Page 41 of SnapShot

“I won’t be okay until he doesn’t exist. I need to be the one to end him. Will you still look at me like you are right now when it’s over, though? Will you be able to love me still, knowing I’ll be forever changed?”

“Look at me, Haedyn,” He spins me to stand in front of him and lifts my eyes to his with his finger under my chin. “I’m here. You’re not getting rid of me that easily, and if you’re trying to, then go ahead and bury me beside that asshole because I will follow you to the end. I love you. More than anything you could ever do. More than the troubles we face. More than the bad things we do for good reason. More than I thought I could care for anyone. I love you. I’m here. Please let me be here for you.”

I can feel my heart melting into my ribs, leaking all over my other organs to allow his love to overtake my whole body, searching for a way to make my brain believe him. The struggle is struggling.

“I’ll try,” is the only reply I can give. It feels unfair that he can express his love for me so easily, and I can’t even say the words outside of an accident. Maybe my parents fucked me up more than I realized. The only people who I’ve ever allowed myself to get close to were Grams and Kate. Letting someone else into my heart feels a lot like flaying my own skin wide open for him. It physically pains me to talk about my vulnerabilities, even when they are good ones to have.

“What a sweet little moment,” a rough voice taunts, and chills immediately overtake my body. Ice penetrates my veins and freezes my blood. I’m scared to turn around and face him, but I refuse to bow to my fear another minute. Charlie tries to push me behind him and shield me, but fuck that. I shove off of him and spin to confront the face of my brokenness. He has taken too much of me recently; it stops now.

“What the fuck are you doing here? Didn’t do enough damage at the campsite? Or was the jail cell just so comfy that you’re begging to go back to it?” I throw every ounce of venom into my retort as I can as a defense against the terror roaming around inside me.

“Just paying my future wife a visit, making my presence known. Throwing my name into the draw, so to speak. I also wanted to see who my competition is. Happy to see that I’ll come out on top.” His face lights up with a sinister grin and a disgusting wink thrown at Charlie.

“If this is your idea of a proposal, you need help. Couple of tips, asshole. One, if you want to marry someone, you should typically date them first. Two, trying to rape said woman, probably puts a big damper on those plans.” My mind is reeling. I need a weapon. He would show up here the one time I’m not packing. Think, Hae, what can you use?

Charlie side steps to me, grabbing my hand and pulling my back to his front, leaning down to kiss the side of my neck. Brad’s gaze tracks his movement like a hawk readying to strike. Charlie is up to something. I just don’t know what. Grabbing him by the back of his neck, I pull his ear to my mouth to whisper, “whatever you’re doing, I’m in. Keep doing it. His eyes haven’t left us yet. I need to get him closer to the barn or the house. I have several guns stashed.”

“Get your hands off of her. She’s not yours to touch, dickhead.” He starts walking toward us but stops dead in his tracks as Charlie unbuttons my jeans to snake a hand inside without actually touching me sexually. He’s using the idea of it to lure him to us. Smart. I’m slightly off kilter, but I know he won’t take this too far. I’m choosing to trust him. Willing my heart to calm, I bite down on his neck still in front of my mouth. I need something to ground me.

Charlie doesn’t miss a beat, looking up under his lashes at Brad, groaning before declaring, “sure feels like she is. Maybe it’s you who needs to reassess here.” I can practically see the steam pluming from Brad’s ears and his nose, resembling a bull seeing a waving red flag. Perfect.

“You want her, big guy,” he taunts, “then come and get her.” The pressure on my wrist instantly stings as Charlie damn near rips my arm out of socket when he takes off running toward the barn with me in tow. Not the subtlety I would have used, but whatever works I guess. I don’t even spare a glance behind us to see if Brad is following us. I can feel that he is. Charlie catapults me ahead of him as we get to the entrance of the barn, hurriedly telling me, “Find the gun. I’ll stall.”

Spur Me On

twenty-two

Spur Me On

Charlie

Watching her run into the barn made my heart ache. I don’t know how this is going to turn out, but I’m trusting that she knows what she’s doing. I need to focus all of my attention on Numbnuts running in here after us, anyway. I position myself directly inside the doorway, out of sight so that I can grab him when he makes it here.

Luckily, I don’t have to wait long before he comes barreling in. Dumbass doesn’t even look around once inside, making it all too easy for me to tackle him. The element of surprise is about all I have in my favor, as it seems we’re pretty evenly matched in other areas. Height wise, I’ve only got about an inch more than him at my six foot two. As far as weight goes, he’s got me beat by a good forty pounds or so. I’m not a professional fighter by any means, but growing up, I got in my fair share of tussles.

