by Jess Bryant
A giant, gaping hole had opened up just below his chin and off-center by a couple of inches. A second hole had torn through his shoulder but it was the neck wound that was hemorrhaging blood. Dark red liquid poured out of the wound faster than he could try to shove it back in. His fingers and clothes were soaked in it within the blink of an eye and she felt the warmth trickling down onto her as it left him forever.
All of it must have happened in the span of a second or two but it felt like hours that she watched her brother try to put his own blood back inside him. His wide, gray eyes, so much like her own, panicked and scared but still so angry when he finally saw the hopelessness of it and stared down at her. And then he was gone, the light went out of him and his entire body slumped over to the side, just beside her, almost as if he’d decided to lay down to take a nap all of a sudden but didn’t have the energy to get all the way off of her.
“Rach! Rach! Rachel!”
Somewhere in the fog of everything, she could hear someone desperately screaming her name but it all felt so far away. As if maybe she was still asleep and this had all been a nightmare and the screaming was just Remy trying to wake her up from her bad dream. But when someone grabbed her shoulder and shook her, when she opened her eyes, she knew that it was real. It was all real.
“Rach? Baby? Oh God…” Remy was there at her side, shoving Craig fully off of her and dragging her into a sitting position as his hands glided over her, checking for wounds, “Are you hit? Oh God, did I hit you? Where’s all the blood coming from?”
“I…I…” The words stuck in her throat and it took a couple of tries to get them out, “It’s not mine.”
“Oh baby. Oh God, baby.” Remy smashed her to his chest and held on with shaking hands, “I thought I was too late. I heard you screaming and I burst in and saw you on the ground and I thought… Oh God, are you okay? Did he hurt you? Oh your face, baby…”
“Jesus fucking Christ.” Another voice cut Remy’s off and they slowly pulled apart until she could see Ford standing in the doorway, a gun in his hand and a shocked and horrified expression on his face, “It looks like a goddamn crime scene in here.”
“Because it fucking is!” Remy growled at him, “Where the hell were you?”
“I saw something and went to check. Shit. I…” Ford ran a shaky hand through his hair and then shook his head, “We can’t talk here. We’ve gotta go. All that noise, somebody’s gonna call the cops. You gotta get out of here.”
Rachel swallowed past the bile in her throat and winced at the pain it caused, “I-Is he dead?”
“Yeah, he’s dead.” Remy cupped the back of her head and forced her to look at him, “I had to. He was going to kill you. You know that right?”
She nodded, though the entire thing felt like nothing more than a dream right now.
“Seriously, you gotta go. Now. I’ll clean this up but if you wanna stay clean. You go. Now.”
“It w-w-was self-defense.” She shook her head at Ford, “W-we don’t have to hide it.”
“Honey, he shot him. Not you. That’s not self-defense.” Ford explained slowly, as if he were talking to a child.
“But…”
“But he’s a Bomar. Do you understand? Cops find him here with a dead guy and a murder weapon and he’s going away, Rachel. He’s going away for a really long time if you don’t get out of here right now.”
She met those serious blue-green eyes and saw the worry in them. That was for her. She was coherent enough to know that Ford was worried about her. He was worried about all of this, the entire situation, but he was worried about her too. And that made her heart crack open and the tears start again because her own brother had tried to kill her but Ford, an ex-con Bomar boy, was trying to save her.
“Ok, come on baby. I got ya.” Remy guided her up and then swung her into his arms.
“Gun?” Ford asked.
“Oh the carpet next to the bastard.”
“I’ll take care of this. You take care of your girl.”
“I will.” Remy started to walk past but she shot out a hand out and caught Ford by the edge of his shirt forcing them to stop or jerk him after them.
“What?” He growled.
“Th-Th-Th…” She whimpered when she couldn’t get the words out and Ford winced and patted her hand gently.
“Don’t thank me. I should’ve been here and he’d never have touched you. I’m sorry, Rachel.”
