by Lacey Silks
“And just how are you going to prove what you agreed to if the paper’s burnt?” he asked, waving the gun in front of my face.
Had he been watching us this morning? And how much exactly had he seen? Disgust overwhelmed me. But even if he had seen me and Scar together, at that moment it was the least of my worries.
“Now as far as I know, we don’t have much time, but it’s enough for what I need, Julia. So get your fucking clothes off. All of them.”
“If you want to be free, you better run. They know you escaped, and they’re onto you. Scar’s on his way home.”
“Do you think I care? Now stop stalling and lower those fucking shorts.”
“You can’t do this, Brad. You were about to get your freedom. Why would you do this?”
“Don’t fucking patronize me. I know what Scar did. The verdict will not be in my favor, and I need to take what’s mine. Don’t you remember, Julia? I always get what I want. And this time, nothing’s going to stop me.”
He yanked on my shirt, ripping it through the middle. All the buttons popped off, and they bounced and rolled across the floor. I grasped its sides and pulled them together, trying to cover my exposed breasts… and that was when I heard Beth’s voice.
“Get your hands off her!”
He stopped for a moment, pointed the gun at me, and turned around, shielding himself with my body, poking the gun into my ribcage.
“Beth, don’t,” I gasped and looked to the fridge where Axel had left Scar’s gun this morning. That gun was now in Beth’s hands. On the kitchen counter was our first greenhouse plant, which I assumed Beth had brought with her. “I’ll be fine.”
My voice shook and felt weaker by the minute.
“Julia, he’s holding a gun to your ribs and telling you to undress. I don’t think you’re fine.”
She was right. I wasn’t fine at all, but I couldn’t live with the alternatives of either Brad hurting her, or Beth hurting him. She was his mother. There was no way she’d shoot him if she knew who he was. Could she shoot him at all?
“Make her leave, Julia,” Brad’s jaw was so tight, right beside my cheek, I could hear his teeth grind.
“Beth, please. You need to leave.”
I’d just let Brad take what he came for, get it over with, and then somehow, one day maybe I’d be able to move past today. Or would I? If Brad escaped, even if he raped me, I’d still live in fear for the rest of my life. All those thoughts that ran through my mind seemed to take forever, though it must have been only a few seconds. There was no way out of this, was there?
“Better put that gun down, Beth.” I heard the nasty smirk in Brad’s voice, and I knew he wouldn’t give up. He would never let me go. Even if he got what he wanted after all these years, he’d find a way to come back into my life.
“You’re going to have to shoot me to do that, Bradley.” Beth kept her arms steady on her target – which honestly from my point of view, given how close he was to me, could be either me or Brad.
“As you wish.”
And as Brad turned the gun toward Beth, which seemed to be in slow motion, a shot was fired. I didn’t even know whether it was me who’d been hit, or Brad, or Beth, but I fell to the floor. My ears rang with the ricocheting sound. I stayed down, trying to feel whether any part of my body had been shot. The reverberation in my ears ebbed and flowed in a pattern. I touched the floor and my hand skimmed over the pool of red liquid beside me. Our brand new white couches were splattered with red dots. And then I felt someone’s arms around me. It was Beth. She was lifting me up and holding me. Her lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear her – at least not for the first few minutes.
“It’s okay, Julia. You’re safe now.”
She rocked me in her arms. Beside us, Brad’s body lay on the floor. I couldn’t see his head as it was obscured by the side of the couch.
“You shot him. You shot your son.”
“I know, sweetheart. I know.”
“Wait… you know?”
But Beth didn’t answer my question. We held each other until Scar broke through the door with what looked like an army of officers, paramedics, and agents with guns. The scene was like one from a movie, one where everyone arrives right after the bad guys are taken care of.
EPILOGUE
The Wagner residence was booming with laughter. I swirled the wine in my glass, watching Axel and Trevor admire the kid-sized T-Rex slide. The little guy hadn’t yet had the courage to climb up the side steps so that he could swoosh all the way down the dino’s back. Scar finally took him by the hand and guided him up. Trevor sat in front, and Scar right behind him. They looked adorable as they slid down.
