I chuckle and help her to a sitting position. “I see, Crash. I see.”
Viper sticks his head inside the door. “Xavier is ready for you,” he says to Sam, As she turns to leave, guilt gnaws at me. She put herself in the line of fire for Blake, got hurt because of it, and I left her on the ground without a second thought.
“Sam.” My voice is rough, but she pauses, looking back at me.
“I should’ve had your back,” I say, the words tasting like failure.
She doesn’t hesitate. Doesn’t evenletme doubt myself. “You always do.”
That’s it. No question. No resentment. Just trust.
She gives me a small nod and walks out, and somehow, that makes the weight in my chest even heavier.
Before Viper leaves, I grab his attention. “Hey, you get rid of the problem?”
He nods. No words needed. We both know what I mean.
Craig’s lifeless body, broken and bloodied, is in our front yard. The problem ishandled.
Blake tries to clear her throat, but I pat her hand. “You need to rest your throat, sweetheart. Just sit here and relax.”
She nods, settling against the pillows, but something shifts in her expression. A sudden tension, her body going rigid.
Then, shegripsmy shirt, her fingers digging in like she’s afraid I’ll disappear..
“Where is Craig?” she gasps, panic flashing through her wide eyes. “He is so fucking mad at me. Did you call the cops?”
I push my finger to her lips. “Princess, Craig will never hurt you or Charlie again. You do not need to worry about him anymore.”
Her breathing quickens. “How? Why? Did he get arrested?” Her mind is spinning, grasping for something—anything—that makes sense.
I give her a soft smile and push some hair back from her face. “Craig is dead, sweetheart.”
Her eyes widen as her breath hitches in her throat, and all the color drains from her face.
Fuck.
Chapter 50
Blake
Pain stabs me in the chest.He’s dead?
Craig is dead…
The words echo in my head, bouncing off the walls of my mind, but they don’t make sense. It doesn’t feel real. My heart slams against my ribs as I try to grasp what this mean.
What does that mean for my future?
What does that mean for Charlie’s future?
She doesn't have a dad now.Not that she really ever did,a bitter voice whispers in the back of my mind. But that doesn’t stop the wave of guilt that crashes over me. It’s overwhelming, suffocating–choking me with the weight of questions I don’t have answers to.
Will I be able to survive without him permanently?
I hate that the thought even enters my mind. That I’ve been conditioned to believe I need him, even though he did nothing but hurt me. All of these questions threaten to drown me in anxiety. My chest tightens.
“How did he die, Hunter?” I whisper as if that will soften the blow.
