Again, my thoughts went immediately to Josie instead of Alyssa. If I was going to do this job, I needed to get my head on straight. I couldn’t afford any mistakes, and wrapping my neighbor up in this whole thing was definitely fucking with my mind.
Brian turned down a road up ahead, pulling to a stop just under a tree where another car was parked. Having no idea how long he would be there or what he was meeting another person for, it was reckless to get out of my truck. I could lose him completely.
But I also couldn’t miss out on this chance. Pulling over, I killed the engine and slipped into the darkness, removing my gun from my holster. It took a good three minutes to run across the field and within distance of the apparent drug deal that was going down.
Whoever he was meeting looked pretty damn innocent, but the car he was driving screamed money. Just a fool kid out for a good time. Little did he know what a dirtbag he was really dealing with. Alyssa really chose a winner with this guy.
The plan was to wait until the rich kid left, but just when he turned to leave, Brian called out to him.
“You shorted me!”
“You said a hundred,” the kid said.
“That was then. I want another hundred.” That’s when he pulled his gun and pointed right at the kid.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered, moving in closer. I only had seconds before this thing went sideways.
If I moved in, I was taking a gigantic risk, but I couldn’t let Brian ruin anyone else’s life. Not when he reminded me so much of the many assholes I met growing up with my shitty foster father.
“Listen, I don’t have it. You told me a hundred and?—”
“Give me whatever you have now, or you won’t be watching the sun rise in the morning,” Brian spat.
The kid backed up, clearly terrified by what was happening. “Take it back,” he said, tossing the drugs at Brian.
“That’s not the way this works, kid.”
I knew he wouldn’t ask again. I’d seen this too many times before, and not even this kid could get himself out of the situation if he handed over every penny he had.
I didn’t think as I raised my gun and lined up the shot, firing a single shot right through Brian’s hand holding the gun. Screaming, he dropped the weapon, giving the kid just enough time to run back to his car. His tires kicked up dirt as he peeled down the dirt road, probably pissing himself because of his close call.
Stomping through the field, I crossed the front of his car, my shadow looming in the headlights as I made my way to the man crawling back to his car, still gripping his hand.
When he heard my footsteps, he rolled over, the fear shining brightly in his eyes. “Who the fuck are you?”
“JR. Ever heard of me?”
He shook his head, and when I knelt down, getting in his face, his eyes widened in fear.
“Funny. I would have thought she’d have mentioned me.”
“Who?”
Panic had him searching for a way out, but there wasn’t one. There was no way I’d let this asshole ever walk for as long as he lived. Which was only a few more minutes.
If he was lucky.
“You know, when she showed up on my doorstep with all those bruises, I was pissed. But when she told me that you fucking raped her…” I shook my head, leaning in closer. “You shouldn’t have fucking touched her,” I growled.
“I— I swear, I didn’t?—”
Yanking his injured hand away from his body, I pressed it to the ground and knelt on it. The sound of his screams soothed the anger slightly, but it wouldn’t really go away until he was dead.
“Don’t speak. There’s not a single fucking thing you could say to get out of what I’m going to do to you.”
“Please,” he murmured as tears spilled down his cheeks.
“Did she beg you to stop?” I asked. “Did she plead with you to fucking leave her alone?” I asked, my voice growing in agitation the longer I was in his presence. “You will never lay another hand on her or anyone else again for as long as you live. I can promise you that.”
