Dead. I killed him.
Someone pulls at my arm. They want my attention, but I can’t look away from the morbid scene before me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Jonah. He’s sitting up. Blake is shouting in his face, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.
Jonah’s gaze swings to mine. The red blood splattered on his face is a gory contrast to his pallid skin. His eyebrows are low and his face pinched. I watch his mouth move, able to make out the single word. Baby.
My breath hitches. It’s over. I’m free.
As if summoned by my thoughts, he rushes to me and I’m in the safety of his arms. The gentle sway of his body rocks me, and I clutch his blood-soaked shirt. He cups my cheek with his good arm, holding me to him. I feel the pressure of his mouth against the top of my head. His lips move against my scalp, but his words are vibrations. I pull away and watch his lips.
I love you.
A smile tiptoes across my face.
I love you too. My lips move, the cadence of my voice hums in my throat, but I can barely hear it. He pulls me back to his chest.
I can’t force myself to look away from Dominick, his expensive-suited corpse lying in a pool of his own blood, a grim reminder of what I’ve done. What I had to do to save Jonah and my mom. And myself.
I search the recesses of my heart for regret, guilt, horror. Nothing. I’ve just killed my dad, the man responsible for my life. And all I feel is . . . relief.
*
Jonah
“You guys okay?” Blake walks up from my truck to the steps of the cabin where Raven and I sit.
As soon as I could, I dragged Raven out of there. It was the only way to get her to stop staring at Dominick’s dead body.
I haven’t left her side, except to run in and clean Dominick’s filthy blood off my face. The makeshift tourniquet I pulled together with a ripped sheet has my head clearing.
“Better. We’re starting to get our hearing back.” I run my lips along the top of Raven’s head, breathing in deep. “You make the call?”
“Yeah. Made it on my way to the truck. They should be here soon.” Standing on the lower step, Blake leans against the banister. “Need anything?”
I give Raven a squeeze. “Baby?”
She shakes her head.
Milena is sitting on a rock nearby, but she keeps her distance, probably not sure how Raven feels about her. What she did tonight redeems her in my book. I owe my entire life to Milena. But ultimately, forgiveness is Raven’s to give.
Minutes tick by before sirens and bright lights descend on us. An ambulance, fire truck, and a handful of police cars pull up to the cabin. Paramedics and cops unload in a hurry until we’re surrounded by uniforms.
“Mr. Slade, I’m Kevin.” One EMT that rushed out from the back of the ambulance meets us on the steps. He pulls back the fabric of my shirt to examine my shoulder. “Can you walk?”
“Yeah. Take care of her head. I’ll wait.” I motion to Raven who is slumped against my good side.
Kevin sidesteps and pulls back Raven’s hair to check out her forehead. “Ma’am, are you injured anywhere else?”
She glares at me, but doesn’t argue. “No. Just the cut on my head.”
A smile pulls at my lips. I look forward to a lifetime of dirty looks from her.
“All right. Mr. Slade, let’s get you into the ambulance and get some IV fluids started. I’ll have Roger come and take care of . . .”
“My wife.” I glare at Kevin. “Make sure Roger knows.”
The sound of Raven’s giggle is better than any pain medication.
“Yes, sir, ‘Assassin’. By the way, great fight tonight.” The eager EMT is a fan. Good to know.
“Yes, it was.” I lock eyes with Raven. “Best fight of my life.”
Kevin puts his hand out to help me up. I’m tired and dizzy from blood loss, but this guy looks like a noodle in scrubs. I shake him off and push to standing. Oh, shit. Gripping the handrail, I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the vertigo away. Raven presses into my side, using her body as support until my head stops spinning.
She walks me down the few steps to the dirt. I pull her in for a hug before we’re dealt with by our assigned EMTs.
The angry mark above her head is no longer bleeding. I run my knuckles down her cheek, grateful that a cut is all they got on her. “Get your head taken care of.” I kiss her longer than I should for the audience we have, but fuck ’em.
A team of EMTs rush into the cabin. Roger scurries up with some kind of a field medical kit and gets to work on Raven’s head.
I drag my body to the ambulance where Kevin asks me to climb inside.
“Mind if you treat me out here?” There’s no way I’m letting Raven out of my sight. It should be comforting being surrounded by cops, but with Dominick’s far reach, I need to stay alert.
“Oh, I don’t—”
I spear Kevin with a glare that has him nodding.
“Yeah, sure thing, ‘Assassin.’ I’ll just pop a stretcher up here.”