I hear barking, and the relief hits me so hard, I begin to cry hysterically. There’s a crashing sound somewhere behind me, and as Colby finally moves backward, Lick flies right over me and sinks her teeth into Colby’s arm, her body slamming him onto his ass.
I scramble away until I reach the couch while Levi charges Colby, who’s pulling the gun from behind his back.
“Noooooo!” I scream, my hand flying to my mouth.
It feels as if time slows down. I hear Lick viciously snarling as she lets go of Colby’s arm, darting around him to get to his other side. I see the dark metal of the gun and hear the crushing blows of Levi’s fist connecting with Colby’s face.
The gunshot is so loud I jerk. Lick whines, and the men freeze.
God. No. Please, no!
I crawl to them as Levi lets go of Colby and sinks back onto his haunches while Lick crawls to him, her ears pulled back.
“Levi?” I whimper, and as I get closer, I see blood flowing from a hole beneath Colby’s ear.
Levi pets Lick as he turns his head toward me, his breaths rushing over his parted lips. There are droplets of blood on the side of his face, and I use my hand to wipe them away before I curl up against his chest. When Levi’s arms wrap like steel bands around me, a wail tears loose from the deepest part of my soul.
I thought Lick was shot. Then I thought Levi was shot.
Those two thoughts are the reason I break down. Not because Colby attacked me, but because there was a chance I could’ve lost them.
Chapter 28
Levi
Keeping ahold of Kelcie, I climb to my feet before I lift her bridal-style into my arms. When I back away from Colby’s body, I hear sirens.
I contacted the sheriff’s department after I got the call from Kelcie and heard muffled sounds of her and Colby fighting. Hanging up on her so I could let the police know what was happening is officially the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. It felt like I was abandoning her.
Turning around, I walk out of the house and take Kelcie to the truck, where I bundle her into the passenger seat. I indicate for Lick to jump in before instructing her to stay with Kelcie.
Lick lies down partially on top of Kelcie’s lap, her ears pulled back, which tells me she’s still in attack mode.
“Good girl,” I say as I pat my dog’s head so she’ll relax.
I press a kiss to Kelcie’s temple, and as the sheriff’s cruiser comes to a screeching stop, I say, “I’m going to deal with the mess. Stay here.”
Tears keep spilling over her cheeks, and seeing the angry red handprint on her face makes it unbelievably difficult to walk away from her.
“Colby is in the house,” I tell Sheriff Williams just as Mrs. Adams comes jogging across the road.
Sheriff Williams points at her and shouts at his deputy, “Keep her back, Jonas.”
Deputy Stone darts toward Mrs. Adams and grabs hold of her, which has her screaming, “Where’s Colby?”
Deputy Stone pulls her back to the house across the road while Sheriff Williams hurries into Kelcie’s house.
Fuck. I can’t believe what happened.
I let out a sigh as I walk to the front door, watching as he checks Colby’s pulse.
“Jesus,” he mutters while he uses his pen to pick up the weapon.
“You’ll only find Colby’s fingerprints on the gun,” I tell him. “He shot himself.”
Crouched near Colby, Sheriff Williams shakes his head. “Do you know if Kelcie’s security cameras still work?”
“They should. I’ll check with her quickly.” I walk back to the truck, and when I see how she’s trembling, I shrug out of my coat and drape it over her. “Do your security cameras still work?”