Remy hauled her out of the trailer before she could tell Ford it wasn’t his fault. Craig must have tricked him, circled around, something. Ford had been trying to help. She didn’t doubt him for a second. And now he would be left to clean up her mess, all of them would because this hadn’t gone anything like what she’d planned.
Remy quickly put her into the passenger seat of a car she didn’t recognize. She had no idea where it had come from or how they’d gotten it. She had no idea how they’d gotten here at all.
He climbed into the driver’s side and started the engine before looking at her, “You’re going to be okay, baby. I promise. You’re going to be okay.”
Her bottom lip trembled and she curled into a ball as the tears broke free again, “I-I-I wanted to be strong. I didn’t want to cry. I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for.”
“I was so scared I was going to die.”
“I know. Me too.” Remy reached over and squeezed her leg gently, “There’s nothing to be scared of anymore.”
As he drove them out of the trailer park, into the dark of the abandoned streets, she leaned back in the seat and thought about that for a moment. He was wrong. They may not have to be scared of Craig anymore but now they had a whole new list of things to be scared of.
Remy had killed a man to save her. Ford was covering it up. But even if the law didn’t figure it all out, what was going to happen to them now? She didn’t know and that definitely scared her.
Chapter Nineteen
Remy tightened his fists on the steering wheel and focused on breathing. He’d just killed a man. It wasn’t the first time. He’d killed men when he was in the Army, when he was deployed. He’d used a much bigger gun and he’d done it from a much further distance but he had taken lives before tonight. This one though, this was the first time it had been personal.
He’d wanted to kill Craig Grant and he had. He’d seen that piece of shit sitting on top of Rachel, hurting the woman Remy loved, and he’d pulled the trigger without a second thought. He couldn’t claim he’d done it on orders or because it had been the only way. He may have been able to fight the other man off of Rachel if he’d tried but he hadn’t tried.
He’d shot him at point blank range with every intention of killing him and he didn’t regret it for a second.
Remy only regret that he hadn’t gotten there sooner. If he’d gotten there sooner, maybe he could have stopped it before it got that far. If they’d realized Craig managed to sneak past them before he heard Rachel screaming, he might have been able to slow down and think rationally. But all of the if only’s in the world wouldn’t change the fact that Rachel’s brother was dead, Remy had pulled the trigger and Rachel had seen all of it happen.
He glanced at her as he sped down the abandoned highway and felt his stomach turn. She was curled into the fetal position again. Her back was to him and she was shaking though there were no sobs to tell him if she was crying again. He didn’t need to see her face to know she was black and blue. Didn’t need to see the ripped clothes to know what that bastard had been trying to do to her. And knowing that he had killed the man that hurt her was the only thing keeping him sane in that moment.
Craig was dead. He wouldn’t hurt Rachel ever again. He couldn’t hurt Colt or any of Remy’s family ever again. He was gone and even if Remy would have to deal with the fallout of taking another human life, he would never regret pulling that trigger.
His phone rang as he made the turn onto the narrow gravel road that led to his trailer and he groaned as he tugged it
out of his pocket, “What?”
“Where the fuck are you Remington?”
“Headed home.”
“What the…”
“I’m taking Rachel home.” He cut his cousin off with a curse and lowered his voice, “This car is a mess, Lincoln. You’ll have to send one of the boys to pick it up. Clean it up or get rid of it. I don’t care. Just send someone tonight.”
“Remy…”
“Don’t.”
“Remy.” Lincoln said his name again, the one he went by, the one that his cousin never used because he preferred to annoy him by using his full name. Lincoln used his nickname now and for reasons Remy couldn’t explain, tears blurred his vision. He couldn’t remember the last time Lincoln had called him that. Maybe the day he’d drive him to Falls Lake to sign up with that Army recruiter and get him the hell out of dodge? It had been years and it felt personal in ways he couldn’t describe.
“What?” He finally bit out.
“I’m sorry.”
