Chapter 32
RHETT
Iroar as the bullet takes a chunk out of my upper arm. Then I bite down, reality seeming to slow as the scene hits me fully.
Elle is running down the road in full panic.
And behind her, Lucian, a gun in his hand and blood running down the front of his face and onto his shirt.
I snarl as I wheel around Elle, then slam on the gas and drive straight at Lucian. He fires another shot, which slams into the seat next to me. The first bullet hole made a neat circle in the glass, but now it shatters, raining down on me.
The car bucks as Lucian slams into the hood, then there are three thuds as he rolls over the roof and lands in the bed of the pickup. I pull to a screeching stop, quickly climbing out with my gun in my hand.
Lucian is lying in the back, wheezing, one hand gripping his stomach as the other limply claws for the gun which landed on the other side of the pickup.
I aim my gun, ignoring the burning in my shoulder, ready to end this.
He opens his mouth, letting out a moan of pain even as his mouth splits open into a bloody smile.
“What a hero,” he grunts. “You better call your buddies, cop.”
“Not a cop anymore,” I snarl.
His eyes widen. “You’re not going to end me, Rhett. No fucking way.”
“No, he’s not.”
Elle walks up next to me, looking fierce even though she must be afraid at the same time after her ordeal. Her hair is disheveled and her clothes are a mess, but she looks steady and certain.
“He’s not?” Lucian says, then spits out a globule of blood onto the pickup’s bed. His finger is still twitching for the gun, but he doesn’t have the strength for it.
“Rhett,” Elle says, glaring at me.
I chew the inside of my cheek. I know I agreed to this, and we need to move fast. This is a quiet road, but there’s a small chance a car might drive past here and see what’s going on.
My shoulder twinges as I stare, the bullet graze burning. I don’t think my Elle has even seen that I’m wounded. Good. I don’t want her to worry about me.
“Rhett,” she repeats, touching my arm.
“You don’t have to do this,” I snarl. “I can do it for you. I can carry it for you.”
“I don’t want you to carry it,” she says. “I want to end this on my terms. This man took everything from me. My self-worth. My parents. My little sister’s innocence. Please. Don’t make me beg.”
My hand trembles as I offer her the gun. She takes it, licking her lips, looking terrified but focused. Her eyes are the brightest thing in the entire night, brighter than the stars and the moon, two lion-colored glowing points of revenge.
She raises the gun, and the barrel shakes.
“Both hands,” I tell her quietly. “Pull the trigger in a relaxed, steady way. Be ready for the recoil and the noise, Sunshine. The noise is going to be a lot.”
“Okay.” She licks her lips. “Anytime?”
“Yes,” I say. “Or I can do it for yo—”
The gunshot goes off. For a second Lucian’s mouth is open as though ready to argue, then he slumps down, lifeless. I immediately rush to Elle, gently taking the gun from her hand. I expect her to slump against me and start shaking with terror and panic, or perhaps horror.
Instead, she gently leans against me. I wrap my good arm around her, holding the smoking gun in my other hand.
“Are you okay?” I whisper, kissing the top of her head.
“Yes,” she whispers back. Then, louder, as if to confirm her surprise, “Yes, actually. I’m great. I’m better than okay!”
“Really?” I ask cautiously.
She looks up at me with peace in her golden eyes. “Yes,” she says.
I squeeze her once. She’s probably in shock. Maybe the shock will wear off and leave her feeling traumatized or confused. Perhaps she’ll want nothing to do with me because I’m the one who led her down this road.
But for now, we need to focus on the present.
“What happened to the hostage, Sunshine?” I ask.
“There was no hostage.”
Fucking Lucian.
“Get in the car,” I tell her. “We’ll move it off the road.”
I go to the car, grab my cleaning rag, and then wipe down the seats so they’re free of glass.
Then we climb into the truck together. As I drive off the road and into the cabin’s front area, she says, “He used a video he’d gotten off social media before I deleted it.
A video of Mira, so it was her voice. She was younger in the video.
We were playing hide and seek, so she sounded scared.
” She shakes her head. “I’m an idiot for falling for that. ”
“No,” I snarl. “You’re not. You’re a protective big sister who did what you thought was right.”
She sinks back against the seat, wrapping her arms over her middle.
“What now?” she says.
“We get rid of the body,” I tell her. “And then we go on with our lives.”
“What does that look like?” she asks, her voice hollow and withdrawn. I think the reality of what’s just happened is slowly setting in.
“You do what you were going to do before Lucian came back into your life. It looks like you and Mira have the chance to live, Sunshine, really live, without that asshole hanging over your head. You’re free.”
She nods, tries to speak, then lets out a shudder that turns into a sob.
I pull her into my arms. She grips onto me, then leans back, gasping when she notices my arm. “You’re bleeding.”
“It’s a flesh wound. Just another scar to add to the collection. Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Rhett…”
She sobs again. I pull her closer, letting her bury her face in my chest.
“It’s not going to be easy living with all of this,” I whisper into her hair. “But just know, Sunshine, you did the right thing.”
She looks up at me with tears in those perfect lion-colored eyes. “I found the light.”
“You found the goddamn light.”
She repeats, then pulls herself against me.
“Rhett, I’m sorry,” she murmurs. “I don’t want to be a coward, but can you handle… him?”
“Of course,” I tell her, gently kissing her on the forehead. “You never have to concern yourself with any of this ever again. Let me protect you.”
“You did,” she says fiercely, squeezing onto my side. “You saved me, Rhett. Just like you said you would.”
“That’s because…”
You’re mine to protect, I almost say, but she just killed the man who ruined her life for trying to claim her.
“Because it’s what you deserve,” I say instead. “Not fear. Not looking over your shoulder. Not pain or regret. You deserve a chance, Sunshine.” I kiss her again. “And I’m so, so proud of you.”
“You are?” she asks.
“So proud.”
“Thank you,” she says, hugging me even closer. “I’m so happy I chose this place. What would’ve happened if you weren’t in our lives and he got out?”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I tell her. “You never have to worry about Lucian Conti again.”
And if anyone else ever tries to hurt you, they’ll suffer the same fate.
I don’t add that part though. I don’t want to push too hard.
This is the real world. I have to be practical.
Though now, with blood sticking my shirt to my skin and emotions soaring high, some part of me wants to hold her tight and tell her I love her and never let her go.