Fairly confident in my right hook, my fist meets Brad’s jaw with a thwarting crack that sends vibration up my arm, ramping up my adrenaline into overdrive. It feels too good to be hurting this guy after he touched what is mine. Haedyn will not be hurt by this piece of shit ever again. I’ll let her get her revenge, but I feel justified in my desire for the same opportunity to cause him some pain.

He tries to return the blow, but lucky for me, I was ready for it and able to dodge. This guy must be a real amateur; he doesn’t appear to have any kind of weapons on his person. Does he really underestimate Haedyn that much? To think that she can’t defend herself in the slightest? Or that she doesn’t own a gun? This guy has the biggest ego I’ve ever encountered, thinking he could come in here and just take her with no complications.

Haedyn isn’t your typical damsel in distress. She’s in a league all her own. The fact that he got the jump on her at that trail ride is surprising, and I have to chalk it up to her knowing him, trusting him. In my mind, that only makes his actions more despicable. He used that trust to lull her into a false sense of security, poising himself to strike when she had her guard down. It does make me wonder how many other women have fallen victim to his sick and twisted game.

The thought turns my stomach and increases my drive to end him here and now, before anyone else has to suffer at his hand. I have to reign in my urge to snap his fucking neck because I’d never want to deny my girl the chance to heal herself through his ending.

Brad finally lands a hit to the side of my face, bloodying my lip in the process. The blow knocks me off balance enough to give him the upper hand and flip me to my back with him hovering over me. Immediately his forearm is against my windpipe, crushing with brutal intention. Heat floods my face with each trying breath. I buck my hips up to try to dislodge him, but he doesn’t budge. Pushing against his arm proves useless as well. He’s using the strength of both his arms to cut off my air supply, and it’s damn near impossible to keep my panic from taking over all rational thought. The only thing flitting through my head is how desperately I need oxygen. Like. Now. Sucking in the largest breath I can and holding it, I use my hand to shove the bottom of his nose into his skull, not enough to actually kill him, but enough to get him the fuck off my throat.

That first deep inhale burns like that first drag from a menthol cigarette when you don’t usually smoke. The sting lasts a little longer than it should and sends you into a coughing fit that lasts embarrassingly too long. Even through my leaky eyes, I keep my gaze on Brad while I try to regain my normal breaths. His hands cradle his bloody nose, and it gives me a sick sense of satisfaction to see that stream running freely, fiercely cleansing him of his evils.

I position myself in front of him to do what I feel like any rational man would do to his girlfriend’s would-be rapist, no matter the “bro code”. I use all my strength and kick him as hard as I can in the balls, hoping it sends the little worm back up into his disgusting body. Based on the howl of agony escaping his mouth, I’d say my chances are solid.

When he drops to his knees in the dirt, I strike, placing my boot to the center of his chest and knocking him onto his back. The moment his body hits the ground that I get an idea. The spurs on my boots jingle merrily like a Christmas song as I walk to where his head lies in the dirt.

Spurs aren’t meant to actually hurt the horses they’re used on. They’re just sharp enough that the animal will feel it through that thick skin of theirs, giving your command a little umph. Mine aren’t exactly dull, but they’re not knife sharp, either. Definitely sharp enough to hurt when I sink into his throat to keep him detained until Haedyn gets back. I have no doubt that I could sever his jugular if I really tried to. I won’t, but it is tempting.

“You’re a real piece of shit, you know that? So unloved and pathetic that you have to force someone to have sex with you. What a fucking waste of space. I can’t wait to watch my girl wipe you from existence.” The rage boiling beneath my skin makes it difficult to control myself. I’ve had such a good hold on my anger for years now, but thinking about the damage he has caused my little brat is enough to break the chain.

“Oh fuck you, dude. She was mine first anyway. You know we practically dated all throughout high school. I didn’t do anything to her that I haven’t done before. Don’t be mistaken. She begged for it all the other times.”

My free foot pounds into his face before he can finish talking. “You don’t get to speak about her anymore. She is not and was not ever, yours. You may have used her body, but rest assured, you never held her heart. It beats for me and me alone. If you so much as think her name again, I will slit your throat right here before I bathe her in your blood and fuck her to the sounds of you choking on your last breaths, cleansing her of any trace of you.”

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