“We’re snowed in.”
“Obviously not. He made it up the mountain just fine.” I push my hand through her hair and kiss her forehead. “Trust me, we need to cover our asses.”
“I…alright.” She walks to the dresser and pulls out a nightgown, covering my view of her perfect body. I should have killed him the second he showed up. The images of me doing what he demanded play in my mind.
Can Rosie forgive me for that?
Sure, I made it up to her and gave her orgasms, but will she trust me?
Hell, do I even trust myself?
Too many goddamn questions and no time to worry about them. Looking at my brother, I smile. He got exactly what was coming to him. My poppet didn’t even flinch when she pulled the trigger. Pride swells within my blood, and I think about how Rosie would react to bloody sex.
Shaking the thought out of my head, I untie Fred and wrap him up in the blanket from the bed. I go back and forth on whether I should bury him or make sure there’s no real evidence. Once my mind is made up, I carry him up the mountain in the snow and start digging.
Before putting him in the hole, I chop his hands, feet, and dick off. The fucker will never hurt another soul. My Rosie made sure of it, and I’m cementing it. For good measure, I pull his teeth out. There will be no dental records to compare and get a DNA match from.
I build a fire within the hole I made and throw Fred’s body in, along with his hands and feet. Keeping his teeth, I walk away and know I will have to find another way to get rid of them.
11
ROSIE
I shot him.My mind reels at the very notion of having killed someone. What was I thinking? The smell of bleach and soap runs amuck my nose as I scrub the floor.
Magnolia and Jacob didn’t quite love their father. In fact, they hated him. But, that doesn’t mean they wanted him dead.
Stripping the bed, I throw them into the washing machine in the laundry room. Bleach and Tide should take care of the blood splatters.
Why didn’t I ignore him?
Tears run down my face as guilt assaults my heart. The man was a bastard and deserved worse than me shooting him. He would have never stopped coming after me. My mind keeps trying to remind me that what I did was the only option.
Even if I make every excuse in the book, it doesn’t negate what I did. Falling to my knees, I put my head down and try to come to terms with the fact I’ve committed murder.
“Poppet.”
I look up at Mitchell, and he stands there, fierce and with pride in his eyes for me. How can he be proud of me?
“I killed him.” Sobbing, I crawl over to him.
Placing my head on his leg, he reaches down and rubs a hand through my hair. “Now isn’t the time for this.” Mitchell pulls me up and hugs my body to him. “He would have never let you leave this cabin alive. It was him or us. You did the right thing.”
“I know, but the kids.”
He laughs. “Will understand. The fire is going, and his body will soon be ash. The minute the fire is out, and I can cover the evidence, we are done here. Get the wash going, and then eat something. Don’t let this eat at you, Rosie.”
It’s disconcerting how nonchalant he is about everything. I wish I could be the same way. Opening my mouth to argue we need to stay here, Mitchell puts a finger over my lips. “I want you to get your things ready to go. We are leaving here within a few hours.”
“Why?” I’m curious as to how we are going to get down the mountain.
“Fred rode in by snowmobile. There’s a lodge on the other side of the mountain, and I’m pretty sure he’s got a room there.”
Nodding, I snuggle deeper into him. “We should split up.”
He tenses and pulls away from me. “And why would we need to do that?”
“Well, if I show up at the lodge, which is out in the middle of nowhere, to meet up with my abusive ex, that would look suspicious.”