Page 129 of Wolf

“You were at the clubhouse with Toni.”

“Toni. Okay.”

After she closes her eyes, I lead her to the door, Miriam trailing after me. At the threshold, she hands me the gun and they leave.

The weight of the weapon pulls at my arm, and it takes everything in me not to go with them, but I have to figure out what to do. Mama’s dead. Hand is dead. Miriam shot him.

It was self-defense but it’s her word against a dead man with Daddy as a witness. What happens if he lies? Would the sheriff care about the truth when his man is dead?

When I return to the living room, still clutching the gun, Daddy meets my gaze and says something through the tape.

Numbly, I say, “I don’t know what to do, Daddy. You always taught me to do the right thing, but it was wrong in the end. So does that mean I’m supposed to do the opposite?”

He shakes his head and says something that’s of course garbled beneath his gag.

Although I’m sure that I don’t want to hear what he has to say, I allow this small mercy and rip the tape from his mouth.

He winces, licking his lips before saying, “Untie me. Give me the gun and go.”

“What?”

If he had said shoot me and get it over with, I wouldn’t have been more surprised.

“Look, Lillith Anne, there’s many things I’ve done wrong. I’m not proud of them. Let me do this, daughter. Please?”

“Do what?”

His eyes move to Hand on the floor. “It was self-defense. He shot my wife,” he says.

“Why?”

“Because I’m not a good man and I’ve been so selfish.” Tears roll down his cheeks but I’m immune.

The time for apologies is gone. He stood by while my mother killed my baby. He can rot in hell for all I care.

Still, I’m not dumb enough to pass this up. If it means sparing the people I love, I’ll bite.

“Plea—“

I press the barrel of the gun against his forehead and his eyes go wide.

“If you’re lying to me, I’ll come back here and shoot you myself.”

“I-I know. I promise,” he stutters.

“Baby girl?” The soft sound of Wolf’s voice brings tears to my eyes, and I spin around launching into his arms.

“Wolf,” I sob, and he picks me up before grabbing the gun out of my hand and passing it to Giant.

Giant nods as we pass, heading for the door.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Home.”

Chapter 37

Lilli

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