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“Instead you’re making me do it,” the sheriff whimpers, “because you don’t have the balls.” His snot runs down his face as he cries.
I lean in close to say the words I want him to hear directly into his ear, but loud enough so Tony can hear. “I slaughtered thirteen men in four minutes for killing a teenage girl who was nothing but a stranger to me. What do you think I’d do for her?” I nod my head in Callie’s direction. “Lucky for you, she wants me to stay out of prison. So, I’m giving you the easy way out instead of torturing you to death. But, don’t push me. I know more ways to kill a man than you could ever dream of.”
The Sheriff whimpers again, while Tony mumbles incoherent words of disbelief. “Shoot him, or I’ll make you regret ever being born.” I feel his finger flex as he pulls the trigger back achingly slow.
“I’m sorry, Tony,” he expresses right before he reaches the trigger break.
POW!
Finally, a bullet. Tony grunts at the impact, his chin dropping as the redness blooms across his dirty t-shirt. Blood gurgles up his throat, pouring out his mouth. Just like that, he’s gone.
The relief I feel that he’s dead is instantaneous. If that makes me a monster then so be it. At least Callie can live happily knowing Tony’s dead.
The Sheriff whimpers and cries beside me, almost making me feel sorry for him. Almost. Unfortunately for him, his fate was also sealed when he decided to side with Tony and Bub, and then threaten Callie’s life. Poor guy should have just stayed in a bar somewhere drowning his liver.
I look back behind me again to check on Callie. Her eyes are wide, but she still doesn’t look scared. She is staring at Tony’s dead body with such intensity, and what almost looks like satisfaction. Good girl.
“Okay, Sheriff. Your turn.” I point the gun back in his direction, and only one bullet remains. Two shots. 50/50 chance. He knows it too. “Any last words?” I ask, more so to torment him than for anything else.
“Fuck you.” He spits out at me. Pulling the trigger, more surely than he had the last four times.
POW!
50/50 chance and the Sheriff just lost. The bullet tears through his skull, killing him instantly. The vacant look in his eyes confirms it. This death is just as satisfying as Tony’s. He might not have physically attacked Callie, but he threatened her life, and most likely aided his brothers-in-law in taking her the second time. His death was just as deserved.
I take my time untying the ropes, dropping both of their bodies to the floor. I wrap the gun securely in the Sheriff’s hand, staging the scene like a murder-suicide, rearranging things as needed to sell it.
The missing three rounds go back into the gun. The fourth still housed in my pants pocket will stay with me. I retrieved my bullet casing from the bathroom where I shot Bub, making it look like he was shot by Sheriff Donahue too, just like Tony. The extensive damage to his head will make it impossible for them to tell what type of gun it came from.
I don’t go to Callie until I’m finished, because I know once I go to her, my walls will crumble. The perfectly composed trained killer will evaporate as soon as I have her in my arms again.
She’s turned me into more of a man since she’s come into my life and less of a machine. Her being taken from me tore every bit of the steel coating from my heart, forcing me to feel every emotion I’ve ever suppressed. Now, she’s safe. I’ve eliminated every threat to her, and I finally feel like I can breathe again.
One last look around, confirming I’ve covered our tracks, and I make my way to her. She looks exhausted, squatted down with her arms wrapped around her knees, leaning heavily on the wall for support. Her head rolls back to look at me as I approach, and her soft smile barely reaches her tired eyes.
“Let’s go, baby,” I tell her, softly. I know she’s using every last bit of her energy to stay awake, especially after what she’s just witnessed. Maintaining a brave face after everything she’s been through and the emotional turmoil she’s experienced in these last few hours is more than most can handle.
Leaning down, I scoop her up, cradling her against my chest. I breathe in her scent as she buries her head in my neck, her favorite spot. I feel her lips against my skin as I exit the cabin. “You saved me, again,” she whispers.
“And, I always will,” I respond, kissing her temple. “I’m never letting you go again.”
“You promise?” She asks, sleepily. I can feel her body relaxing as she drifts closer to sleep, lulled by the motion of my arms as I carry her.
“On my life.” I hold her tightly as I make my way through the woods back to my truck. Tiny flurries of snow swirl around us, making the night sky look too beautiful after what just transpired. The sirens wail in the distance, the cop cars approaching the cabin as we get farther away.
My call to 911 earlier was just another way to cover our tracks. I told them I had been tipped off to her location and was able to retrieve Callie without her abductors noticing. I explained to the dispatcher with my faux frightened tone that I was afraid for our lives and that I was getting her as far away as possible. I’d call back when we were safe.
Now I’m holding Callie, just as I did the first time I met her, wrapped in my arms as I carry her to safety. This time there are no reservations about running my lips across her temple, no unanswered questions about the future. She’s mine to hold, mine to keep safe. My future.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Callie
I wake up, feeling overly warm, my whole body humming with contentment. I shift to snuggle closer to the heat source when my brain catches up and my memories come sweeping in, along with the throbbing pain. I open my eyes to the orange glow of the sunrise coming through the windows, basking the living room in the unmistakable light of morning. I’m in Nathan’s living room. Thank God.
The fire crackles, making me tense, still feeling a little jumpy from the attack. The flames are dying down, only partly responsible for the heat I feel. The other source comes from the hard body I’m leaning on, the even rise and fall of Nathan’s chest is calm against my cheek. The blanket I’m wrapped in falls from my shoulders as I look up at his face. His head is leaned back against the back of the couch, eyes closed. He looks peaceful, the worry and anger erased. My heart swells for my sweet, brave man. I’m still not sure how he found me last night, but I’m so grateful our story isn’t over. The thought of losing him makes my chest ache. I hope that feeling becomes a distant memory now that those monsters are gone and I can have my normal life back. My life with him.
“I can feel you staring,” the low timber of his voice startles me. I was so distracted swooning over him in my head that I didn’t realize he was awake.