It had been three weeks since Beth shot Brad. The Wagners had understandably postponed the birthday party, and Scar had somehow found the time to order the best gift for his nephew: a pre-historic playground, which he installed next to Beth’s garden. When he first told me about the idea, I thought he wanted to get back at Beth for meddling with his back yard. Watching him now, as he showed Trevor over and over how easy it was to slide down, I knew it was because he loved the little guy.
“How are you doing, Julia?” Beth’s voice startled me.
“I’m okay. It will take a while to forget it all, but family moments like these help. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I am okay.” She smiled, but the sadness in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.
Zoey was sitting in Ace’s lap, whispering something in his ear, and I wondered when Ace would finally pop the question. She seemed happy. The light in her eyes was brighter, and I was glad that life was finally showing my sister some well deserved joy. I owed her my life. Come to think of it, there were so many people here I owed a debt to that I’d be paying it forward for a while. Trish and Axel were having an intense conversation with Mr. Wagner. Grace, the youngest of the Wagner siblings, was raking her fingers through her husband’s hair. Hunter sat as far away from Mr. Wagner as he could, and I wondered what bad blood had flowed between those two.
“I’m hoping one day to have more than one grandchild playing in my back yard.” Beth brought my attention back to the playground. She eyed me knowingly, and I wondered whether she knew, and if so, then how?
My mouth fell open as she said, “You have a glow about you only a mother would recognize.”
“I just found out a couple of days ago. I haven’t even told Scar yet.”
“He’ll be ecstatic.”
There was a pause between us. I knew what she was thinking. We hadn’t broached the subject of Brad since his death – at least, not to the extent that I knew we should have. Beth wasn’t at all surprised when I told her she’d shot her son. And she didn’t even hesitate to pull the trigger. That day she saved not only my life, but also her future grandchild’s.
“He wasn’t my child, Julia,” she finally said. “Scar is.”
“You knew the whole time, didn’t you?”
“I did. And so did Brad’s parents. There were too many physical features to ignore when the boys were young. They had Brad tested, and we agreed it was for the best to leave things as they were.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“There was never a right time… and then after a while, there was no point.”
“Why was he like that? So...”
“Awful, despicable, full of hatred?”
I nodded.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. Social influence, perhaps? No parent ever wants to find out that their child was a convict or hurt others. Brad grew up in the wrong circle of friends. Secretly, I hoped things would change when he and Scar got the Club, maybe even bring them closer together.” She shook her head. “I will never regret my choice that day and will have to live with it for the rest of my life.”
“Does everyone in this family know how to use a gun?”
“It comes with the territory. There was a time in my life I had to carry one on me.”
“Will you tell Scar?” I asked.
“
I don’t know. He’s so happy now. Look at him. I’ve never seen my son this... free. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“Grandma, you do it!” Trevor screamed, running toward us. Beth took his little hand to join him.
“You’ve been holding onto that glass all afternoon, Jules.” Scar came up from behind me, wrapping me in his arms. “You actually need to drink my mother’s wine to know how good it tastes.”
“I can’t.”
“Sure you can.” Scar answered on instinct. It took a moment for the words to sink in. I felt his body tense behind me before he twisted me around to face him.
“Jules?”
I couldn’t say anything because the tears were already running down my cheeks.
“I’m gonna be a father?”
I nodded.
“You’re sure?”
Sobbing, I nodded again.
“I’m gonna be a father!” He screamed bringing everyone’s attention to us. After a moment of silence the entire family was around us, laughing and congratulating. Scar lifted me into his arms and twirled me around before setting me down and lifting his nephew, telling him how he would be getting a little cousin soon. For a person who thought he could never commit, afraid he would eventually cheat on his partner, Scar was definitely taking this news well. After all, this meant we were one – a family – an unbreakable unit, no matter what surprises life brought. Besides, I’d always known he wasn’t a cheater, and neither was I. We just needed to find our way to each other. It took eleven years, but better late than never. Given how quickly I knew life could change, I banked this happy moment in my memory as one of those times you wanted to hold onto forever. No matter what our future held, if we were together, we could overcome anything.
