“Stop it, Lewis. Rachel can leave, and we can sit down and talk.”
Lewis’s hand flung out, backhanding Willa across the cheek, knocking her down to the floor. His foot then kicked her sharply in the stomach.
“You fat-ass bitch! I don’t know why I want you anyway,” he snarled.
Rachel lost control of her temper.
“You son of a bitch.” She flung herself at him when he drew his foot back to kick Willa again. Rachel pummeled him with her fists wherever she could strike. When he tried to grab her hands, she raked her nails down his face before he could get a tight grip. Her legs kicked at him, desperately trying to nail him in his groin.
However, as his fist came out, striking her in the stomach, her breath left her in a rush as she fell to her knees. She tried to gasp for breath but couldn’t get it back. Lewis’s hand struck her cheek, knocking her to the floor. Before she could get her breath back, he was on top of her. His face was filled with fury, all control lost.
His hands went to her throat, tightening into a grip that took what little oxygen she had left. Black dots filled her vision as his triumphant face loomed over her.
A sudden, loud pop had Lewis falling to the side, blood gushing from his chest.
It took several seconds before Rachel could get her breath back enough to rise up on her elbow.
Willa was standing in her kitchen doorway, holding a gun in her hand. Rachel turned her head to the side, seeing Lewis’s blank stare at the ceiling.
Rachel heard Willa’s frightened whimper and forced herself to sit the rest of the way up. Managing to get to her knees, she crawled toward Willa, who had blood coming out of her nose and a swollen cheek.
“Willa, it’s okay.” Rachel gingerly reached out to take the weapon from her, placing it carefully on the floor next to her.
“I killed him.” Her horrified whisper broke Rachel’s heart.
“If you hadn’t, he would have killed me,” Rachel soothed her. “What set him off?”
“I don’t know. He came banging on my door. I had forgotten to lock it after my last delivery, and he came in before I could stop him. He was in a rage when he got here.”
Tears were pouring down her cheeks as she began trembling. Rachel knew shock was setting in.
“Where’s your phone? I’ll call Knox.”
Willa looked wildly around before managing to point to her purse. Rachel got to her feet, feeling every sore muscle in her body. Opening Willa’s purse, she called the Sheriff’s office, explaining what had happened. She disconnected the call when the dispatcher said Knox was in route.
Rachel went back to Willa, sitting down next to her on the floor, placing her arm around her trembling shoulders.
“I’m going to burn in Hell for killing a man.” Willa covered her hands with her face.
“The only one who’s going to Hell is Lewis.”
Chapter 23
Rachel sat in Knox’s office as he questioned Willa in the interrogation room. She hoped he didn’t traumatize the woman any further than she was.
She looked up expectantly when the door opened to see Cash come in.
“You all right?” His concerned gaze had her nodding. Somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to be upset that Lewis was dead.
Her brothers came in the door behind him. Unlike Cash, they were furious.
“It’s a good thing he’s dead—”
“Greer, calm down. It’s all over, and I’m not hurt. The best thing is that he’s not going to hurt Willa anymore.”
Tate pulled her out of the chair and into his arms. “I’m happy that you were there for Willa, but I lost ten years off my life when Knox called and told me what happened.”
“I’m fine, Tate.” She circled his waist.
She lifted her head from Tate’s chest when Knox came into the room with Willa. Rachel immediately went to her side.
“You can come home with me tonight, Willa.”
Willa shook her head. “If I don’t go back to my home tonight, I never will.”
“I can stay the night with you,” Rachel offered.
“That’s all right. I’m just going to go home and go to bed.” Willa turned her bruised face to Cash then Knox. “I want to apologize. If I hadn’t lied and said Lewis wasn’t harassing me, then maybe he would still be alive. I honestly believed it would make him even more violent if he knew I had told or pressed charges against him.”
“I knew you weren’t telling the truth. I had a talk with him Friday. I thought he would back off after I threatened him with a social services investigation toward his kids,” Knox said.
Willa went even whiter. “What’s going to happen to the kids?”
“A foster home will be found for them. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they find a good home,” Knox said, picking up his phone on the desk.
“Please, I would never forgive myself if they were hurt because of my actions.”
“Willa, none of this was your fault. Lewis had real problems. You are the victim here,” Knox reassured her.