Chapter 3
We can all see it, the way what happened is weighing on Kat.
She blames herself, although she did nothing wrong. In fact, she did everything right. She did everything she could to keep Addy safe, not because it’s her job but because she loves her. I didn’t question it before, but if I had, that would have proved it.
Kat was willing to give herself up to a man who terrifies her to keep Addy safe.
She never should have had to make that choice, though. Carter fucked up and cheated; he deserved to be left, and from what I’ve seen, he probably deserved it a hell of a long time ago.
Kat’s just too nice; she sees the good in everyone.
Like the douchebag strapped to the chair in front of me right now.
And me…
“So, how about you tell me where Carter is hiding? I have better things to be doing, better people to be spending my time with. I’m sure you’ve had enough by now, right?” It’s a rhetorical question.
I know he’s had enough; he had enough days ago when I started taking his fingernails. He cried like a baby, pissed himself, and almost passed out.
“I d-don’t know, I s-swear,” he chokes on his sobs but manages to get the words out. It’s the same thing he’s been saying for days, and I’m almost positive he’s telling the truth.
That’s too bad.
“What was he going to do once he had her?” I can’t even bring myself to say her name to him.
Trevor isn’t as bad as Carter, but he’s sure as hell stupider. Following what he said so blindly that he broke into her house and followed her every move so completely that he ended up creating an obsession of his own.
Carter might have been the mastermind, but I have no doubt Trevor is just as dangerous, maybe even more.
He won’t be able to walk away from this. I won’t give him another chance to hurt her.
Over my dead body.
Trevor doesn’t answer right away, and I feel the tiny bit of restraint I had melt away. I lash out, digging my hand into his hair to jerk his head back until he has no choice but to meet my gaze.
“Answer me,” I demand, unwilling to repeat myself.
I’ve been asking him the same damn questions for days; he knows what I want to know.
He tries to shake his head but quickly stops, hissing when I don’t release my grasp.
“I don’t know.” His voice is so quiet I almost don’t hear him, but that’s fine.
I knew what he was going to say.
All this does is confirm to me that he’s outliving his usefulness.
“Why listen to him? Why go along and help him do this? What was in it for you? Why hand over the girl you’re obsessed with to another man?”
The goal is to piss him off, and I know I accomplish that when his eyes narrow.
“I’m not obsessed. I love her!” he shouts, and I’m pretty sure he believes that. “He was going to share her. He promised me we could both have her, a lot like your asshole bosses are, except we would never make her run around all day with a brat that isn’t even hers!”
A shot rings out around the room, damn near deafening, but it's quickly replaced by the sounds of his screams.
Trevor thrashes and cries as the blood begins to seep out of his thigh, darkening the denim of his already dirty jeans. He seems completely unfazed by the hair that he’s literally ripping from his scalp, so I release him.
“Don’t talk about my goddaughter like that.”
Tears streak down his face as he glares up at me with so much hate; all I can do is smile.
I hope he fucking hates me because the feeling is more than mutual.
Usually, I’m able to keep things professional, but this…him.
No, this just feels more personal.
“Let me put you onto something, Trevor.” I spit his name so he knows just how much he disgusts me.
“Carter was never going to share her with you. He’s not the type.
More than likely, he was using you, which is why he had no issue leaving you behind and hasn’t made a single attempt to come and save you. ”
He doesn’t look convinced, but I see the flicker of doubt that flashes in his eyes, and that’s more than enough for me.
I wasn’t lying when I said I have better things to do.
Though taking a shit would be a better use of my time than this.
“Don’t worry, though. He won’t get the chance to have her either. Neither of you will because I’m going to kill you, and then I’m going to hunt him down and do the same to him. She isn’t yours, never has been, and never will be.”
“No, please. Just let me see her, let me explain to her. She’ll understand, I know she will.” He doubles down on his efforts to get free as he begs, but all I see is the man who broke into her house and stole her panties, who cornered her at the school, and who threatened her with hurting Addy.
I press the barrel of my gun to his temple and don’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
He slumps to the side. The only sound is the ringing in my ears from the shot, and for the first time since that day, I take a deep breath, some of the tension leaving.
Now I can breathe enough to find Carter and do the same.
It’s my job to keep them safe. Nathan trusted me with them—the two most important women in his life—and I failed.
It’s unacceptable, but I intend to fix it.
It’s the only way I know to ensure her nightmares can’t reach her and take that weight off her shoulders.
I made Kat a promise, and I intend to keep it, no matter who I have to gun down to do it.