Page 108 of Coup De Grâce
A sob tore through my chest as I dropped the gun and fell to the ground, crying at what I had just done— what I had done every day since Isabelle had been taken. All the choices I made, all the terrible things that had led me to this moment…
I had foolishly wondered if all the bad things in my life would disappear when Isabelle came home. Over a year passed and the man didn’t come for me. I thought maybe it was over.
But it never was. The pain never ended. It just continued to grow with each passing day, taunting me with promises of whatcould be. I hardly recognized the woman I was anymore. Those men had stripped something from me when they broke into my home and raped me. Yet, I kept hoping the end was near.
Then Michael showed up, turning my world on its axis and shaking up everything I thought I knew. And now…all hope of ever having a future with him seemed so far away. I had murdered someone in cold blood. Yes, he was a bad man, but I knew the type of men he worked with. I would not walk away from this unscathed.
Crawling across the floor, I snagged my phone off the table and with shaky fingers, dialed Michael’s number. It started to ring just as I felt a wrench in my neck as my head snapped back violently.
Screaming, I dropped the phone, clutching the hands that dragged me across the floor. A sharp pain shot through my scalp as my hair was pulled out.
The man tossed me on the floor, then landed a swift kick to my stomach. I groaned in pain, crying out a second time when his boot came down hard on my face. Through my tears, I could see him struggling to stay upright, to take his vengeance while he could. I had to get away from him.
Fighting the pain, I scrambled to my knees and tried to crawl away, but something hard came down on my head, shattering into little pieces. As my vision swam, a tiny shard of my lamp came into focus. It had been a gift from my grandmother when I first got the house, and seeing it scattered across the room made me so angry that I attacked, flying to my knees as I slammed my fist into the man’s gut, right where I had shot him.
He doubled over, gripping me by the hair again, refusing to let go as I struggled to get away from him. Jerking as much as possible, I spotted my gun on the ground and reached for it, screaming as loud as I could, hoping that would help me get to it. My fingers brushed the metal, so close I could taste the victory.
With one final yank, I tore myself from his arms, only for him to fall on top of me. I could feel the gun pressing against my back, but there was no way to reach it. I tried shoving him off me, but the blood from his gut was slicking against my skin, making it impossible to get a grip on his body.
The flash of metal barely gave me a moment to react. He pulled the knife from his side, and then it was over me, my hands wrapped around his arm as I fought to keep him from burying it to the hilt in my chest.
My arms throbbed as I struggled to overpower him. My heart beat so fast that I was sure it would pound out of my chest, making it easier for him to kill me. But with every second that passed, I knew I wasn’t strong enough to fend him off.
I kicked my legs, trying to get out from under him, but his weight was too heavy and the gleam in his eyes told me he was going to take me with him. Gasping, tears rolled down my cheeks as I fought him with everything in me, knowing I couldn’t beat him.
I shook my head as the knife inched closer to me, until it was pressing against my chest. The sharp tip penetrated my skin, pressing against my bone. “No,” I whispered, pleading with him not to do this.
For a second, I thought he might listen. His energy was flagging, but so was mine. With a last-ditch effort, I pushed him away with everything I had, but my bloodied hands slipped and the knife plunged into my chest, stealing my breath from me.
At first, all I felt was shock. Utter and complete shock that the knife had pierced my body. But after a beat, all-consuming pain slithered through my chest, spreading out through my limbs and invading every cell of my body.
We both laid there, neither of us moving as the realization of what just happened struck. The man rolled off me, too weak to move, he fell over and laid beside me on the ground.
I sucked in a ragged breath, trying to will myself to move, but there wasn’t a single ounce of strength left in my body. A darkness swirled in my mind as everything around me turned dark. I could feel the blood leaching from my body in droves.
I was dying, and I was never going to see Michael or Isabelle again.
32
MICHAEL
The momentthe text came in, I was on a plane, headed for Claire. As soon as I reached the airport, I was in my car, flying down the road to her. I couldn’t think of anything other than getting her out alive, but every time I called, it went to voicemail.
Claire was innocent. I had to get her out before it was too late, before something happened to her that I couldn’t save her from. I dialed her number immediately, hoping I could get to her before everyone else.
“Come on, come on,” I whispered as the line rang. “Goddamnit!” I shouted, slamming my fist against the steering wheel.
I’d been playing a precarious game for years, trying to get us all out alive, and now that it was all coming to a head, the overwhelming fear was choking me. I was still ten minutes out, but that was ten minutes too long.
I made a terrible mistake. I love you.
Whatever happened, I didn’t care. I just wanted her to be okay. She was the love of my life, and I had fought for years toget us out from under the thumb of the Shadow Government. I might have been in control, but that only got me so far.
The Shadow Government moved as one, never making any decisions unless the council ruled on it. It had tied my hands for years, making it impossible to save my daughter, to manipulate them in any way without drawing attention to myself and Claire.
I knew without a shadow of a doubt that if I moved against one of them, I would forfeit the lives of everyone I loved. Iron had been planning a move against me for years, waiting for me to slip up so he could go after my family and take me out of the equation.
He had several members on his side, especially after I attacked Zavala and nearly got Claire killed. All trust between us nearly vanished, and it was only because of my loyal years of service that I kept Claire safe from their wrath.
