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“We’ll see,” I said, surprising myself with my courage. “Don’t take another step.”
His pistol was in full view when he advanced on me. I squeezed the trigger, barely grazing his left bicep. I prayed that would stop him.
It didn’t.
He took another step forward, frightening me with his eyes. I had no choice. I sucked in a deep breath the way Brendan had taught me and squeezed the trigger on the exhale. This time the hit landed dead center; a red circle formed against the bright white of his shirt.
Ronan smiled. “Brendan taught you well. Center mass.”
He clutched his chest, breathing fast and labored as he dropped to his knees. He fell face forward into the hardwood floor of Charlie’s living room, missing the area rug by just a few inches.
I stared at my father as he bled out, a strange kind of fascination that I couldn’t turn away from as his smile faded along with the color in his face before the light in his eyes went out forever.
Ronan Rhymer was dead. Done in by his own damn daughter.
This was not the end I wanted, but the one he’d asked for.
Heavy footsteps sounded behind me, and I turned with a gasp, gun aimed at whoever was there to fight next. But it wasn’t the enemy. When I saw Charlie’s smile, I thought about the bond that drew us together. He’d killed my brother. I’d killed my father.
“Charlie,” I breathed, all nerves, confusion, but mostly relief. “You’re here.”
“I am. Looks like I missed the party.”
My arm fell heavy against my side and I went to him and wrapped my arms around him.
“Are you okay? What did the cops want?”
He pulled back with a smile and took the gun from my hand. “I’m fine. They were fishing, that’s all. I promise. I’m fine, Vannah. Just fine.”
And simply because I could, I pressed my lips to him and kissed him slow and hard, happy as fuck to see him. Relieved. “I’m glad.”
“You worried about me, Princess?”
For the first time in my whole damn life, I smiled at that dreaded nickname. “I was.” It was a big admission, one I didn’t know how to deal with, so I kissed him.
Again.
Only this time, I poured my whole fucking heart into that kiss.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Charlie
As much as it killed me, I pulled back from the hottest kiss of my life. Something was different about her today. Probably her dead old man on my floor. “Worried about me?” She smiled, and I cupped her face, sliding my thumb across her bottom lip.
“I thought you might end up behind bars. You know how cops are.” Her dark brows crinkled in the middle; concern etched on her face as she leaned into my hand. “What are we going to do now?”
I stepped over to Ronan’s body and felt for a pulse. Nothing. “He’s dead.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pushed the button to call Jimmy. He answered on the first ring. “Need a crew. My house STAT.”
“You got it boss,” he replied. And I ended the call.
“What did the cops want?” Savannah blinked and took a step back. “I mean, if you want to tell me.”
“What happened here? Don’t tell me you let the old man get in your head?” There was so much to talk about, too much to even know what the fuck to talk about first.
“Yes. No. I don’t know. Maybe a little.”
She’d told me the whole story. Self-defense for sure. She looked down at her dad, lying dead on my floor, a wistful look on her face. “But he’s dead now. Am I supposed to feel something?”
I wrapped my arm around her waist. “Don’t know. Feelings are not my strong suit. Just feel however you feel.”
“I don’t know what I feel. Can we deal with his fat, dead body soon? It creeps me out.”
“Crew’s on their way.”
“What did the cops want?”
Family shit was complicated. I knew that better than most, so I told her what she wanted to know. “They found Brendan’s body and wanted to question me about it.”
“Why you? What do they know?” I hadn’t realized it until that moment, but it was satisfying as hell that she knew they didn’t have anything on me.
“Nothing. I think when Beck stopped by and found you here, it got her mind to spinning tales. She asked how you would feel knowing I was being investigated for your brother’s murder, like that would get me to say something.”
Savannah laughed and shook her head. “That’s what’s wrong with cops. They think they have all the answers. I already know you killed my brother. And I just killed my father. If you want, I’ll even play the role of grieving sister, daughter. Whatever you need.”
“Thanks, but it’s not necessary. They can’t even pinpoint his time of death, so they’ll have a difficult time narrowing down a suspect or a witness.”
