by Geri Glenn
I scramble toward it on my hands and knees, unable to gain much traction on the water soaked floor. Behind me, fists crash into skin, and the men continue to scream and grunt as they try to take each other out.
When my hand wraps around the cold metal grip of the gun, I slide it out and force myself to my feet. “Enough,” I scream, swinging the gun toward Reese and holding it with both hands to stop the trembling.
The two men turn. Reese’s eyes go wide as he sees me standing over him with his own gun pointed at his head. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never shot a gun in my life. I don’t know how to use it at all, and my hands are shaking uncontrollably. If I shoot now, the chances of hitting Shawn are just as likely as me hitting Reese.
“You’re not going to use that, baby,” Reese drawls, slowly coming to his feet. His face and neck are already turning red from where the water had scalded him. He takes a step toward me, his hand outstretched. “Give me the gun, Alex.”
Thrusting the gun forward, I take a step back. “Stop,” I say, my voice cracking as I choke back my panic.
Reese takes another step toward me, and then another. My finger pulls the trigger as if on its own. Just before he reaches me, I shoot. Reese is standing in front of me one moment, and on the floor, unmoving, the next.
Blood pools on the floor around him, mixing with the steaming water, turning it an angry pink color that is sure to stain my floor forever. Reese’s eyes are filled with pain and shock as he stares up at me, his mouth open, his hand clutching the wound in his chest.
I don’t realize I’m screaming until Shawn wraps his hand around mine, taking the gun from my grasp and pulling me to him. He whispers to me, but I can’t hear him. My ears are ringing, and the world is spinning. I can’t breathe.
I feel myself falling as my vision fades to black.
***
Shawn is sitting by my side when I come to, both hands gripping one of mine. His face is turned away from me as he stares out the window. For a moment, I’m not sure where I am, but one look at the puffed red skin on the side of Shawn’s face, everything comes back to me.
The cry that escapes my lips sounds raw and strangled. Shawn’s head whips to mine, and his hands squeeze tightly around my fingers. “Hey,” he whispers. “It’s okay, Alex. We’re okay.”
My shoulders heave as I take deep breaths, his calming voice doing little to help me get my emotions under control. The hospital room I’m in is tiny, the walls made up of curtains. I’m wearing my clothes still, and there are no machines hooked up to me, but I’m lying in the bed, the blankets pulled up to my chest.
Shawn continues to talk softly to me, his hands never letting go of mine as his voice breaks through, beating back the panic that threatens to overwhelm me. “You were so fucking brave, honey,” he says. “So brave.”
“Reese?” I ask, my question coming out as a croak from my raw throat.
Shawn’s face is sad. He’s dead. I had killed him. More sobs burst through my aching throat. I killed a man.
“Alex, you saved us. That man…” He shakes his head. “What he wanted to do to us was vile. He would have killed us both if we didn’t do what he wanted. You saved us both.”
“I was so scared,” I sob, curling up into a ball on the bed.
“I know, honey. I know you were.” Shawn leans over and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a hug that warms my entire body. We sit that way for several minutes, me sobbing and him rocking me gently from side to side, telling me how very brave I am.
Forcing down the overwhelming emotion, I’m finally able to catch a breath and ask the one question I hadn’t thought to ask yet. “Why am I here?”
“You bumped your head pretty good when you fainted,” he informs me. “They said you were likely in shock, but wanted to keep an eye on you.”
I wipe away the last of my tears and turn to look into Shawn’s eyes. “I want to go home.”
***
Two weeks later, I take one last look around my house and slip outside, locking the door behind me. I walk past the For Sale sign, hoping that the people coming to look at the house today love it, and hopefully buy it, freeing me from the memories it holds and the nightmares it gives me.
When I first got out of the hospital, I hadn’t been able to come back inside without Shawn. That man had been my rock. He’s been by my side through it all, even helping me get the house ready to sell and letting me stay at his place until it does.
After what had happened, I’d had no issues getting out of my contract with Lush Studios, and I’d already put an offer in on a house on the other side of town. Shawn and I have been taking it slow, but we’ve spent every night together in his bed. I couldn’t bear to be alone. Not at night.
Everything in my life is changing, and even though my heart still hurts every time I think about Reese and everything that has happened, I’m looking forward to the future—a new future. I don’t know what that will look like, or if Shawn will be a part of it, but right now, things are getting better, day by day.
I started writing again. It’s a completely new story, filled with love, betrayal, and the greed of one man. It’s the story that had twisted my life and made me re-evaluate everything I ever thought I knew about myself. Even if I never get it published, the writing itself is therapeutic, and so much of my anger and sorrow practically pour out onto the pages, writing itself.
I learned one thing from Reese’s greed, and it’s that love is blind, and greed can never be quenched. The man once had everything he could ever want in his life, but still, he wanted anything he was told he couldn’t have. His selfishness is why he’s gone now.
The best part about all of it is that I have come out of this a stronger woman. He may have raped me, scared the holy hell out of me, and exploited me, but I never let him break me. I know now that I can survive anything life throws at me.
READ THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES
PRIDE: Scott Hildreth
GREED: Geri Glenn
SLOTH: Max Henry
WRATH: Gwyn McNamee
ENVY: Kerri Ann
LUST: FG Adams
GLUTTONY: M.C. Webb
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To My Family – Because I love you and you put up with me always having my nose stuck in my computer.
To Christina DeRoche – Because you are one of my favorite people.
To Nicole Lloyd– Not a word of this story would have been written if you didn’t boost my ego every once in a while.
To Dana Hook – I know you curse me out sometimes, in a safe place where I can’t hear you, but you are amazing and I could never put out a book without you. I love you and your amazing brain and thank you for making my words shine.
To Jessica Hildreth – For the gorgeous cover and all the time you put into this project. You and Scott have had so much happen this past year and you still showed up and rocked the branding of this series.
To Kerri Ann – This idea was amazing and you have worked your ass off to get this series off the ground. Thank you for including me and for being an awesome friend.
To My Queens – You ladies are so much fun! You keep me sane, share my posts and make me laugh. Best reader group ever!
To The Bloggers – Everyone of you that took the time out of your busy schedule to post, review and/or talk about my books, thank you. A million times thank you! An indie author needs you amazing people to find readers, and I’ve been blessed to have so many of you support me.
And lastly, To The Readers – For every one of you that took a chance on me and bought my book, thank you! For those that left a review, double thank you! It’s readers like you that give me the courage to keep writing, and improving my skill, hoping to bring you the best story I can. I thank all of you for making it possible to live my dream of writing full time. For any of you that have spread the word and shared my posts or told someone about my books, you keep me going! I love each and every one of you for whatever support you’ve given me! Thank yo
u, thank you, thank you!
ALSO BY GERI
KINGS OF KORRUPTION MC
Ryker
Tease
Jase
Reaper
Daniel
STANDALONE
All That Glitters
Dirty Deeds: Satan’s Wrath MC
Reinventing Holly
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Geri Glenn is the international best-selling author of the Kings of Korruption MC Series.
Geri and her family just recently bought their dream home in her hometown of Brockville, Ontario, Canada. She is a military wife, the mother of two gorgeous, but slightly crazy little girls, and is a full-time writer of the ultimate alpha male.
Stalk her!
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