the floor in a heap. I watch as her gaze darts to the discarded gun and back to me. I can’t blame her for trying…but there’s no point. A monster like her deserves to get the same treatment as those she hurt.