Page 83 of A Forbidden Love (Fraser Crime Syndicate 3)

He’s right. We do. Traffic in these parts is slow, but not rare. The last thing we need is to get caught with a handcuffed woman.

As we approach her body, I realise she’s still alive. Her eyes are sluggish and glassy, but they focus on us as we get closer. She opens her mouth, as if trying to speak, but nothing comes out.

Zeke and Luke grab her under the arms and drag her off the road. She doesn’t whimper or make a sound, but her eyes are filled with pain. Her breathing is heavy too.

They move her beyond the bushes at the side of the road, out of the sight of the road.

Luke turns to his brothers. “What do you want to do?”

“End her fucking life,” Zeke says, spitting in the direction of her body.

“She has to die,” I agree. “She’s a threat to Aurelia and to you all. She’ll come after you, after your wives. After your families.”

Zeke crouches down in front of her.

“Help… me…” Charlotte gasps out.

“You mean like how you helped me when Anthony whipped me for not making my first kill?” Zeke demands. “Oh, that’s right, you didn’t.”

I see the fear in her wide-eyed stare. “S-son.”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not your son. You’re nothing to me.”

Luke moves to them and leans down. “Sariah’s pregnant. So is Bailey. You got your wish of a family legacy. The Fraser name will live on, but you won’t see it.”

Charlotte blinks, as if she’s trying to focus. It’s the worst thing he could have said to her. Charlotte lives for family, for the Fraser name.

“How does it feel to lose everything?” Zeke asks her.

I glance around, hating how long they’re taking to wrap this up, but understanding it too. They need this closure. I can only imagine the torture this woman inflicted on her children over the years.

“Aurelia will have children one day too. You’ll never see her again. This is the last view you’ll ever have.”

“Enough,” Kane growls. “Let’s finish this.” Kane points his gun at her head. His brothers do the same. “Fuck you, you fucking bitch. I hope you rot in Hell.”

They fire in unison, the pops of the silencers barely breaking through the sound of birdsong and the rustling of the trees and undergrowth.

Once they’ve emptied their guns into her, they watch the blood seeping out from under her body, staining the grass around her.

Zeke meets my eyes. “It’s over.”

I close mine and let out a relieved breath.

Charlotte is dead. Anthony too.

Which means Aurelia is safe, and that’s all I care about.

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