A tear rolled down his cheek and he swiped at it with the back of his hand, “I know.”
And he did. As much as he might hate Lincoln for letting Colt get involved in the family business, he knew why his cousin had done it. To keep him close. It was the only way Lincoln knew how to take care of people.
He hadn’t meant for anything bad to happen to Colt just like he hadn’t meant for anything to happen to Rachel tonight. He’d been doing what he thought needed to be done and now that it had all gone to hell, nobody would feel worse about it than Lincoln because it meant that he had failed. He hadn’t been able to protect his family. He hadn’t been able to keep them safe. It would haunt him and no doubt, someone would end up paying the price for Lincoln’s anger.
“I’ll clean it up.”
“I know.” Remy said again.
“How’s Rachel?”
Remy glanced at her again, watching her tiny back heave with breaths and struggled for his own, “Not good.”
“Take care of her.”
“I will.”
“I can’t leave the bar for a while. I’ll need the alibi if anyone asks questions. But I’ll come by later to talk to her if that’s okay with you. To apologize to her myself. I don’t know exactly what all happened tonight but I know it was bad and you didn’t want her there so…”
“Yeah, I… just hold off until tomorrow. We need some time.”
“Understood.” Lincoln cleared his throat, “I’ll leave you to it then.”
Remy hung up without saying goodbye and silently cursed the glimmer of blood on the screen in the light of the dash. The phone would have to go too. Right along with the car and their clothes and everything else. They’d have to get rid of everything this night had destroyed and as he glanced over at his girlfriend, he only hoped that wouldn’t mean she needed to get rid of him to wipe out the memories of what he’d done too.
He’d killed her brother. Her half-brother. Her only living relative that she had anything to do with. And even if he’d done it to save her, he feared that she would hate him for it.
He pulled into the drive and killed the engine. Rachel didn’t move so he didn’t bother telling her to wait for him. He simply circled the car and opened the passenger door. Her eyes were shut when he lifted her out but she wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her inside without a word.
More than anything, he simply wanted to take her to bed. He wanted to hold her close. Wanted to reassure himself that she was alive, that she was whole, that she was still his. But since she was covered in blood, and now so was he, their destination had to be the shower first instead.
“We gotta get cleaned up, okay babe?” He set her down on the bathroom counter and leaned over to flip the taps on.
“Bath?”
“Shower.” He shook his head even though his heart squeezed tight when she spoke. “Easier to wash it all off that way. I’ll come in with you if you want or you can do it yourself if you prefer.”
“Stay with me. Please.”
“Always.” He kissed her temple lightly and then helped her to undress.
Rachel wasn’t frozen with fear like he’d been afraid she was. Not like she had been just this morning when Lincoln had threatened her, when she’d thought he would leave her, when she’d realized her brother was going to die. She was pale and tear-stained, bloody and bruised, but she wasn’t broken. Not this time.
God, she was so much stronger than he gave her credit for.
Slowly, he helped her remove the t-shirt she’d been wearing. It was ripped and bloody and he tossed it in the small trashcan next to the toilet. He winced at what he saw when the shirt was removed. The angry marks on Rachel’s neck were already turning from red to purple, and his temper flared all over again. That son of a bitch had tried to strangle her, could have killed her, would have if Remy hadn’t busted in when he did, and tears swarmed his vision as he thought about how close he’d come to losing her tonight.
“Rach…” His voice broke.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’m okay.” She soothed him when he knew it should have been the other way around, “You saved me.”
“I’m so sorry.” His hand shook as he lightly traced the damage to her pretty face.
The bruises would be impossible to hide. Not just the handprint around her neck but the angry black eye that was already starting to swell shut. Her lip was busted and dried blood coated her chin. He hated that someone had done this to her while he’d been twenty yards away with no idea what was happening. He hadn’t protected her. Not at all.
“Shh, I’m okay.” She said again, taking his hand and pulling him into a hug, wrapping herself around him, “I love you.”
