Page 82 of Unveiled

“About us.” He gestured between them. The gun in her hand never wavered. As long as it was pointed at him, though, Adalyn was safe.

She closed her eyes briefly before meeting his gaze again. “I wanted you for so long.” Her voice was quiet, full of emotion. “I hoped when you came back, you’d finally see me. But you just wanted her.”

Adalyn let out a soft gasp as Jenn gave her a little shake. “I did everything I could to make you see her for the liar she is. That’s why I told you she was on a date. I put Jaclyn right in front of your nose, for God’s sake!”

Jenn let out an aggravated sigh. “You should hate her for lying to you. Why do you care about her so much?”

“She’s the mother of my child.”

“That’s bull crap!” Jenn seethed. Her hand shook, and he prayed to God she wouldn’t accidentally squeeze the trigger. “The person I should be mad at is you. I should be your wife. Jaclyn should be mine!”

“Jenn…” He scrambled to defuse the situation. “You’re right.”

She blinked at him. “What?”

“I made a mistake with Adalyn. You were always there for me, and I should’ve seen it sooner.” He had to keep her talking, had to get close enough that he could disarm her. He took a small step forward, his hands still at his sides, unthreatening. “I’m sorry. I want to… start over.”

Her head canted slightly to the side as she weighed his words. “You do?”

“Yes.” Another tiny step. “Adalyn might be the mother of my child, but she’s not the love of my life, Jenn.”

Something flickered in those light brown depths. “She’s not?”

He shook his head, hoping that she wouldn’t see right through him. “No, Jenn. It’s not her I want.”

He watched a myriad of expressions flash across her face. “Let’s find out.”

The ground seemed to drop from beneath his feet as the barrel of the gun swung away from him toward Adalyn. He couldn’t stop himself from reaching out despite the distance between them, and Jenn’s face darkened. Her eyes never left his as the sound of the front door opening reached their ears. He focused on her alone, terrified to even glance in Adalyn’s direction. He couldn’t let his focus waver.

“You lied to me, Jaxon. So you know what I’m going to do?” Her tone sent a shiver of fear down his spine. “I’m going to take away the thing you love most.”

Everything happened in slow motion. The barrel of the gun moved again as Jenn pressed it to her own temple and pulled Adalyn close. He screamed as the report of the gun filled the air and a pink mist filled the room, splattering the walls and ceiling.

Launching himself over the back of the couch, he landed on his knees beside Adalyn’s crumpled form. “Adalyn! Oh, God, no, no, no!”

One hand lifted listlessly toward her face, and he pushed it away. Blood slipped through his fingers, its coppery scent permeating the air as he pressed his hands to her head. He couldn’t tell where she’d been hit or how bad it was; the thick red liquid coated and concealed everything.

“Adalyn!” He screamed her name, and her eyes fluttered open. She met his gaze for a second before they shuttered once more. “Stay with me, baby. Everything’s going to be okay.”

The pounding of footsteps filled the air, but he didn’t bother to see who it was. “Get help!” A radio crackled to life and Phillips’s voice moved closer as he called for EMS, kneeling next to Jenn to feel for a pulse.

“Adalyn! Stay with me, honey. Jaclyn needs you. I need you,” he whispered.

Her chest rose and fell in a shallow motion, the seconds between each breath growing longer and more labored. Blood soaked the carpet around them, covering her face and seeping into his pants. He didn’t dare remove his hand from the wound. His heart crushed in on itself as his wife slowly bled out in his arms.

Jaxon shoved his fingers through his hair, tugging anxiously at the short strands, scraping his nails over the flesh, needing to feel the pain. He lowered his hands to his lap and stared at them. Though he’d washed them nearly a hundred times over the last couple of days, he didn’t think he would ever get the sight of Adalyn’s blood saturating them out of his mind.

He could still see the blood gushing from her head, the red liquid slipping between his fingers. He felt her pulse beneath his touch, life slowly draining from her. He would never forget that moment as long as he lived, never forget the fear coursing through him as he walked in on that scene straight from Hell. He would never forget the look of pure malice in Jenn’s eyes, wild and fierce. He had tried to stop her, but she was too far gone. He couldn’t believe he’d missed all the signs right in front of him.

He swore his heart stopped when she pulled the trigger and he watched Adalyn’s body crumple to the ground, a sea of red splattering the walls and saturating the creamy carpet. Thank God Phillips had been right behind him. He’d radioed for EMS, and the medic he’d just visited with Jaclyn arrived at Adalyn’s house mere moments later.

He wasn’t ashamed to say that he hadn’t asked after Jenn. She’d made her choice, and he didn’t bother to spare a thought to try to save her. His priority was saving his wife and keeping her from bleeding out in his arms.

The door to Adalyn’s room opened and closed softly. Expecting to see a doctor or nurse, his eyes widened in surprise when they landed on Knox. He gave a slight nod as he moved toward him to sink into the extra chair. His gaze skated over Adalyn’s form, so small and fragile-looking in the huge white bed, before jumping back to his. “How is she doing?”

The soft, steady beeps from the machines pierced the silence, relentless in their persistence. Numbers flashed on the screens as they constantly monitored her vitals. He watched Adalyn’s chest rise and fall rhythmically, aided by the endotracheal tube they had installed in her airway two days ago. The first day at the hospital was touch and go, but they finally had gotten her stabilized. Now they were keeping her medically sedated until the swelling in her brain went down.

The bullet had passed through Jenn’s head and into Adalyn. Thank God Jenn had misjudged the angle. By some miracle, the bullet had ricocheted off Adalyn’s skull when it penetrated, forcing the trajectory upward instead of directly into her brain. It had still done some damage, but not nearly what it could have. It was no real consolation—head wounds were tricky. Adalyn still hadn’t woken, and they wouldn’t know just how bad it was until she was awake and coherent.