TAKING HIS SEED

by Zoey Parker

  “No!” she cried out, and scrambled to her feet.

  Rowan gave her a confused look.

  “Please. I want to do it.” She still had the other gun in her hand and she went to stand beside Rowan.

  Nick squirmed on the ground, writhing in pain. “You bitch,” he spat. “I will never stop hunting you. You’ll pay for this.”

  The other Jagged Rebels got to them and stood back, guns ready, watching and waiting. Becca glanced at him and looked back to Nick.

  She gripped the gun tightly and lifted it to point at Nick’s head. Rowan came over to stand behind her. He tucked his gun into the back of his jeans. His body was so close and so hot, it filled her with heat. He reached down, his arms sliding along hers, and pulled back the slide on her gun. Whoops. She’d forgotten to reload.

  He kissed her neck, then moved her hands over slightly, taking a better aim. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He whispered, “Shoot, baby,” in her ear.

  She took a moment to look down at Nick, to glare into his pleading eyes.

  “Becca,” he said, “You wouldn’t kill your daughter’s father, would you? Don’t be silly. I love you. I love Emma and I just want to have a happy family with you.”

  “Shut up,” she growled. “I’ve heard enough of your talking for a lifetime. You don’t love me or her or anyone but yourself. I hate you!”

  She started to cry and her hands were shaking. She tried to hold the gun steady, but couldn’t. Rowan reached up again and put his hands around hers. He pointed the gun at Nick’s head and held her steady.

  She took in several breaths, trying to make her sobs stop.

  “Take your time,” Rowan said. “He’s not going anywhere.”

  “I know you still love me, Reebs,” Nick said. “Think of our life together, our beautiful house. Didn’t I give you a nice life? We’ll make it even better now. We can have another baby, and we’ll be so happy.”

  She slowed her breathing and the tears stopped. His words built the rage in her. Still, after all this, he thought he could manipulate her. He thought he could talk her into coming back to him. He thought he still had control over her. Idiot.

  She took another breath and pulled the trigger. This time, since Rowan was holding her, the gun didn’t recoil back as much. It was still loud, though, and her ears rang again for several seconds.

  She looked down at Nick. He didn’t move. She had hit him. She had hit him right in the head like she meant to. She looked only for a second. Long enough to see the hole in his forehead, bleeding. But the sight was too much. All the blood and gore. It was too much. She turned and bent over and threw up.

  Rowan had still been holding her tight, and now he made sure her hair was out of her way and he rubbed her back soothingly. When she stopped, he brushed the hair from her eyes and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She nodded and leaned into him. He wrapped his arms back around her.

  “Sorry I don’t have any water or anything,” he said.

  “It’s okay.” She spat several times on the ground.

  “Nice shot,” the other Rebel said. He held out a stick of gum and she gratefully took it and put it in her mouth to get out the nasty taste.

  “I had a little help,” she said.

  “You did it, though,” Rowan said, rubbing her back again. “You fought back and you won.”

  “He is dead, right?” Becca looked at his still body.

  “Double check, Nate,” Rowan said.

  Nate walked over to Nick, picked up his wrist and held it for a moment, then let it fall. “Dead.”

  Becca turned to Rowan and the emotions crashed over her until she sobbed into his chest. He held her and comforted her until she was able to stop crying.

  “Rowan, thank you,” she said. “Thank you for coming and saving us.”

  He tilted her chin up so her face met his, and kissed her. “Anytime.”

  Chapter 15

  “What about the body?” Becca asked.

  Rowan looked past her to Nick’s dead body lying on the ground. He still couldn’t believe she’d done it. She’d killed her ex-husband point blank. And after shooting him in the leg to incapacitate him. Much as he’d wanted to kill Nick himself, watching Becca do it was even better.

  And, apparently, his dick loved it, too, because he had such a raging hard on, it felt like he’d burst any minute. He almost needed to move Becca away from him so he could think straight. With her body pressed against his, there was only one thing he wanted. Right here in the woods, he didn’t care who was around. He would take her right now if he could. Might’ve had to if she kept kissing him and looking at him like that.

  The way she’d gazed up at him when she knew Nick was dead, and when he’d come running into the woods…like he was her savior and she’d come to worship him. Like she wanted him more than anything. Like she’d never leave him again. Like she loved him. His heart was a puddle and he wanted to pour himself into her hands.

  And now that Nick was dead, she could be his free and clear. No looking behind their backs. No worrying about Nick or Abram coming after them. Anyone who’d attacked them and anyone who wanted them dead or to hurt them were all dead. They’d survived. They’d come out on top. And they’d done it together.

  “You are amazing,” he said to her, pulling her close again.

  She kissed him and rubbed her nose against his. “But you didn’t answer me. What about the body?”

