I could feel Darren’s eyes on me, his brow raised like he was waiting to see if I
would react. If I would take that kind of shit from Jared.
He chuckled again. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I just don’t think you have it in you.
Leave it to the big boys who can actually pull—”
I didn’t allow him to finish his sentence. Instinct took over as I swiftly turned
my body into a reverse sidekick and slammed my foot straight into his mouth,
knocking him right out of his chair. The moment my foot made contact, the most
beautiful sense of fulfillment washed over me. The taste of revenge lingered on the
tip of my tongue, its sweetness filling my mouth like honey. I hadn’t lost it. It was
still there, waiting to be found.
Jared grunted loudly, and I felt myself moving in on him, my clenched fist rising
to strike, but Darren grabbed my arm and held me back. Jared was instantly righted
back into his chair, coughing up blood and spitting out fragments of his teeth. I
didn’t think his mouth would be working properly after that. I moved toward him
again, my fists shaking to plunge them into his face, but again, Darren held me
back.
“Say one more fucking word, and I’ll make you swallow the rest of your teeth,” I
threatened.
Holy fuck, did I just say that? Were those my words that just came from my
mouth?
I looked back up at Darren, shocked and horrified at what I had just done, but the
look he was giving me did not suggest disappointment. It was pride. He smiled
down at me as if I was everything to him, and it filled me with hope.
Darren held the gun up again one last time, and it blew my mind that there was a
smile on my face. But then the moment was ruined by the soft laughter emanating
from Jared’s fucked-up, bloody mouth.
“I hope you enjoy the rest of your life, baby,” he mumbled with a cracked
chuckle. “You’re both so welcome.”
I suddenly felt something snap inside me, like a rubber band finally giving way
to its pressure.
I never wanted to hear that fucking sound again.
In one motion, I took the gun from Darren’s hand, pointed the barrel at the
ground to pull back the slide and push the bullet into the chamber, lifted my hand
to aim, and pulled the trigger without a second thought.
The sound that left the gun was nothing compared to the sound that followed.
Darren furrowed his brows in disappointed surprise. “He was three feet in front
of you, Jaden. How did you miss?” he asked me, irritated.
I smiled in response. “I didn’t miss.”
The bullet pierced into Jared’s neck, shattering his jugular, and causing blood to
spill all over him. His eyes went wide as he began to choke on his own blood, the
gushing, croaking sounds he made only drew the corners of my mouth up higher. I
didn’t take my eyes off him until I saw the life leave his eyes. It was fucking perfect.
Even Darren had a smile on his face with my slight deviation from his plan.
When it was over and Jared was dead, I released the slide to close again and
handed it back to Darren.
“We done here?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said gravely, taking the gun from my hand and holstering it at his hip.
“Go back to the bedroom. I’ll see you up there shortly.”
I nodded and then immediately turned to head for the door, but before I could
take another step, Darren snatched my wrist and pulled me to him. His hands
gripped my face tightly and then leaned down to kiss me with enough force to
strain my neck. But this wasn’t a simple good night kiss. This was passion mixed
with what felt like relief and excitement. Had I made him happy with my decision?
Fuck, I hoped.
“Welcome back, princess. Fuck, have I missed you,” he whispered against my
face. I didn’t know what he meant by that, but I didn’t deliberate much when he
released me, and I was escorted back up the stairs.
Each step I took brought me deeper and deeper into the understanding that I had
just killed someone. For the very first time, I had personally taken a life. And
Darren was right—there was no walking away from that.
I found my breath coming faster, weariness fogging my brain while the contents
of my stomach twisted and churned inside me. Bolting forward, I grasped a tree,
bent over, and threw up all over the bushes.
“Miss Jaden, are you okay?” Owen asked, his voice full of concern while Clive
came to my side.
I spat out the nastiness on my tongue and wiped my mouth with my sleeve, the
horror of what I had just done leaving me like the contents of my stomach just had.
“I’m fine. In fact … I’m great,” I said, meaning it.
My hands were officially dirty now, bloodied with darkness and death. I was no
longer
