Filthy (The Reckless Series #2) - HJ Bellus Page 0,63

the pain doesn’t hinder me, only adds to the fire. Darby’s screams fill the air, but I don’t stop until I have both of my hands wrapped around his throat and squeeze the fucking life out of him.

He will never hurt my girl again.

“Rhett.” Her voice distracts me for a moment and when I look back to her, I feel the cold gun metal pressed to my temple and see her shaky hands pointing a gun at her father.

One of his muscle men have me on the ground with the barrel to my head, and I laugh like an evil maniac. They can blow my brains out as soon as I know Darby will be safe forever.

“Shoot him, Darby.” I smile at her. “Pull the trigger.”

“No.” Her whole body trembles. “They’ll shoot you.”

“It’s worth it. Kill the fucker. Close your eyes and squeeze.”

“Put down the guns.” A voice from behind us comes. “Guns down and hands up now.”

The voice is demanding and I turn ever so slightly and see the badges and squad of officers behind us.

I turn back to Darby and nod to her, never breaking eye contact. She shakes her head side to side.

“Shoot them both now!” her father hollers scooting out of the tangled web.

I see the flash of the gun near my temple and then hear another shot fired towards Darby. The gun in her wobbly hands fires and her father falls back to the ground.

“Rhett.” She drops the gun and races over to me, ignoring the officer’s warnings. More gun fire goes off and she falls on my chest.

“He shot you.” She presses her hand somewhere on my body. I’m not able to tell where, I just feel her.

“I’m so proud of you, baby.” I fight to raise my hand, but it doesn’t cooperate. Tears well up in my eyes because I just want to hold her face one last time.

“No. No. No No.” She frantically screams over and over.

“It’s okay, baby, he won’t hurt you again. And remember, I love you forever.”

The taste of mercury bubbles up in the back of my throat. Darby holds me tighter to her through all the confusion.

“Go, baby, you have my love forever.”

“No.” She wails out.

Everything goes black. My time with Darby reels back through my mind from the first time we had sex, to her loud laughter, through all of our fights, and the love we found in each other. Her smiling face clutched in my hands as I tell her I love her fades away slowly. No matter how hard I scramble to hold the image it drifts away.

25

Darby

I run my fingers along his name printed on the large headstone. A steady trail of tears run down my face and a soft chuckle escapes. Of course, the asshole would have the biggest headstone in the cemetery. I lie on my side and drape my arm over the cold grass, willing his body to be underneath me.

It’s been months since Rhett was buried, and the sting of waking up without him hurts worse each morning I wake up. I can’t live without him and I’m still in shock he’s actually gone. Ava and Zane help me through the days, but I’m not living.

“Why did you leave me, Rhett, why? Come back to me.” The silent tears turn into sobs. The heavens open up and rain down on me, soaking my dress. Life isn’t fair. It just isn’t fair. I cover my swollen belly and sit up. The anger hits me hard.

“You can’t be gone. I can’t do this. We are having a baby, Rhett.” I scream and punch the ground.

I’m not supposed to raise my blood pressure, but fuck that, it raises every second of my day without Rhett. I held his dying body and tried covering the bullet holes, but there was too much blood. His blood was all over me. His last words still haunt me. He knew he was dying and he let me go.

“You fucker,” I scream and throw a clot of grass at his headstone. “I can’t let you go. I hate you, Rhett, I hate you for leaving me.”

I hate you God. I really fucking hate you. I hate everything and everyone. I want to die and float up to the heavens with Rhett. I feel pressure pushing down on my shoulder and I know it’s Rhett. He’s trying to reassure me to go on, but he doesn’t understand.

I place my hand on top of my shoulder knowing his spirit is