  Rowan glanced to Nate. “Drag him back to the fire?”

  “I think that’s our best option,” Nate said. “Eliminate evidence. We’ll need to toss the guns, too.”

  Rowan nodded and turned back to Becca. “I loved seeing you hold a gun and shoot. So hot.”

  She giggled. “Thanks. You’ll have to teach me. I had no idea what I was doing.”

  “I will.” He put his hand on the back of her head and kissed her forehead. “I’ll take care of you forever.”

  “Can we go back to the farmhouse? I want to make sure Emma is okay.”

  Rowan nodded. “Of course. Ricky has her, though. She’s safe.”

  He put his arm around her and they turned back toward the farmhouse. Nate tugged on Nick’s feet and pulled him along.

  “Want some help?” Rowan asked.

  “Nope. Got it.”

  As they walked, Rowan started coughing again. He’d been doing okay. Being out in the fresh air and running like that had cleared his lungs, but now they were acting up and burning again.

  “Why are you coughing so much?” Becca asked. She paused to make him stop walking for a moment while he coughed. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Whoa.” She grabbed his hand and held it out, looking closely at the blisters and burned places.

  The bandage from his injured hand had come lose long ago, somewhere in the fighting. He hadn’t even noticed until now. All the adrenaline and being focused on the fights had taken his mind off it. Now that he looked at his hand, now that he had time to think about it and wasn’t distracted, it hurt badly. Without the bandage, he’d managed to open several of the blisters. They oozed and stung.

  “What happened?” Becca looked up at him with concern.

  “Well, I had a little mishap earlier.” He put his arm back around her and they continued walking. “Abram and his guys burned my house down.”

  “What!”

  He nodded. “One of my guys was trapped inside, so I went in to save him and burned my hand. That’s why I’ve been coughing so much. Smoke inhalation. They wanted me to stay at the hospital and get treated.”

  “Then why didn’t you?”

  “Well, my phone had died, but I charged it at the hospital. I was sitting in a trauma room, waiting to be seen, when I got your message. I couldn’t exactly just sit there and do nothing.”

  Becca hung her head. “I’m sorry.”

  Rowan stopped. He turned her to face him. “No. Don’t you dare
apologize for this. None of this is your fault.”

  She shook her head. “I should have listened to you. I should have waited for you to get here before going inside.”

  “It wouldn’t have made that much of a difference. I got there in time. I got you out. We’re all safe; we’re all okay. Nick’s dead and Abram’s dead. I think all of his guys are dead, too. We won, Becca. It’s over.”

  “I should have never yelled at you in the first place. I’m so sorry, Rowan.”

  He hugged her and let her cry. He hated that she was upset, but her tears brought him so much comfort. She did still want him. They would be together. And he wouldn’t let anything keep them apart.

  “Let’s go get Emma,” he said, gently picking up her head to kiss her. “She must be afraid and worried.”

  Becca nodded and they trudged on.

  The farmhouse finally came into sight. Flames poured out of the windows, smoke rushed from the roof. The whole house looked ready to collapse. He looked back to Nate. He wasn’t too far behind. But what if the house went down before they got Nick back inside?

  He saw his guys standing at the edge of the woods and Emma standing beside Ricky.

  Becca dashed forward and ran to her, then grabbed her into her arms. Emma cried out to her and Becca held her tight.

  “Mommy, the house!”

  “I know. It’s burning.”

  “Ricky said it was going to fall down.” Awe filled Emma’s voice. “All the bad men are inside.”

  “They can’t hurt us now,” Becca said.

  Emma shook her head, then craned her neck around until she saw him. She broke into a smile. “Rowan!”

  He went over and put an arm around her, giving her a sideways hug while she was still in her mother’s arms. “Hi, Emma.”

  “Cuddles made it, too!” Emma held up the dirty bunny triumphantly. “Daddy wanted to take her, but I wouldn’t let him.”

  “Good job,” Becca said.

  Then Emma seemed to recall what happened in the woods with her father. “Where is Daddy?” she asked, the fear obvious on her face.

  “He’ll never ever be able to hurt us again,” Becca said.

  “Why?”

  “Well…” Becca looked over at Rowan, then took a deep breath. “He’s dead, honey.”

  “Oh.” Emma looked straight ahead, then turned back to her mom. “And he won’t wake up?”

  “Nope.”

  “So, we don’t have to go back to live with him?”

  Becca smiled and shook her head. “No, we don’t. We’ll never see him again.”

  At this, Rowan remembered that Nick’s body was, in fact, rather close. Emma might easily see him, bloody and dead. He turned and saw Nate dragging him along. Jameson went to help him. As long as Emma didn’t turn around, it would be okay. They weren’t too close to them.

