Page 116 of Beyond Rosy Irish Twilight

“You’re a monster,” Jade cried. “I hate you. I hope you rot in hell!”

My heart stalled in my chest as she rushed past me. I snatched her shirt, dragging her back to me as I fired two shots at the same time Ambrose fired. Her body jerked against me, and I wrapped my arms around her, carefully lowering her to the ground.

“No, no, no,” I whispered, tearing open her shirt. Blood poured from her shoulder, but I couldn’t tell how bad the wound was. I yanked my shirt overhead and pressed it to her shoulder, making her scream in pain.

“I know, baby. Just stay with me.”

Tears slid down her cheeks as she stared up at the ceiling, breathing heavily. “Asher…”

“I’m here, baby. Stay with me.”

I fumbled in my pants for my phone, immediately dialing Patrick’s number. Where the fuck was he? “Pick up!”

Her head rolled to meet my eyes. “Asher…I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, baby.”

“I…insisted he bring me…” She gasped in pain as I continued to press down on her shoulder. “He…”

“Don’t talk, baby. It’s fine. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Fuck, I had messed this whole thing up because of my anger. What the fuck had I been thinking? I rushed over here without any backup. Chase probably came after me, and then Patrick had no choice but to have his back when they arrived. I hadn’t even considered what would happen when Ambrose’s guards started moving in. I had so much hatred built up inside me that I wasn’t thinking straight.

“Dad,” Jade whispered, staring past me at her father. “No!”

Her scream pierced through the air as I spun around, gun aimed at Ambrose. But someone else fired from behind me, emptying round after round into his body. But it was too late. He’d gotten off a single shot, just enough to send a bullet straight into his wife’s head, killing her instantly.

“No!” Jade cried out. She clawed at my arms, trying to get to her mother, but I shielded her from the gruesome sight.

Patrick stood in the doorway, breathing hard as he stared at Ambrose’s dead body. He held his hand to his side as blood seeped through his fingers. He was leaning heavily against the doorframe, looking like he was on the verge of collapse.

I tucked my gun away and slid my hands under Jade’s body, lifting her against me. Her screams were tortured as I rushed downstairs, hoping Patrick was able to make it. I had to get us out of here. I was stupid to come here. I’d gotten Jade shot and her mother killed because of my recklessness.

“Let’s go!” Chase shouted, the moment I stepped through the door. Dead bodies littered the ground around the house, but it would only be a matter of time before more guards arrived. Chase swung the door open and I set Jade down, getting in behind her. Patrick took the other side, slamming the door behind him.

We were flying down the road just moments later. As I stared at the people around me, I never felt like more of a failure. Patrick had been shot for the second time because of me. Jade was bleeding out, all because she followed me into the lion’s den. Her mother had been shot in the head.

My hands shook as I continued to press my hands to Jade’s shoulder. Her screams from earlier had been replaced with a defeated, lifeless look that I’d already seen on her one too many times. I cupped her cheek, trying to get her to focus on me.

“Jade,” I whispered,

But she wasn’t home right now. The vacant expression on her face told me she’d been part of this life for too long. I failed to get her out. I had hoped to leave this all behind, and instead, I made everything worse. And I didn’t know if there was any way to fix the mess I’d made.

43

JADE

I was numb.

My life had been turned upside down in a matter of months. Everything I thought I had was now gone. My mother had been shot in front of me. My father was dead. And the willingness to push through all the hurt had evaporated.

I stared at my lifeless face in the mirror and wondered how I had gotten to this point. The black veil could only hide so much of the dark smudges from beneath my eyes. And the black dress I wore for my mother’s funeral didn’t do much to hide my collarbone protruding from my body that was now withering away.

I squeezed my eyes closed as I heard the fatal shot and saw the insides of my mother’s brain scatter to the floor. Pain wracked my chest and I found it hard to breathe as I once again realized she was really gone. I clutched my fist to the very spot, hoping to dull the constant throb that wouldn’t go away. How was I supposed to get through today? How was I supposed to bury the last person that cared for me?

My hands shook with every moment that passed. In just a few minutes, I would have to walk down those stairs and pretend to be okay. But I wasn’t okay. I didn’t want to keep doing this. I wanted to vanish and have the pain leech away. I was so tired of living this life of torment and heartache.

I stared at the pill bottle on the counter and snatched it up without a second thought. Shaking out two pills instead of one, I popped them in my mouth and cupped my hands under the running water. After swallowing them, I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to feel them working through my body, but they didn’t work that fast. I was quickly running out of the pills I’d taken from my mother’s house, and then what would I do?

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