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“Oh, I’m good with that.The bitch deserves everything she’s got coming for her.”He grins as he slams the trunk lid, and we walk down the street.Adrenaline kicks in again, and after a call from Carmine confirming they got Odette into surgery before her appendix burst, I feel better.Cece is getting her arm set, too, and they’re both expected to make a full recovery.
The walk up the street is swift and silent.The neighborhood is quiet, and traffic is at a minimum.Erika awaits us on the front steps, a sour look on her face.“I really hate those two,” she grumbles as she opens the door for us.Already, we can hear fighting, and our mother’s high-pitched whine brings me back to childhood when she wouldn’t get her way with Dad.
Soundlessly entering the house, we make our way to the den we previously sat in with Donny.Leaning against a wall, I watch as Debra and Rex argue in front of the fireplace, not noticing us yet.Donny tips his head in greeting as he downs a glass of what I think is probably single malt.
Holy grows agitated in Debra’s presence, and it’s obvious he’s reaching the end of his rope.Slipping my hand to the sheath at my back, I grip the handle of the knife and quickly throw it across the room, embedding the blade to the hilt into Rex’s leg.If my aim is on point, I’ve nicked the femoral artery in his thigh, and as soon as he pulls it out, he’ll bleed to death.
Debra screams as Rex falls.Just as he grabs the handle, I give him a warning, “You’ll bleed to death if you remove that.”They both glance at me, shock and anger line their faces.“Odette is fine, by the way.Matthew, not so much.”I enjoy a moment of glee when I see they’re both disappointed in the news.
“Erika, maybe you should help Donny to the kitchen.A relaxing cuppa might be good for the old man,” Holy suggests as he retrieves his own blade.I’m not sure what exactly Debra did to make him hate her so much, but he’s in his element and filled with excitement over the prospect of getting his chance to kill her.
“What are you doing?Call the police!”Debra screams and gets ignored as Erika leads Donny out of the room.As soon as they’re clear, Holy lets his knife fly, hitting Debra in nearly the same spot as I did Rex.
“You should have stayed gone,” I tell her as I approach the two of them crying on the floor.Squatting, I flick each blade in their legs, grinning when they whimper.“I hope you enjoy your trips to hell.”Gripping the handles of both knives, I pull them out.The two yelp and reach for their wounds.It won’t matter, Holy and I hit our targets, and the blood loss will have their hearts stopped in seconds.
I continue to watch as they struggle to staunch the flow.To hang on for just a little longer until the paling of their faces, the rapid breathing, and the lack of blood to their hearts steal their lives.
CHAPTER23
Odette
Staring up at the stained ceiling above me, the room is dark and as quiet as can be for a hospital, but I don’t dare move.I could see from the corner of my eye that Malice is sleeping in a chair next to my bed.His head is bandaged, and there is dried blood on the side of his face and neck.He didn’t come out unscathed from the car accident, which is a blur for me.
Dim light shines in from the cracked open door, and I watch the shadows of people moving across the roof and wall as I wait for…I don’t even know what.Memories?Of the day and what happened.I remember getting hit, the car rolling, and panic over Malice not being in the car, but everything after is white-hot pain that I don’t ever wish to experience again.
As I move to roll over, I feel a twinge in my side and lift the blanket to get a look at what is going on.A bandage covers a small portion of my right side, and that’s when I notice the IVs and other wires hooked up to me.
“Don’t move, little rabbit.”As soon as I hear Malice’s voice, my body relaxes, and I feel a sense of safety.
“Are you okay?”I extend an arm for him as he sits forward, reaching for a call button.“Your head…”
“Don’t worry about me, little rabbit.You’re the one who had surgery to get her appendix removed.”The corner of his mouth lifts as he moves to sit on the bed.“Scared the daylights out of me, Odette.”Lifting my hand, he kisses the inside of my wrist and moves to the palm, holding me close to his lips.
“Me, too.”Closing my eyes when the door opens, I half hope whoever it is leaves again.
“Miss Cavanaugh, you’re awake.Glad to see you again.You had your fiancé and father quite worried.”My eyes fly open at her words, and I stare in shock at Malice.He wiggles my hand enough for me to see a sapphire-encased diamond ring on my finger, and I feel my heart rate accelerating.“Surgery was perfect.You have a concussion from the accident, but you’ll recover just fine from both.Your body will likely be sore from the rollover, but otherwise, you’ll be out of here in a couple of days.”She’s quick to do her work before leaving us alone again.
Malice slips into bed with me, lifting the covers so he can hold me closer.I melt into his body and breathe a sigh of relief before asking, “What happened?”
“Matthew Simon decided he didn’t want to hold back and came for you today.”
“His father is the one who wanted my mother?”I heard a lot of bad stories about him.
“Yes.Same asshole who went and remarried my mother.Needless to say, none of them are a problem anymore.You’re safe, and I’ve sent a message that you aren’t to be fucked with.”His grip tightens slightly, pulling me to lay mostly on top of him.
Looking up at his chiseled face, I trace his jaw with a finger.“I love you, Malice Sinclair.”I think I have for my entire life; I just didn’t know he would ever be mine.
Epilogue One
MALICE
Five Years Later.
Life is funny, the way it moves and changes.How we walk through each hour of every day only to do it all over again the next.It’s unpredictable and volatile, and just when you think you have a handle on it, things shift, and you either move with it or get left behind.
My wife, my sweet, beautiful little rabbit, is just like life.
She fought for her independence, inserted herself into the family business, and then, one day, changed her mind.Shifted her life to align more with what she could do to make the world a better place.