  Rowan made eye contact with Becca to make sure she saw what was happening. She kept her hand at the back of Emma’s head so she couldn’t turn and see by accident.

  Jameson and Nate pulled Nick’s body to the house, then they picked him up. Nate held his feet, Jameson held his arms. They swung him back and forth, then let go and sent his body flying into the house.

  Rowan took out his gun and the one Becca had shot Nick with. He wiped them both clean of fingerprints and walked closer to the house. When he was close enough, he tossed them both inside. This fire was nice and hot. It should burn away any evidence they’d left behind.

  He could see Nick’s body, slumped over just inside the back door. It was already consumed by flames and charred black. He started to cough and had to walk away. But he wanted to stand there and watch the bastard burn. That last image, the one of Nick’s body blackened, the bullet hole from Becca’s shot still subtly visible in his forehead, would replace the image of him holding the gun to Emma’s head.

  Rowan walked back to Becca and Emma. “All clear.”

  “Can we go home?” Becca asked.

  “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  “Oh, you need to go to the hospital, though.”

  Rowan shook his head. “No, I’ll be fine.”

  “Is your car here?” she asked.

  “My car is a heap of ash in my garage.”

  “Oh.” Her face fell. “Well, mine is here.”

  “You feel okay to drive? I can if you don’t want to.”

  “No, I’m okay,” she said. “And your hand. I don’t want you to make it worse.”

  They all walked around the side of the house, back to where the cars and bikes were. He thought sirens should be wailing through the air, but there was nothing. Maybe they were far enough out in the country that no one had seen the fire yet. Certainly none of his guys would call the fire department. They needed the house to burn as long as possible. There wasn’t much to save anyway.

  The fire would be contained enough. Not like it’d get into the woods and start a huge forest fire or anything. It wasn’t spreading along the grass, and the closest houses were so far away, he couldn’t see any in either direction. The fire department would probably come eventually. Someone would see the smoke and call.

  But they needed to get out now. Long before anyone came along. With so many dead bodies and bullets and so much blood, this incident could mean a lot of trouble for the Rebels if they weren’t careful. No sirens were a good thing.

  “All right, Rebels,” Rowan said. They stopped and turned to him. “Good work today, guys. Good work.”

  Each of them took their turn giving him a fist bump and one-armed hug.

  “We’ll find a new headquarters and meet soon,” he said. “Make sure you get to the hospital if you have injuries. Keep me updated. I’m going home to rest for a while.” But then he remembered he didn’t have a home. He turned to Becca, but she had already thought ahead.

  “He’ll be at my apartment,” she said, and smiled at him.

  He smiled back.

  “After we go to the hospital and get his hand cared for,” she added.

  Rowan dropped his head, but smiled. “I’ll see you guys over there. I want to check on Marcus anyway. Anyone heard any news since we got here?”

  They checked their phones, but no one had anything new.

  “Okay, well, let’s hope that’s good news, then.” Rowan turned and walked to Becca’s car.

  She pulled her keys from her pocket and unlocked the door, then slid Emma into her booster seat. Rowan stood and watched the care she took in buckling her in and making sure she was comfortable. Emma had Cuddles and hugged her close. Becca kissed her forehead and shut the door.

  Then she leaned against the car and covered her face with her hands as she cried.

  He brought her close and spoke softly into her ear. “What is it?”

  “She’s going to be so messed up.”

  “Emma?”

  She nodded against his shoulder. “All that’s happened. It’s too much for a four-year-old. It’s going to scar her for life.”

  “No.” Rowan stroked her head. “How much do you remember from when you were four? She’ll forget over time. And she has you. You give her so much love and affection that it’ll be okay. She’ll be fine. She knows she’s loved and safe. That’s what matters. She won’t keep being abused. It’s over now.”

  Not like when he was a kid. How badly had his father’s abuse messed him up? Maybe worse than he thought. But that had gone on for years. And he hadn’t just watched his mother get hit and ordered around. His dad hit him and his brother for years before anyone did anything about it. Most of his life. And he’d turned out okay, hadn’t he? Maybe. Maybe not.

  But Emma would be okay. He’d make sure of it. If Becca let him, he’d be the best father to her that anyone could be. He’d make sure she always was safe and always felt safe. He’d slay monsters under the bed and in the closet if he had to. Whatever it took to make sure she felt safe, he would do.

  And the same thing for Becca. He’d teach her to shoot, get her a gun. Make sure she
knew without a doubt that he’d always come for her and Emma. He’d give his life to protect them. He’d do anything for them. He didn’t want her to have any reason to be afraid, ever.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Rowan said.

  He didn’t want to worry her, but the sooner they left the better. All of his guys who came on bikes had left. But Nate sat in his car, making sure they were okay.