Page 50 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable (The Beautiful Scars Duet #2)

Chapter Forty-Four

Zane

I move fast, but Sunny's already standing over Garrett as he sprawls on the floor. Blood pools from the slash across his arm, his face twisted in shock as he stares up at her.

"I will never belong…" Sunny's voice rings clear and strong through the basement. "To you."

Pride surges through me as I watch her—chin high, shoulders straight, the knife still steady in her hand. She's magnificent in her defiance, every inch the warrior I knew she always was.

Ty surges forward, zip ties ready. Garrett struggles, but between the knife wound and all of us, he doesn't stand a chance. Within minutes, he's secured—arms and legs bound tight enough to bite into flesh.

"Clear the house," I order, nodding at Ty and speaking into the comm. "Full sweep."

The team moves efficiently, years of training evident in their coordinated exit. Soon it's just the four of us—Sunny, standing tall beside me, