Page 163 of Give Me Redemption

I watch him for a moment kneeling over in pain. I cock my head, my eyes scanning over the blood pouring from his worthless body.

And then I pull the trigger again, shooting him in the head. He falls over with a thump. I stare down at his lifeless body and the cigarette that gets put out by his blood. Brain matter is splattered on his ugly couch.

I hold my gun by the handle, and I take in the biggest breath of air. My lungs expand, my chest feeling lighter. The darkness in my soul seems to dissipate.

My mind goes back to two girls walking down the road one Halloween night. But this time, there’s no monster sneaking from the woods. This time, the little girls walked home without anyone bothering them.

They stuffed their faces with candy, got an upset stomach, and fell asleep watching horror movies.

And that’s the way it should have been.

I turn and exit the trailer, my eyes finding Jace. My beautiful guy.

And then…I smile.

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Harlow

(Six months later)

“Are you okay?” I ask Chloe as we walk into her new apartment.

She nods and pulls her sweater tighter across her body.

“It’s cold in here, isn’t it?” I say, walking to the hall and turning the air up. She moved in here a few days ago. It’s coming together.

She’s quiet still. In her own world most of the time, but she’s healing. The man’s name was Mike Pulaski. He’d been living in that trailer for years. He was a mechanic who worked on lawnmowers for extra cash. He’s a dead mechanic now.

“How’d you cover it up?” I whisper to Monroe as we stand outside of the trailer.

“I had an unregistered gun in my ankle holster. I shot it a few times from his hand and left it there. Like I said, self-defense.”

I feel my lips lift. “Thanks,” I murmur.

He nods as Davy walks up to us. We’ve been out here for hours now. It’s been a long fucking night.

Davy shakes his head. “This is a fucking shit show.”

“Yeah,” I agree. The girls are in the ambulances with blankets over their bodies, ready to be sent to the hospital. There’s ten of them.

Chloe hasn’t spoken much. She’s been here far too long. But she survived. Now we just have to get her help. Jace walks up with a smoke between his fingers. “You ready to head out?” he asks me.

I nod. “Yeah. You and Monroe follow me. I’m riding with Chloe.”

Chloe lived with me for the first few months, learning how to wear clothes again and be a part of society. She’s come a long way. She wanted nothing to do with Jace when we got her home, but she’s warmed up to him now. It wasn’t just Jace, though. She wanted nothing to do with any man.

She still doesn’t care for most of them, but Jace is a charmer and he’s made her understand that not all men are bad guys.

She even laughs at his dumb jokes.

“I’ll be okay,” she says to me, and I realize I’m staring at her. “Stop worrying. I’m going to get through this. I have you, my therapy. I’m going to be fine.”

I nod and swallow the lump in my throat. I’ve wanted nothing more than her to be here with me, and now that she is, I’m constantly worried.

A knock sounds on the door, and I walk over to it.

“Hey,” Mom says, giving me a hug.

---