* * *
Dear Reader,
I need your help! Whose story would you like to read next? Zoey’s and Ace’s or Trish’s and Axel’s? I’m not sure whether I’ll write both, but definitely one. You can leave your answer when you post it in your review on Amazon or email me at [email protected].
And if the story is out by the time you read this, thank you for your support!
Happy Reading!
Lacey Silks
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Lacey Silks enjoys writing erotic and contemporary romances with a touch of suspense. Lacey writes her stories from life experiences, dreams and fantasies. She likes a pinkish shade on a woman’s cheeks, men with large feet and sexy lingerie, especially when it’s torn off the body. Her favorite piece of clothing is a birthday suit.
When she’s not thinking about writing steamy stories, which is a rare occasion, Lacey enjoys camping and skiing with her family (not at the same time of course). She’s a happily married wife blessed with two kids who adore going to the library. She’s an early bird by nature, but loves the nightly adventures with her hubby which provide good content for her books.
If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review. All authors depend on the support of their readers to find an audience. Make your opinion count!
More Work by Lacey Silks:
New Adult/Erotic Romance Novels:
My First, My Last: a stand-alone erotic romance novel
Cheaters Anonymous: a stand-alone erotic suspense novel
Dazzled By Silver (a prequel to the Layers Trilogy – FREE!)
Layers Deep (Book 1)
Layers Peeled (Book 2)
Layers Off (Book 3)
Crossed Series is a spinoff from the Layers Trilogy:
Crossed (prequel to the Crossed Series)
Layers Crossed (Book 1)
Double Crossed (Book 2)
Crossed Off (Book 3)
Short Stories
My Only One (Free eBook) | Bossy Request (Free eBook) | Dance With Me
Teacher’s Pet | Over The Limit | My Neighbor’s Will
Reality in Each Fantasy (Erotic Shorts 1-3) Collection
Reality in Each Fantasy (Erotic Shorts 4-6) Collection
Mistresses Collection: Meet Claire, Casey, Lexie, Paige and Amber
in 5 connected shorts in the “My Reason To Cheat” Series.
When Things Go Wrong (short prequel to Cheaters Anonymous
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Don’t forget your FREE download of Dazzled by Silver.
Connect with Lacey Online:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laceysilks
My Blog: http://laceysilks.com
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Acknowledgments
Switching things up a bit :) I guess if I ever get to do an Oscar speech, I’ll already know what to say, right? Hey, it’s always good to aim high (or to just be a bit delusional).
I want to say a few words about the fellow authors in my AA group and LOL Ladies (you know who you are). No, the AA has nothing to do with alcoholism ;) I’ve never met a better bunch of people from all over the world, who without judgement on where you are in your career, share their knowledge, provide support, and encourage, making this publishing journey an exciting adventure. I will be forever grateful to you all. I look forward each day to chatting with you and learning from you. You inspire me to keep my butt in the chair. And to all the Bimbos out there (you also know who you are) – I’m always beyond excited and honored to work with you all.
To my readers: I love your emails and adore your excitement. There’s nothing better than knowing you’ve enjoyed my work and that it has changed your life. Keep them coming and I’ll try to answer them all.
To anyone who took a chance on my books – thank you!
To my family, I could not do what I love without you. Mom, your go getter attitude has rubbed off on me. Dad, your humour is infectious. Mike, “all you need is love” (thank you for doing all the chores when I can’t). Maya and Alex, you are who I live for. You are my life.
I am grateful to my editors, beta readers and friends for their invaluable input, critique, support and love. A big thank you to Robin Ludwig Design Inc. for the beautiful book cover and for putting up with me.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Epilogue
About the Author
More Work by Lacey Silks
Connect with Lacey online
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