She’d just wrapped her arms around him when she heard a slow, loud clapping from somewhere nearby. Jefferson’s head snapped up.
“Oh, bravo,” a man sneered.
It was a voice Petula hated with every part of her being; one she’d hoped never to hear again.
But Bradly, if anything, was persistent.
“How touching. And howinteresting, as well,” he mocked. “You know what, Jeff? I was clueless in prison, but I knew you two were related once I saw the resemblance between you and that other brother,” Bradly addressed Jefferson with a snarl, ignoring Petula for a moment. “So you played me for a chump all those years when I thought you were my friend?”
Jefferson subtly positioned himself in front of Petula, but she noticed.
“I was never your friend,” he spat out. “Nobody was. Pedophiles are the worst kind of criminal, and nobody associates with them.”
“Worse than parent killers?” Bradly taunted.
“One-hundred-percent,” Jefferson said with conviction. “I had a lot of people inmyinside network who respected me. I had them pretend to like you, so we could keep tabs on everythingyou did, and you never suspected. You’re just a dumb piece of shit, Bradly. Aswellas a fucking pervert.”
Bradly laughed, a hysterical sound as he raised his gun. “Well, now maybe I’ll get some respect in the joint, because I’m going to be a murderer, too. Oh, oops,” he chortled. “I already am. My old man needed to be snuffed out for being an asshole, so I took care of that. Now,” he regrouped. “Move out of the way, Jefferson. I’m going to shoot your sister.”
“Not going to happen, Bradly.”
The man shrugged as if they were discussing the weather.
“Have it your way, then.”
He fired, and Petula screamed as Jefferson went down in front of her.
She dropped to her knees beside him. “Jeff. No. Don’t die. You’re going to be alright. You are,” she cried.
But she could already see the light dimming in his eyes.
“Glad…it was me,” he rasped, clearly proud that he’d protected her. “…love you…Pet.” He coughed out blood. Too much blood.
“I love you, too, Jeff,” Petula choked back, and couldn’t stem the tears that began flowing freely down her cheeks.
It wasn’tfair.
Petula wanted to scream. She’d just found Jefferson again after so many years, and now…
“Don’t worry, bitch,” the evil voice interrupted. “You’ll be seeing him soon enough. In hell.”
Petula looked up. Bradly was slowly raising his gun to shoot her.
She laid a hand on Jefferson’s barely moving chest, grounding herself to her brother while glaring her hatred at the man standing in the street who’d been responsible for so much misery in her life.
“Go ahead, asshole,” she bit out. “Shoot me. You’re a horrible creature. Twisted. Sick. Vile. You disgust me, and it’s not me and Jeff who’ll end up in hell. That will be you.”
She lifted her chin and shot daggers from her eyes. “And at least once I’m dead, I’ll never have to see your ugly face again.”
Petula got the satisfaction of seeing Bradly redden with anger.
Her only regret, as she stared him down, was not being able to have a future with the men she loved; Julian, Stat, and Jefferson. She had no doubts, however, that Bradly was a dead man walking, as well. There was no way the people who advocated for her wouldn’t track this piece of shit down, and end his miserable life.
Bradly laughed again. “Say goodbye, Little Flower.”
Damn.She’d blocked that hateful name from her memory, and rued that it was the last thing she’d hear on this earth.
He aimed his gun.
