Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“I’m taking you home now, Jade.” Eric spoke with the assurance of someone completely convinced of his own power. “Say goodbye to your biker boyfriend.”
In one sudden movement, he lunged forward, gun extended toward me, his free hand reaching for Jade. I moved before he got close, moving Jade gently but firmly behind me while stepping into Eric’s space. I caught his wrist, twisting him and positioning his arm so he had to bend at the waist to keep from dislocating his shoulder and elbow. The gun clattered to the floor, and I kicked it toward Knuckles.
Eric finally sucked in a breath and screamed his frustrations, a high, pathetic sound as he dropped to his knees. I maintained my grip on his wrist, forcing him lower until his forehead pressed against the floor.
“Shoot this motherfucker,” Gunnar snarled from the doorway. “Fuckin’ waste of oxygen.”
“I vote with Gunnar.” Knight didn’t sound as good-natured now as he usually did since Violet and their daughter, Brynn, came back into his life. In fact, even though he shared some dark humor, he sounded scary as fuck.
I stared down at the man who had tormented Jade for years. Who had tried to break her spirit. Who had violated her and been responsible for some of the most vulnerable moments in her life, then exposed them to the world. I could snap his neck right now with one quick twist. End his miserable existence in seconds. My hands twitched with the desire to do exactly that.
“You’re all going to prison for this,” Eric gasped from the floor, his voice tight with anger. “Assault. Kidnapping. I have powerful friends who will make everyone believe what I tell them. People who matter. Not gutter trash like you.”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” I said quietly.
Behind me, Jade stood absolutely still. When I glanced back at her, I saw a complex mix of emotions fighting across her face. Relief. Shock. Anger. Disgust. But not fear. Not anymore.
“I will destroy all of you. Starting with that whore.” Eric spat in Jade’s direction.
I pressed his wrist higher up his back, making him yelp. “You’ve talked yourself into enough trouble. I suggest you stop while you still have a chance for a clean death.”
His eyes rolled wildly, finding Jade standing behind me. “This isn’t over, Jade. I will find you again. I will always find you.”
“No, Eric,” Jade said softly, shaking her head slowly. “I really don’t think you will.”
I heard movement from the shadowed corner of the room. Someone stepped forward with deliberate footsteps. Hannah stepped fully into the red glow of the emergency lights. Her face showed nothing as she raised her arm and aimed her gun directly at Eric’s groin. I backed off. Eric looked up from where he’d rolled onto his ass and scrambled to his feet. Hannah’s aim moved with him and his eyes widened with sudden understanding. Once he’d straightened to his full height, Hannah pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The gunshot cracked through the silence. Jade jumped but didn’t react otherwise. Eric screamed -- a high, animal sound of agony – and slowly sank to the floor as blood began to pool beneath him. The bullet had torn through his upper thigh and groin with devastating effects.
“That is for every woman you hurt,” Hannah said brightly. She had a smile on her face that in no way reached her eyes.
Blood pumped from the wound in spurts. No coming back from that without immediate medical intervention and I had it on good authority that wasn’t happening.
Eric clutched at his groin, screaming as blood soaked through his expensive pants and spread across the floor. His face had gone chalk white already as shock set in. His eyes rolled frantically around the room, looking for help or mercy or perhaps just trying to understand what was happening to him. I didn’t give a fucking shit.
Knuckles walked forward until he stood over Eric. He looked down with detached interest and nudged him with the toe of his boot.
“We have you on camera breaking into a women’s shelter with a loaded gun, in direct violation of your restraining order,” Knuckles said matter-of-factly. “Clear case of self-defense. Hannah here is in charge of everything, especially the safety of our guests. She witnessed you threatening residents with a firearm and took appropriate action to neutralize the threat.”
He glanced toward the ceiling. “Funny thing about this room, though. No security cameras in here. Privacy concerns and all that. So nobody will ever see exactly how you died. Just that you came in with a gun and left in a body bag. And the only injuries you sustained were from a properly registered firearm by one of the very few people with access to that firearm.” Knuckles knelt so he was close to Eric as the man lay there bleeding out. “And before you know it, the world will move on. This will all quietly go away. Assuming it gets beyond the obvious headline.”