“Shit, shit.” We crawl under the table as they continue to shoot, the sound of Ronan’s deranged laughter ringing right along with the gun shots.
Fallon, still holding the knife, crawls all the way to the other side of the lengthy table.
“Where are you going?” I hiss, as she heads straight into danger’s mouth. Once she gets close enough, she stabs the knife into one of the shooter’s feet and twists. He cries out in pain just as she yanks on his ankle and pulls him to the ground. Everything is happening at lightning speed. There isn’t even time to think, just act. We drag him under the table, and I smash him in the face as Fallon grabs his gun. There’s no fear. No hesitation. She shoots him in the head, then emerges from the table firing off rounds. There’s chaos, then there is nothing. I crawl out after her to witness her wrath. The other shooter is dead, and she is pressing the barrel of her gun into Ronan’s forehead. There’s blood splattered on her face and in her hair. She’s panting like a wild animal, and the look in her eyes is hollow. There’s no soul left. March’s death has left her reeling. Ronan, even facing destruction, shows no fear. He thinks this is all funny. He always was a bit bloody delusional. And most definitely reckless.
“What are you waiting for? Do it,” he taunts her.
“It seems too easy. Too simple. You should suffer.” Fallon grits her teeth and presses harder, her index finger shaking on the trigger.
Ronan cackles some more. “Look at the two of you. Such a cute couple. He loved my sister, you know?” Fallon doesn’t say a word. She just holds the gun to his head. I, on the other hand, am wondering where he’s going with this. “Does he tell you he loves when he fucks you? Tell you he’ll protect you? He was the best of the best. Merciless, until that little brat came along. Then he fucking turned into a powderpuff.”
Powderpuff?I’m fucking insulted.
“Fallon, kill him already.”
“Bet he told you I killed Brynn too, huh?” Ronan keeps talking.
“Fallon, put a fucking bullet in his brain.”
“But I didn’t,” Ronan whispers . . .“He did.”
I lose my shit then, blacking out and tackling Ronan. “She stepped in front of me when he tried to kill me,” he continues before I smash his head right into the wall.“She was loyal to her family until the fucking end!”I do it again and again until his skull is crushed, blood is gushing, and the plaster is crumbling at my feet.
“Ahhhh!”I release an inhuman scream, tortured by the memories of that night. She was loyal, and she paid the ultimate price.
I fall to my knees, unable to breathe, gutted by my emotions. I only wanted to do the right thing. For once in my life, I wanted to do the right fucking thing.
I feel Fallon’s hand on my shoulder. It’s the fixture that holds my sanity to this world. She tilts my face up and wipes away some blood from my cheek. She says nothing. Only kisses me softly.
“I’m sorry,” I blubber, and I don't even know for what. For not telling her the whole truth? For stealing the chance to kill Ronan herself? For taking Brynn’s life? All of the above, maybe?
“I forgive you.” There’s so much compassion in her green eyes I barely recognize her. “So does she.”
Hearing that makes me break down. The guilt I have been silently carrying feels like a crown of thorns.
A gunshot startles me. Fallon puts one more in Ronan just for good measure. Then she drops the gun.
She walks over to March’s body like she’s carrying shackles and kneels to the floor. He’s gone. Ronan shot him right between the eyes. It was a bad kill. An undeserved kill. March will be missed. Fallon takes her fingertips and drags them through the pool of his blood before smearing it on her cheeks like warpaint.
She then lays her head on his static chest and weeps.
My killer cries over the dead body of her best friend.
Surreal.
Crawling over to them, I blanket myself over her, absorbing the vibrations of her sobs. I hold her tight, transmitting any strength I have left to her.
“Poppy, we have to go.” I hate to pull her away from him so soon, but there are a lot of indiscretions to clean up. And I would much rather leave it to Liam and Nadine to deal with. They deserve all the backlash.
“No.” Fallon pushes herself off March. “We aren't finished.”
“We’re not?” I watch her get to her feet, a transformed woman.
“No.” She wipes away the devastation from underneath her eyes and retrieves Ronan’s gun. “We’re going to find my fucking parents.” She reloads it with an intimidating click.
“I’m on board for that.”I hurry behind her.
We go hunting through the house, knowing those two cowardly lions are hiding somewhere. This I’m going to enjoy.
