Damaged and the Knight (Damaged #2)

“Hey, angel,” Judd said softly, clearly thinking of the fun we would have soon.

“I shot my dad,” I whispered because saying the words louder made them too real.

“Where are you?” Judd asked as his voice shifted into the cold enforcer mode.

“The garage. He came in when the gate opened and he said he’d make me whore for him, so I shot him. I don’t know what to do.”

“Are you safe?”

“He had a gun, but I took it away. I shot him in the stomach. He’s in a lot of pain though and he’s not getting up.”

“Call 911,” Dad said, holding his stomach. “Get an ambulance.”

“Fuck that,” Judd growled into the phone. “You don’t call anyone, do you understand? I’m handling this.”

Judd sounded like he was on the move and I thought I heard Vaughn’s confused voice in the background.

“Judd,” I whispered as the panic of what I’d done replaced my anger at Dad, “I shot him.”

“I’m less than five minutes out. You stay right there. If anyone shows up like the neighbors, you just tell them he attacked you. If that happens, I’ll deal with it too. Just wait for me, Tawny.”

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you too, but you have to stay safe and wait for me.”

“I will.”

Once Judd hung up, I shoved the phone into my bag next to Dad’s gun. My weapon hung from my fingers, ready if necessary, but my father was no threat now. Even as he scooted himself back against the wall, I knew he was too injured to escape, let alone attack.

Standing near the front of the SUV, I watched my father get comfortable.

“Is your boyfriend going to kill me now, bitch?”

“Probably,” I said in a quiet voice. “Maybe they’ll bury you next to Mom.”

Dad laughed hoarsely. “I should have gotten fixed after Farah. Life was still good back then. We had a nice place and your mom and I were in love and everyone thought Farah was the cutest shit ever. Then, your mom got pregnant with you and everything went downhill.”

“After you’re dead, I’ll be sure to share your cruel words with my therapist.”

Dad grinned. “No amount of therapy will fix what’s wrong with you.”

“If you want me to kill you, so Judd won’t, I’m not taking the bait. He might need to torture you for info.”

Dad’s mocking grin disappeared. “You’re a cunt.”

“Next month, Farah is getting married and Kirk Johansson is walking her down the aisle. She has a new family now and so do I. We lived just fine without having you and Mom around and our lives are good now.”

“You’ll fuck it up. You always do.”

“Maybe,” I sighed, “but you won’t be around to see it.”

The next few minutes passed quietly with my father bleeding and me fighting the urge to bawl. Even with his hateful words and evil plans, I remembered the happier times growing up. I remembered how he took us away from Mom after the bikers. How he said she deserved death and we did nothing wrong.

My heart betrayed me in those next few minutes until Judd arrived. It told me to save my dad and give him another chance. It said I couldn’t live with the guilt of leaving him to be murdered. It said a lot of bullshit that I didn’t believe, but hurt me nonetheless.

Flinching at the sound of approaching motorcycles, my father looked to me and considered begging for his life. He also considered playing the daddy card. I saw those ideas flicker in his eyes then he simply gave up and accepted his fate.

As the gate opened, I felt a huge sense of relief at the sight of Judd roaring into the garage. Running to Judd, I needed what only he offered.

“I shot him.”

“Good,” he said as Vaughn climbed off the other Harley. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“No, but he’s my dad and I can’t kill him.”

“You aren’t killing him,” Judd said, easing off the bike while still holding me against him. “I’m killing him.”

“No,” Vaughn muttered, standing nearby. “I’ll do it.”

“Fuck that shit,” Judd growled. “He came here to hurt my woman.”

Vaughn walked to Judd and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yes, she’s your woman and you’re spending a long life with her. Do you want her to look at you and know you’re the guy who put a bullet in her dad’s head? That you ended his miserable life? Is that how you want your woman looking at you?”

Frowning, Judd studied me as I clung to him. Whatever he saw in my expression caused him to stand down.

“Clean it all up for me,” he said to Vaughn. “I don’t want her seeing even a drop of blood in here. Make it like it never fucking happened. Can you do that?”

“Sure, man. I’ll fix it. You just get her away. Tuck and Clay are coming to help with the job, but I’ll make sure it gets done right.”