Page 73 of Mace

“I’m not getting in trouble for this,” Darrin spat. “You don’t know who you are fucking with.”

I crouched down in front of Darrin. “I think you have that backward. You don’t know who you’re fucking with. If I were you, I would pray the police arrest you and lock you away for the rest of your life. Because if you manage to weasel your way out of this, you can bet your ass you will be dead before sunrise.”

I was done with him.

Darrin Bing had made too many mistakes that he couldn’t get himself out of.

Imogen ran to me when I was halfway to her, and she catapulted herself into my arms.

“Mace,” she gasped. “I was so scared.”

I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. “You’re always safe with me, babe. Nothing will ever hurt you as long as I’m breathing.”

Sirens sounded in the distance, and for the first time in a long time, I knew they weren’t coming for me.

Kent Bing deserved to die. He had raped so many girls from the few entries I had been able to read in that notebook.

And Darrin Bing deserved the same for hiding the truth all these years.

Imogen had killed Kent all of those years ago.

She had stopped the monster from hurting anyone else, though.

I always protected Imogen, but she was the one who had protected everyone in Sutter Creek from Kent Bing.

She was the hero in all of this.

*

Chapter Twenty-Five

Imogen

“It’s done?”

Mace nodded and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Done.”

I sighed and face-planted into his chest. “I didn’t think I would ever hear you say those words.”

It was done.

I had killed Kent Bing fifteen years ago, but everyone knew it was self-defense.

He would have killed me if I hadn’t killed him first.

All charges against Mace had been dropped, and the state was now focusing on Darrin Bing.

The corrupt mayor who had hidden heinous crimes and had tried to frame innocent people.

He was never going to be a free man again.

“I doubted it for a second, too, babe, but there was no way in I hell you or I were going to go down after all the shit he did came to light.”

Pam, Mace’s lawyer, had hit a home run out of the park when it came to clearing Mace and me.

The medical report and underwear we gave her, along with the notebook Brad had stolen from Darrin, were enough to turn the tables on Darrin.

Brad was thankfully alive and was expected to make a full recovery.

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