Page 64 of Then and Now (The Edge of Retaliation 3)
He raises his gun and slams it across her head. She goes down in slow motion, falling into the shards of glass. Everything in my world stops as I watch my best friend fall, her screams strangled in her throat. The pain so intense she can’t get any sound out.
“That’s not good enough.” He laughs. “I need you to scream.”
He presses his booted foot onto her face, smashing it down onto the glass. She screams, her sounds piercing the room.
I can’t take it.
I won’t let him hurt her.
I won’t.
Not my Jo.
I raise the gun, take a deep breath, and pull the trigger.
The bullet hits him right in the back of the head, he didn’t even see it coming. Blood splatters everywhere and he falls forward, landing over my best friend, making her screams even worse.
I rush over, grabbing him and hauling him off with a strength I didn’t know I had. His body flops to the side, and I feel unwell at the sight of his head, which is no longer intact. Vomit rises to my throat as I grab for Jo, rolling her and pulling her into my arms, even as the shards of glass cut into my skin.
I reach for the blanket on the sofa, and I press it to her bleeding face, cradling her against me as she sobs, her body shaking violently.
“I’m here. I’m here. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
The other two men will be back any second.
I don’t know what to do.
God, I don’t know what to do.
Help me.
EVERYTHING AFTER I’VE shot him feels like it goes in slow motion.
Everything.
I hear the front door burst open, and I look over to see the two men who went to search Jo’s apartment come in. I’ve already reached for my gun and have it pointed at them, before they realize what has happened.
I pull the trigger without hesitating for even a second, hitting one in the chest. He drops down to the ground, while the other fumbles for the gun he stuffed into his pants. Stupid man, he should have known not to come in here without his weapon ready. Are they that cocky? That they honestly thought they’d never find themselves in trouble?
I pull the trigger again.
It’s my life or his.
I choose my own.
They won’t hesitate to kill Jo and I, I’m not going to risk that.
The bullet hits him somewhere between his chest and hips. I don’t know where, all I know is he falls to the ground wailing in pain, a disgusting gurgling sound coming from his throat.
Jo sobs, and I fumble for a phone, knowing I need to get us help as soon as I possibly can, before it’s too late. Jo needs an ambulance, and I need to get these men out of here before someone calls the police.
As if reading my mind, as if they knew I needed them in that very moment, Tanner, Tatum and Alarick rush through the front door, guns raised. The moment they see what they’ve walked into their faces drop. Alarick, having the most composure, yells, “Check the rooms, there could be more.”
“There’s not,” I croak, my voice hoarse. “I shot them all.”
Tanner and Tatum are both rushing towards us, but to me it almost looks like they’re not moving, like it’s taking so damned long for them to reach me. I need them to reach me.
Tatum drops to the ground, unbothered by the glass and takes the sobbing Jo into his arms, his eyes scanning her face. He looks horrified, but more because he’s so hurt to see her like that. “What did they do to you, baby? I’m so sorry. So sorry.”
“She needs a hospital,” I whisper, my hands trembling and covered in Jo’s blood.
That’s the second time this week I’ve been covered in someone’s blood because of these fuckers.
Tatum lifts Jo into his arms, and looks to Tanner, who has his arms around me to lift me out of the mess. I didn’t even feel him touch me. “I’m goin’ to take her in. You good?”
Tanner nods, “Alarick and I have got this, go.”
Tatum rushes out and Tanner stands with me in his arms. My eyes scan the floor, and move over all the glass and blood. “I-I-I shot them all. Tanner, I killed people.”
“It’s okay, honey,” he murmurs, “it’s okay. Are you injured?”
I shake my head. “I shot them.”
“It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”
“I’ll go to prison,” I cry, my whole body coming alive at the realization of what I’ve done. “I can’t go back there. I don’t want to go back there.”
I’m wailing now, the shock taking over my body.
The image of what I did imprinting forever into my brain.
“Hey,” Alarick says, suddenly appearing. He leans in close and orders, “Look at me, Callie. You’re not goin’ to prison. I will not let you. My boys will have this cleaned up and dealt with. Nobody will ever know what happened here.”
