Page 57 of At The End Of The Day

My lips chapped, I licked them and then coughed, but that only irritated the wounds, causing even more discomfort. “Oh, shit. Where’s the morphine? Dude, get the nurse, this ain’t right.”

Her gentle pets to the side of my face brought some comfort, as did the faint kiss she pressed to my forehead. Unfortunately, she rested hers there and bumped my nose, which triggered another grimace. “You’re awake. Oh, my god, you’re awake.”

“You think a couple bullets gonna take me down? Please, I’m invincible. Ish,” I added under my breath, truly believing I was dying on that hearth earlier. I had felt the life oozing from my blood, knew I was seconds from death. Knowing where Jackyl was headed, however, I had forced myself to not give up, to tap into some deep-rooted willpower I’d not known existed and got up. I couldn’t let him kill Vincent or Violetta.

She giggled and sat down, swiping her cheeks dry.

Everything inside sank and turned cold, chilling my core. Gazing into her light blue eyes, I whispered, “He dead?”

She flinched and nodded, bowing her chin. “Yes, he’s dead.”

The agony shifted to something time would never heal and scars would never buffer. I looked up and then off to the side, my chin shaking, my nostrils flaring. Emotions rising, my throat constricted with an actual sob. No matter how many days we sat in that house, waiting, planning, nothing could prepare us for actually killing the man we all loved so much.

“Shit,” I wheezed, rolling my head away to dig my thumb and fingers into my eyes. “Shit!” I yelled a little louder, the sob breaking free to lurch my whole body. Jesus fucking christ, why did this hurt so much worse than Mary? My friend, brother, and mentor was gone. He betrayed us all and we had no choice but to take him out to survive. Nothing was okay! This was all fucking wrong!

She started weeping, as well, sniveling and hiccupping on jagged breaths. “I know, honey. I know.”

“What are the cops saying?”

Like she always did when she was anxious, she began to fidget, trying to smooth a wrinkle on my hospital gown. Clearing her throat several times, she sniffled before answering. “Um. I…I told them I had left him, didn’t say why, and you guys were hiding me out, and he found us. That’s pretty much it.”

I gently cupped her elbow, my thumb stroking side to side. Gulping several times to compose myself, my tone was raspy with sorrow. “And the gang?”

“Same thing. They think he snapped and lost his mind because I wanted to leave.”

“And why did you leave, what are you telling them?”

Sniffling again, she sat up and rubbed her nose. “Well, I’ve only spoken to Wads and Einstein, but I, uh, ahem. I told them small truths. That I found out what he did to Tyler when we were kids and that he used to drug me and…rape me.”

“Shit.”

“I asked them not to say anything to anyone else right now, because, I mean, I’m only like eighty percent positive about the one time, but…” She shuddered so hard, her teeth clanked, her sight flitting to mine. “If he did it that one time, why wouldn’t he do it all the other times he drugged me?”

I tried to brush the hair off her brow, but the I.V. pinched, constricting my movements. “I’m so sorry, Tiny.”

Nervously nodding and coughing, she averted her gaze, her shoulders shaking slightly.

“I saw the signs, Dash. Even when we were dating, but.” Her shoulders rolling, one side of her face scrunched. “He was all I had back then. If I had paid attention and walked away, I would have been all alone and…I wouldn’t have survived,” she whispered. Her back straightening, a trembling hand combed through her tangled locks. Wincing for some reason, she quickly put both hands on her lap and deflated. “I just figured if we got married, things would get better. Then I thought if we had kids, I’d be too busy to think about Tyler and…”

My eyelids rounded and I stopped breathing, everything inside sinking into iciness. “Bitch. Oh, shit. How are Vin and bitch?”

She grinned and playfully pinched my arm. “Would you stop calling him that? Jeez, Dash.”

“What, it fits, he accepts it…he’s my bitch.”

“Your bitch. You almost sound like you like him now.”

Twining my fingers with hers on my chest, I heaved a sigh, ashamed of the relief that was spreading through my system that everything was over, Jackyl was gone, and I was now allowed to like Tyler. “Kinda hard not to. He’s kind of a solid dude, ya know?” Rolling my head to face her fully, there was a hint of trepidation that she didn’t exactly answer my question. They were okay, right?

The very notion that Vincent was not alive and going to be one hundred percent okay had my soul on fire, panic rising to clench my bones. “Are they…”

“They’re fine. Vincent will be released in the morning, but you and Ty are here for a few more days.”

My lashes fluttering closed, a long, husky groan poured out of my chest, releasing all that dark, scary energy. My muscles sagging, I whispered, “Jesus, fuck,” and brusquely rubbed at my face. “So, it worked.” My palm slapped to my chest, my attention returning to her. “Our plan worked.”

She nodded stiffly, back to fidgeting with that wrinkle. “Yup. Like a charm. Jack is…dead,” she squeaked, her eyelids clenching. “And we all look like victims.”

For a moment, I had to wonder if she would ever truly heal from this. Obviously, there would always be a soft spot for him; the love had been real, regardless of how manipulated it had been on his part. She had fully loved that man. They had a good marriage, at times, and two amazing kids. That part that loved him would never heal, that was a given.