Page 161 of Rugger: The Huntress

“You fucking lied to me!” I bellowed, tears falling from my eyes.

“I did, Rugger, and I’d do it all over again. It broke my heart to do it, but I’d be damned if I regret it even a little. It had to be done and it had to be me.”

“What the fuck does that even mean? You let me mourn for six months, Chemistry. Six months. I buried a stranger next to our father.”

“His name appeared in the database, baby. His superiors felt he had been compromised. They were ready to discard him. Killian was the first to encounter the contract. They were unaware he was connected to them.

“Simultaneously, he was in my office, telling me how he was ready to leave the game and make a life with you here in St. Catana. It was the perfect opportunity. Killian confirmed the contract. I promised to carry it out and get him back to the island in one piece so he could live the life he’d dreamt for the both of you.

“It was an easy shot. A simple shot. You had to witness it. Your role was vital in making this look real and feel real to his people. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t tell you the truth. He almost died, baby. Your eagerness to save him almost cost him his life. He nearly bled out.”

“Of course I wanted to save him. What else did you expect of me?”

“When I made it to him, he’d been deprived of oxygen for minutes. He was dead, Rugger, but we had help on standby. We worked on him all night long.”

“We– who is– we?”

My heart split into a million tiny pieces.

“Ro– Roaman?”

He nodded.

“Roaman had a job to do and she did it well.”

“Did the others know?”

He nodded. “Not all of them. Only Roaman– andRome.”

He didn’t have to mention her name for me to understand her knowledge of the situation. And, Roaman was tossed in the fire because she was the only person Chemistry trusted to save the lives of the people he loved.

“Those girls– those girls are willing to do anything for you, Rugger. I didn’t tell them but had I, nothing would’ve changed.”

“He was there,” I realized.

“What?”

“On the plane. He was on the plane on our way to St. Catana?”

My tears made it impossible to see anything. Even Chemistry was a blur.

“Answer me, dammit!”

“Yes. He was on the plane, clinging to his life.”

“You never had to come from the island because you were already in the States. That’s how you made it to me so fast. That’s how–”

“You’re right. I wasn’t in St. Catana, but the girls were. I’d already had them board the plane and head this way. Before you called me, they were on the way. Before the first shot was fired, Roaman was already waiting.

“Three doors down, she created a trauma unit and was on standby. But, your stubbornness. Your stubbornness andunwillingness to let him die put him in a coma for six months. He woke up three days ago and since, he’s been trying to make his way back to you.

“When he learned that he couldn’t walk, that nigga was willing to crawl. So, don’t fault me, baby, for giving you the happy ending you deserved, no matter how I had to do it. When I look at Psalms, I see a good man. I see a man that our father would embrace without a second fucking thought. Six months of heartbreak was far more manageable than a lifetime of it.”

He pushed my hand aside and pulled me into his arms. I melted into his chest.

“Ain’t a fucking thing I wouldn’t do for you, Rugger. Know that. I love you too much to let you suffer for a lifetime when I have the power to save you the pain.

“I meant it when I said my chopper will not know silence until every last one of them motherfuckers are maggot food. Just say the word when you’re ready.”

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