Page 84 of Dolls & Daggers
“When I look at her, all I see is a woman you could only dream of being. The woman I fucking love!”
Dove jumps back as I bring the crowbar down on my mother’s face in rapid succession like I’m fighting for my life.
And, in a way, I am.
Fighting for my lost innocence.
For the childhood she stole.
For a future free of her sins.
Her jaw unhinges, dripping blood as it dangles grotesquely, like something you’d see in a horror film. I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline or if it’s because I want this monster dead, but my stomach doesn’t churn. Instead, my insides are steel as I swing the crowbar like a baseball bat. The force of the blow knocks over the chair, and she hits the concrete with a wet thud and a crunch as her skull explodes.
Blood pools through the sweaty, sticky locks falling from her ponytail. Her body convulses as it bubbles in her throat, spilling from the space where her jaw was, desperate whimpers of pain escaping the open cavity in a wheezy song of death.
Dove crouches, smiling at Mother’s rolling eyeball. “Don’t worry,” she coos. “I’ll take great care of him.”
Seconds later, Robyn Campbell dies the gruesome death she deserves.
The adrenaline fades, and my stomach turns. I stagger away, vomiting pink bile onto the concrete.
Dove’s hands rub my back. “It’s okay, baby. I got you.”
When I finish, I wipe my mouth and pick her up, burying my face in her neck as I carry her upstairs. She clings to me like a koala, whispering soothing things into my ear, like how I’m safe now and how she’s never going to leave me.
I’m covered in blood and bits of body parts I don’twant to think about. When I set Dove down, I see it’s on her too. I strip her down, motioning for her to get into my bed before undressing and joining her. She lets me intertwine our limbs as we lie on our sides, staring at each other as the time passes. She knows this is what I need—to surround myself with her presence.
Eventually, I ask, “Does killing her make me a monster?”
Dove smiles somberly. “Do you thinkI’ma monster, Wren?”
“No.” I shake my head. “You’re the strongest, most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. You gave me the strength to face her. I don’t think I could have done it without you by my side. You make me a stronger man, Dove.”
I draw her impossibly closer, gently cupping her cheek to tilt her head, my lips desperate for hers. “I’m in awe of every part of you, and it terrifies me how much I want to claim all of you—all your strength, your love, your demons.” I punctuate each point with another kiss, pouring everything I feel into my touch. “I never want to be without you again. You make me whole, and I love you so damn much I’m scared it’s going to drive you away.”
“You could never drive me away, Songbird.” She smiles, her tears mingling with our lips, the salty taste peppering her words. “I love you so incredibly much, Wrenley Campbell. I never imagined feeling thisintensely for anyone, but I promise you have me—body, heart, and soul. No matter what our past holds, our future is together. Okay?”
“Okay, Turtle Dove.”
“You know turtle doves mate for life, right?” she asks with a wolfish grin. “That means you’re stuck with my pretty, pink palette until the end of time. How do you feel about a pink suit for work?”
Chuckling, I nudge her nose. “Mating for life, I’m okay with. A pink suit? Never gonna happen.”
Dove
A loud grumble from my stomach signals my need for the bathroom again. “Okay, usually my stomach is much stronger than this. I’m blaming it on the In-N-Out, Songbird. It wasn’tthatgreat, by the way.”
Wren finishes tying off his side of the rope securing the tarp we wrapped Robyn’s body in, then shoots me a look of sheer betrayal. “You went without me? I told you I wanted to take you for your first time!”
His pout is adorable, and now I feel absolutely awful for telling him I went. “We can go again? After we dump this in the giant-ass woods and get cleaned up. Maybe I just ordered wrong?” I offer with a weak shrug.
It took over two hours to clean up his mess. Thank godRobyn had a Costco-sized bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and the blood was fresh enough to scrub away without too much trouble. Now, all that’s left is waiting for nightfall before we haul her out to the deep, dark Redwoods.
By the time anyone finds her, the animals will have picked her clean. She may be well-liked in the community, but Wren says it’s the kind of town where no one asks questions and everyone has secrets.
At his silence, I shift from my crouch at the end of the tarp and sink to my knees beside him. “Are you okay?”
He nods, pulling me into his arms, crushing me against his chest. “You can’t imagine the terror I felt when I thought she hurt you.”