“I love you too. So much. I thought…” His voice broke again and he struggled to breath, “I thought I lost you.”
“I’m here. I’m right here.” She sniffled against his chest, “Let’s take a shower and wash it all away. I want to wash it all away.”
“Okay.” He managed a nod as he helped her down from the counter and then out of the rest of her clothes.
As Rachel stepped into the shower, he quickly tore off his own clothes and tossed them in the trash can too. They would have to get rid of the entire sack. Burn it probably. But he’d leave that up to his cousin. Lincoln had said he’d send one of the boys for the car so after their shower Remy would stick the clothes out there with it and they could take all of it away at once.
By the time he stepped into the shower behind Rachel, she was standing under the beating water and it ran red at her feet. Streaks of pink trailed down her beautiful body, the last of the blood washing away. The bruises lingered though and so did the pain in her eyes, so he pulled her to him and simply held her for a long time.
He had to remind himself that she was here. She wasn’t really hurt. Not irreparably. The bruises would fade. Her busted lip would heal. They would find their way past this. Somehow.
“Remy?” Rachel said his name a while later, as the heat of the water began to fade and he had to release her to wash up before it ran out completely.
“Yeah?”
“What happens now?”
He winced at the question. He’d known it would come. He knew they had a lot they would have to talk about. But he’d expected her to want to avoid it, to put it off. He’d thought they might simply be able to curl up together in bed and not deal with any of the repercussions until tomorrow.
“We don’t have to talk about it right now.”
Rachel bit her lip, then winced, as if she’d forgotten it was busted, “I know. I just… I need to know. Craig… or his body… what will happen to him now?”
Remy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “He’ll disappear.”
“Oh…”
“Rach…” He started cautiously but she shook her head.
“No. It’s okay. I mean, I knew that was going to be the answer I just… I don’t know. I guess in my head I was thinking I’d have to deal with like, funeral arrangements
or something.” Her hand came up to her neck and she winced, “He’s really dead, isn’t he?”
His heart squeezed again and Remy moved towards her in the small space, pulling her hand away from the bruises and kissing her lightly, “Yeah, Rach. He is.”
Her hand trembled slightly, “He can’t ever hurt me again.”
“No, baby. He can’t.” His voice trembled too. “He can’t ever hurt anyone I love ever again.”
“Oh, Remy…” Rachel threw herself into his arms and buried her face in his chest, “Thank you. Thank you. Oh, God, if you hadn’t showed up when you did… I… He would have… you…”
“I know.” He wrapped her up and squeezed her tight.
“I was so scared you were going to be the one to find my body. I didn’t want that.”
“Oh, baby… no, you can’t think about that anymore.” He smoothed her wet hair back and kissed her temple.
“You didn’t want me to go in the first place and…”
“Shhh, it’s okay.” It was his turn to soothe this time as the dam broke and he felt tears run down his chest as she shook in his arms again, “Don’t go there. You’re okay. I’m okay. We’re going to be okay. I promise.”
“I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Rach.”
He held her against him until the water turned cold and they both screeched and jumped out of the shower. In silence, they dried off together. They exchanged touches here and there, kissing softly as they went, and when they were dry Remy took her hand and led her towards the bedroom. He pulled out an old t-shirt and helped her put it on and then put her in bed and tucked her in, kissing her forehead softly before pulling away.
“I’ve got to go take out the trash with our clothes in it. Make sure the keys are in that car. One of the boys is picking it up and getting rid of it. Stay here and I’ll be back in just as soon as I can.”
Rachel nodded slightly so he kissed her again and then retreated before he gave in to the urge to crawl into the bed beside her and never let her go.
He grabbed a clean pair of boxers and jeans and retreated to the bathroom to pull them on. A glance around the small space made his stomach turn again. The bloody clothes in the trash can were one thing but the pink stains in the bottom of the old tub were worse. He grabbed the Clorox from under the counter and quickly sprayed it down. When he was done, he twisted up the trash bag and tied it off as well.
