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I’m going to lose another person who I love and for no fucking reason whatsoever other than selfishness. My heart clenches in my chest when I lift my gaze to Drew and find him standing there, perfectly still like a statue.
Oh god. I move to take a step toward him, but my feet, legs, they refuse to move. The thunking sound of metal on wood drags catches my attention, and I watch as the gun in Drew’s father’s hand clatters onto the hardwood a few feet away, stopping at the edge of the rug.
I look from the gun and back to Drew’s father, who is slumped against a sideboard, his hand clutched tight to his side. Bright red blood blooms against his white button-up, and nausea rolls through me. There’s no missing the wide-eyed look on his face, a mixture of shock and anger.
It happens in slow motion, as everyone in the room turns to look in the direction he’s looking. I blink, wondering if what I’m witnessing is really real. It can’t be, can it? There’s no way. Yet the image before me doesn’t change.
I can’t seem to unsee Drew’s mom sitting there, her feet dangling off the edge of the bed, a gun clutched tight in her hand that she slowly drops as all the attention in the room turns to her.
This… I can’t wrap my head around it, and I don’t know who’s more shocked. Lyle or Drew himself. At this point, I think everyone is shocked, and I can’t swallow past the hard lump that’s formed in my throat.
What the hell do we do now?
No one makes a sound. It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Victoria lists to the side, fisting the sheets with her free hand to keep herself upright. Her skin is ghostly white, and her long dark hair fans out around her biceps, only accenting her pale complexion. She’s wearing the same blue hospital gown I saw her in before.
I’d only seen her one time, but even then her beauty shined bright. Now, holding a gun in her hand, with fury flickering in her eyes, I feel a different level of respect for her.
Victoria waves her hand in a come-hither motion, and the doctor, still on the far side of the room, rushes across the room, stopping once he reaches her side. He quickly checks a bunch of the cords and then quickly plugs some things into the machines.
The puzzle pieces slide into place so easily now. She had herself unplugged from the machines so she wouldn’t give herself away, but how did she do so without going unnoticed? I can’t even begin to understand what’s going on.
I can still feel my pulse on my tongue, leaving my mouth dry and my hands shaking. I’m helpless. This isn’t my fight, my revenge, none of it. Yes, I hate that man, but I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to kill him. Mostly. Probably.
Drew’s dad makes a feeble attempt to sit up, and coughs, blood sputtering out of his mouth as he does. When he speaks, his voice is labored. “Looks like you didn’t have the balls after all, Son.”
Even dying, he has to disparage him.
Okay. I could probably kill him.
My legs are heavy, and my knees quake, threatening to give out on me. If I don’t sit down soon, I’m going to pass out. Ungraceful as hell, I slump to the floor, spreading my legs out in front of me. Relief courses through my veins.
Drew’s concerned gaze falls on me before pinging back to his mother.
“I don’t understand what’s going on? What’s happening, Mom? How did you get a gun? I thought you were in a coma?”
The questions boil out of him, but he’s not getting answers, not yet at least.
She flicks her eyes to Drew for a heartbeat, then focuses her attention back on her husband. “A mother’s love knows no bounds, Drew. Even on the verge of death, I knew I’d do whatever I had to do to protect you.”
Drew jolts and looks shocked. “What...? I don’t understand.”
Again, his mother doesn’t explain further and sneers at Lyle. “I’m glad the first shot didn’t kill you, so I can tell you what a damn asshole you are. I can’t fucking believe you.”
Like an angel avenging those she loves, her gaze darts around the room, over each person. Drew. The guards. Sebastian. Me. When she reaches the officiant, whatever the hell his name is, who is standing to the side with a strange look on his face, something changes in her features.
“Richard, is it? Do you think it’s self-defense if you kill a man who has been slowly killing you for years?”
Richard blinks and focuses on the wall opposite like he doesn’t want to draw attention to himself. “I mean...I could probably sell it in court if you had some kind of proof, and the person in question had a track record of being a bad person. There’s a lot of things to take into account, though, especially when in court.”
Drew takes a staggering step toward his mom. “No, we won’t be inviting the law into this. Sebastian agreed to take care of things. We already have a plan in place.”
Her pensive gaze swings back to Drew, and a smile touches her lips, making her face appear brighter. “Sweetheart, I hate to break it to you like this, but Sebastian and I also had a plan.”
What? I’m as shocked as Drew is, and his face is a portrait of sheer surprise when he turns toward Sebastian. “What the fuck, man? My mom, really?”
There's a shuffling of boots on the floor, and I skitter back as Sebastian stalks over, kicking the gun Drew’s father was trying to snatch off the floor with the toe of his boot. It flies toward the wall and bounces near the door, out of reach of everyone.
The guards shift on the hardwood like they want to do something, but Sebastian is there in a flash, his guns pointed back at them.
