Page 107 of Call You Mine

Her free hand comes up to his face, her nails trailing over his cheek, slowly descending until she grasps his jaw in her hand. “You’re right, which means I need something else toquench my thirst.” This is it. Damon should take advantage of her distraction and take the gun from her, though I know he wouldn’t risk it. Her eyes roam over him, a disgusting want gleaming in them as she licks her lips. “I’m sure you will do just fine, if not only to prove to my dear daughter that mommy will always get what she wants. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time a suitor of hers has made the switch, though he turned out to be a foolish coward who is going to end up dead, or worse.”

“I’ll be dead before I allow you anywhere near me or my girlfriend.”

“Future mother of your spawn, if I’m not mistaken. You know, I was furious when I first figured it out. As you can see, I'm in no position to be a grandmother at this age. Now, it’s nothing, but a tragedy given there’s no world in which I would let her get away with being happy. Not when I’m in this current dilemma because of her selfishness.” Her gaze turns to me. “You should have just given me the money when I asked you too, you dumb girl. Now, the three of you will pay for it.”

“Willa,” Clarissa shouts nervously, “The alarms, there is someone else on the property.”

Without warning, a loud explosion rings as the front door is blown open, making me jolt forward from the blast. Damon turns us just before we hit the floor so that I land on top of him, my mother falling back beside her as the gun falls out of her hand. From the corner of my eye, I see Clarissa take off toward the back of the house, the same way Luke ran out.

My gaze goes hazy, my stomach churning as Damon releases me enough to reach for the gun, but he’s too far. Climbing over him, I crawl toward it at the same time her gaze connects with mine.

I beat her to it, but she pushes me down, straddling me as we fight for control of it.

It all happens so fast, I’m not sure what comes first. Damon screams as loud footsteps march toward us, six armed officers dressed in full tactical gear barreling in through the front doors of the mansion. I use Willa’s distraction to gain control, and with my finger on the trigger of the gun pointed directly at my mother, I fire it.

BANG!

In the blink of an eye, everything goes black.

Chapter Thirty

WYNTER

Twenty-four hours. That’s how long it takes for one to recover from the emotional turmoil that is finding out you’re pregnant, having an explosive fight with your fake boyfriend, and discovering your mother was not only blackmailing you, but she and her new boyfriend—a guy whom you used to sort of date who turns out killed your husband—we’re pretending to be said dead husband to extort you. All while they teamed up with your fake boyfriend’s ex, whatever the hell she is, to keep you two apart.

At least that’s how long it’s taken me to accept the fact this isn’t a horrible nightmare, but my reality.

The relief I felt when I realized I wasn’t the one who murdered Enzo quickly faded when I’d uncovered the extent of my mother’s scheming and manipulation. She hadn’t outright admitted it, and I wouldn’t ever get the chance to ask her, but I’m almost certain she knew about Enzo’s plans when he came for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d paid her to stay out of it.

That’s the kind of woman Willa Servite turned out to be. Someone who would sell her daughter for the right price.

After I pulled the trigger and the gunshot ran in the air, everything went dark. I’d passed out, succumbed to the darkness that had been threatening for months to consume me. It finally had, and I wasn’t in any hurry to come out of it. Not when what was waiting for me on the outside wasn’t any different. At least here in my mind, I was safe.

Despite Damon’s attempt to apologize before everything came barreling down around us, our future lay in the hands of the woman who’d tried to ruin us.

Was the fear of losing me enough to erase the lies and betrayals he’d previously discovered? Or was it just a reminder of how bad things could get if he remained by my side?

I shift in the bed, my eyes trying to focus on the sights around me as I come out of the slumber I’ve been in for what feels like forever. Lying here half asleep, I’d overheard conversations as I fell in and out of consciousness. People kept coming in and out of the room to check on me, yet retreating when they’d see I was still asleep. At least I’d pretended to be. I was too afraid to face the reality of what came next.

It was Scarlett who’d convinced Damon and my brother to bring me back to their house instead of taking me to the hospital. I wasn’t physically injured, nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises from struggling for the gun. They’d brought a doctor in to evaluate me and the baby, and he deemed everything would be okay as long as they allowed me to rest and recover.

Scarlett and Ruby had banned anyone from coming into the room to bother me, especially when Ace and Damon wouldn’t start arguing about who was going to see me first. I was eternally thankful to them for it. I wasn’t in any position mentally, emotionally, or physically to deal with answering either of them.

Luckily, they were too busy dealing with the aftermath of Willa, Luke and Clarissa, all trying to escape the authorities. As Damon had so eloquently told Scarlett, he and Kai had reachedout to Elijah Pearce—the man who’d once been fake engaged to Stella and had gone from undercover Motorcycle Club member to officer of the Hillcrest Hills Police Department. Elijah had wasted no time in putting together a team of officers to rescue me from what they had described to him as a hostage situation.

To their surprise, I was the one with the gun when they came barging in. Damon and Ace hadn’t been able to wait for Elijah’s officers and had come in as soon as they’d arrived, nearly blowing the entire stint up.

Surprised by the sound of the officers’ knocking down the front door of my mother’s house, I pulled the trigger and shot her in the arm, horrified despite everything she’d done and was planning to do if I hadn’t won and regained control of the weapon. But I couldn’t fathom having hurt her, or worse, killed her.

Elijah’s officers rushed us and brought her to her knees, handcuffing her and dragging her out of the house, bloody arm and all. Luke and Clarissa had been captured outside by another group of officers and also arrested. Now the three of them were sitting in a jail cell downtown, where they’d hopefully rot for the rest of their lives.

Damon had given Elijah the USB flash drive he’d found in my room—the one that showed Luke going back after I attacked Enzo and killing him. Apparently, when they raided my mother’s house, they’d found a lot more incriminating evidence that would ensure Luke and Willa wouldn’t ever see the light of day again. Clarissa had her own illicit activities, all hidden under the umbrella of Kingsman, which Damon was now plotting to dismantle.

Hillcrest Hills PD now had copies of all the text messages and packages Willa and Luke had sent me pretending to be Enzo.

I can’t imagine everything Damon has had to deal with in the last twenty-four hours. From discovering my secret to findingme in danger and coming to my rescue. All of it must be so difficult for him to understand when he doesn’t know half of the reasons behind it.

Yet here I am, willing to make him continue to suffer through it because I need him by my side.

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