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Josh almost killed Dash. If we didn’t get there when we did, she’d probably be dead.
“Will Alexei do it?” Uncle Jax asks, not knowing too much about Tristan’s best friend.
“Yes, he will.”
We pull up to the warehouse, and I park behind Dad’s car. As I get out of the vehicle, I glance around while I wait for Uncle Jax. It’s quiet as we walk inside, and I take in everything.
Alexei’s standing to the side with one of his men. Dad and Tristan are with Josh, who’s tied to a chair and clearly unconscious.
When I stop in front of Josh, everything inside me begins to shake. Dad comes to stand next to me while Tristan goes to slap Josh’s cheek. “Time to wake up, Josh.” He keeps patting his cheek. “Come on. Wake up.”
“He’s been rambling the same shit,” Dad grumbles. “How he loves Dash and was doing what’s best for her. Fucking insane. Sickening.”
Josh lifts his head, and when our eyes meet, he begins to chuckle. After a moment, he asks, “You think you won?”
I just stare at him, thinking Dash spent four fucking days with this man. He almost killed her.
It feels as if lightning strikes through me, and unable to keep my composure, I dart forward. There’s no satisfaction as my fist connects with Josh’s jaw.
There’s no fucking justice, no matter what we do.
Dash is still hurt. There’s still a fucking bucket of bloody towels. She was still starved and tortured.
Nothing I do will make that go away or any better.
Taking a step back, I shake my head. “No, I didn’t win.” My eyes move to Alexei, and I say, “Take care of it.”
Alexei nods, and as he walks closer, my eyes lock with Josh’s again, and then I say, “Neither did you.”
“Rot in hell,” Uncle Jax says, his voice wound tight.
Alexei comes up behind Josh, and his eyes meet mine one last time as he lifts a gun to the back of Josh’s head.
This is not about who has the power to kill whom, but the fact that I need to keep Dash safe, and she’ll never be safe in a world where Josh is allowed to live.
When I nod, there’s a clicking sound, and then Josh slumps forward. I don’t know what I expected, but that wasn’t it.
Blood trickles from his head and knowing I ordered the death of another human being makes me feel sick.
“I need to get back to Dash,” I say, not feeling like justice has been served at all. Looking at Alexei again, I say, “Let me know what the fee is.”
He begins to shake his head, and it has me saying, “I can’t owe a man like you anything. Let me know the fee.”
He nods. “Standard fee. Finding. Eliminating. Disposing. Three-point-five.”
“Send me the bank details.”
Turning around, I leave the warehouse with Uncle Jax and Dad.
DASH
Coming to, my body instinctively curls into a small ball. Pain seers through me, ripping an agonizing breath from me.
A cool hand grips hold of mine, and my body reacts. I begin to scramble away as my eyes fly open, and unexpectedly, I fall.
“It’s Mom. It’s Mom. You’re safe, baby. It’s Mom.”
I scramble back, and something tugs at my arm. Only when I slam into a wall do I stop, breaths bursting over my lips.
I pull my legs up, and with my body shaking violently, I try to make sense of my surroundings.
I expect to see Josh. My body is tense, waiting for the next blow.
But then my sight focuses on my mother’s face, and I can’t process what I’m seeing. A sob bursts over my lips.
Mommy.
She keeps coming closer, and when her hand cautiously touches my arm, my body convulses.
“Baby,” she gasps, her voice quivering.
Her face distorts as tears blur my vision, but they don’t fall.
She scoots in right next to me. “It’s Mom. You’re safe.” The words sound strangled as she wraps her arms around me.
I sit frozen, except for the constant shivering.
Then slowly, my senses kick in. I smell her familiar soft scent that’s always accompanied by sanitizer. Her touch feels like home.
I gasp.
If this is a dream, I never want to wake up.
“Mom?” I whisper, my voice raw. I swallow hard. “I don’t want to wake up.”
Mom jerks, and I feel her lips against the side of my head. It feels so tender, so good, so safe, my eyes begin to drift closed.
Then movement catches my eye, and seeing a man, I instantly tense.
“Please. Please. Please,” I begin to beg. “I’m sorry.” Tears warm my skin, and I’m surprised by it because I ran out of those by day two… I think.
The man crouches, and when his face comes into focus, I let out a heartbreaking cry.
No. This is just cruel. Whatever this is. It’s cruel.
Christopher can’t be a part of this nightmare.
I feel hysterical as he lifts his hand, reaching for me.
