Page 105 of Subbing For Santa

I nod, still crying as I pull back, and we both pull apart before Griffin takes the knife off me and starts to cut his family free.

As soon as Ethan and Everett are free, they slam into me, throwing their arms around me despite the fact that I’m covered in blood and brain matter.

We collapse to the floor together before more family members, and even crew, show their appreciation. It’s only when Ewan approaches that everyone moves away from me, and I glance up at the man who has the power to keep me alive or end my life.

“Agatha. We are in your debt. I’m so sorry that you had to do that, but I am eternally grateful. Thank you.”

I give Ewan a nod, because I don’t really know what to say, and the next thing I know, Oswald has turned the power back on, and Griffin is leading me downstairs to shower.

The moment I see my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I lose all the contents of my stomach. I retch over the toilet while Griffin tries to soothe me, and once I’m done, he removes my clothes.

“Keep your eyes closed. I’ll tell you when it’s ok to open them.” His words are laced with pain. I can tell he feels bad that I had to kill a man to save him and his family. I want to tell him I would have done it even if I didn’t know them, but I can’t form words right now. So, I let Griffin lead me to the shower as I keep my eyes closed, and he spends an hour washing the gunk out of my hair.

Griffin

Ithoughtshewasgoing to die. I didn’t care that my end was about to be delivered. All I cared about was Aggie and keeping her safe, yet I didn’t. Me and my family were overpowered by a single fucking psychopath. I’m not sure how that happened, but I can tell you right fucking now, heads will roll!

My younger brothers have had little training, something my dad has fallen light handed on over the years, but all it did was make us weak when the arsehole posing as one of the crew held a gun to their heads.

None of us were prepared. We had no weapons on the top deck, falling complacent that we were fucking safe. And just like that, we weren’t. The threat to kill Ethan and Everett had stunned us in place, and Selena’s cries were the only thing we could hear as she begged the man to spare their lives.

“Sure, mummy Marx. I’ll spare them if you tie the others up.”

So, she did, taking the zip ties the man tossed at her and secured our arms behind our backs followed by our ankles. He had watched her carefully, making her pull the ties impossibly tight so we couldn’t break them.

He knew what he was doing.

Then he made her do the same to her youngest sons, before he finished the job, pushing her to her knees and binding her wrists and ankles, too.

The way he tormented my woman over the speaker made me crazed. I wanted to kill the motherfucker. Tear him apart, piece by piece, so he wished for death to come quickly.

But my little elf not only turned up before the end of his countdown, but she turned up with two guns.

And fuck, the look in the stupid fuck’s eyes when she pressed the second gun under his jaw was priceless. I was worried she wouldn’t be able to pull the trigger, but she didn’t even hesitate in sending him to hell to save me. To save my family.

There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ve met my future wife. Let’s just hope that when I ask, Aggie says yes.

Chapter thirty

Fireworks

Agatha

Twohoursago,Ikilled a man. He’s not the first man I killed, and I realise, if I stay in this life with Griffin, he may not be the last.

As fireworks shoot high in the sky around different parts of the bay, we watch from afar in silence, as we all try to comprehend what just happened here tonight.

Griffin has been quiet, only speaking in hushed tones with his parents and siblings a few times, but staying by my side for the most part. The body of the man I killed is nowhere in sight, and the deck floor has been cleaned so you can’t even tell anything happened.

I’m not entirely sure where the body went. I have a feeling it went in the ocean, but I do know that I don’t care. Just as long as it’s gone, and I don’t have to look at it again.

Apparently, the guy’s name was Russell Elk, and he was seeking revenge after Griffin killed his older sister. She had been a piece of shit who lured young girls in to groom them before having them sex trafficked. In my eyes, she deserved to die. People like that shouldn’t be allowed to live.

“I’m so sorry things turned out like this. It’s not how I wanted to see in the new year with you.”

I turn in Griffin’s arms, putting my back to the fireworks.

“How did you picture it going?”

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