Page 100 of Vengeful Union

“You’re not a killer, Rory.” Dougal chuckles.

He turns his back to me, walking back toward the car, back toward Lara, and I shoot him in the back. He jerks, turning around, his mouth in a small “o” of surprise, and then he drops to the ground, clutching the hole that’s appeared on his chest, the bullet went through and through.

The other man, smaller, one I don’t recognize, starts to run, but I’m close enough that I grab him by the back of his shirt, ripping the collar as I jerk him backward.

I hold him as I press the gun into the small of his back.

“Tell me why he sent you after me.”

“W-We were supposed to attack you. Take the girl, stick her somewhere temporarily on the grounds,” he spills instantly. “Then we were to report back to him.”

I hum.

My father didn’t think I’d kill them. He didn’t think I had it in me.

To be honest, I wasn't sure that I did, either, at least until now.

But the threat of Lara being taken, hurt, even killed... Most of the attack I don’t even remember. It’s all just a blur, just a want to keep her safe.

“Guess he’ll never get that report.”

I pull the trigger, and he merely grunts before dropping to the ground, clutching his wound. I look down at him coolly as he rolls over, his mouth open and gasping, eyes glassy with shock.

It’ll take him hours to bleed out from that wound, hours lying on the shoulder, staring up at the sky.

I move my gun to his head.

“Wait—” he gets out before the bullet pierces his skull.

I may be a killer now, something I’d told myself I’d never be, but I’m not a monster. I’m still not like my father.

I put the gun back into the sheath at my lower back, under my shirt, which has come loose from my pants, probably when I tackled Dougal.

I thought maybe I’d feel something when I walked back toward the car, toward Lara. Thought I’d feel guilt orsomething, but even though I step over dead bodies to get to her, I feel nothing. Empty.

Lara stands with her arms crossed over her chest, leaning her back against the car, shaking like a leaf. She breathes out my name when she catches sight of me, running and jumping into my arms.

I breathe out against the skin of her throat, my shoulders finally relaxing after all the adrenaline rushing through me.

“Are you all right?”

She nods before putting her head on my shoulder.

I hold her there for a moment, the way she feels in my arms making me feel more grounded. While the fight was going on, it felt like I wasn’t me, just watching myself do all those horrible things from the sidelines.

She lifts her head, and I let her slowly back down to the ground.

It’s eerily quiet now that all the fuss is over, and everything that I’ve done tries to crash down on me.

I take a shuddering breath, and Lara frowns, even though she’s got to be just as traumatized as I am.

She takes my hand. “We need to get out of here.”

A bitter laugh comes from deep in my chest. “Where do we go? He’s responsible for all of this.”

“We have to go back to the mansion.” She tugs my hand, starting to walk toward the gates, which are about a mile away. We hadn’t traveled far at all on the road before the attack. “The walk will clear our heads.”

I look around at the devastation, the wrecked cars, the broken glass, the bodies and blood. My stomach churns.

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