Page 110 of Corrupted Bride

“Why the fuck would you want to do that?”

“Because you and Bass are going to kill each other if I don’t.”

He cocks his head thoughtfully. “And you wouldn’t like that? Come on, Mari, wouldn’t it be great if I shot your husband right in the skull? I bet you’d love to watch it. Like you loved watching me beat that shithead boyfriend of yours. What was his name?”

My jaw tightens. Rage floods me, enough to burn away some of the crippling fear. “You know his name.”

“Of course I do. Danny, that pussy. I bet you stroked your nasty little clit thinking about me kicking him in the ribs, didn’t you? Don’t pretend, Marisol. You and me are alike. We’re Escalante and all that matters is blood and power.”

He comes toward me and all the hate I’ve felt for him, all the disgust I’ve felt toward my family, toward myself, toward my parents for letting this nightmare go on, toward Javi for not seeing how sick Ruben’s always been, boils over, and I reach into my jacket.

Ruben barely notices. He’s smirking as he reaches out to touch my face, and it’s not until I have the barrel of my gun pressed to his chest that he glances down.

“Are you joking?” he asks, going still. His eyes light up with excitement. “You brought a gun to my father’s funeral?”

“I brought a gun to finish you off, asshole, and you can thank Graciela for the idea.”

His grin only gets bigger. “I knew that bitch always hated me.”

“This is for Danny.”

“Wait—” He holds his hands up. “Hold on, Mari. Okay, wait, I know I’ve been a dick. I’m sorry. I was fucking with you. But I always planned on working with Bass. We can make this corridor happen, I swear⁠—”

I hesitate. I’ve never killed someone before and the idea of pulling the trigger is hard. I tense my hand, wanting to do it, but he’s talking and looking at me and if I end his life what does that make me?

Ruben jerks down, smashing a hand into the barrel of my gun, knocking it away.

“Shit,” I gasp as his other fist crashes into my face. I stagger into the wall and lose my grip on the gun.

“Stupid, weak bitch,” he snarls and he’s on me, punching, grabbing me by the hair, forcing me down to the floor. “I knew you were pathetic, but holy shit. You had me, you idiot, but you’re too pathetic to pull it off.”

“Fuck,” I cry as his knee slams between my legs. He paws at my chest, ripping at my jacket. “Stop it, stop⁠—”

He punches me in the mouth. I groan, twitching as he rams his forearm into my neck.

“I’m going to enjoy putting you in your place. When I’m done, you’ll stay in here and compose yourself, while I go shake hands with all the poor mourners out there. But I’m not going to wash your stink away. Oh no.”

I gag as he bites my shoulder, reaching down between my legs. Fuck, oh no, oh fuck, he’s going to⁠—

I reach out, fingers scrambling, but the gun’s too far away. I can’t get it. Inches, only inches, as Ruben grunts and mumbles about how much he’s going to enjoy this⁠—

A chair smashes down and breaks over Ruben’s back.

I stare in shock as a ghost in all black stumbles backwards. Ruben makes a gasping groaning noise and rolls off me, giving me enough time to lunge for the gun.

“Bitch!” he snarls, jerking toward me.

I push the gun against his neck and fire.

The bullet rips into his throat. Blood spurts from the wound, so much more blood than I dreamed of, pouring down into my face. I shoot again, and again, until he slumps sideways, gagging and choking, scrambling at his face. I hit him with the gun, smashing it and screaming, and I only stop when Graciela pulls me back.

“He’s dead,” she hisses. “Stop it, girl, he’s dead, he’s dead, you’re safe, you’re okay, you did it.”

I breathe hard, staring at the mangled wreck of my cousin.

The weight of the moment presses down. I murdered him. I took his life. But I don’t feel guilty, not remotely, as adrenaline tears into me. That bastard tried to rape me, he was going to rip into me like an animal, and it might’ve worked if Graciela hadn’t come back to help.

“Thank you,” I manage to choke out, only then realizing that I’ve been crying this whole time.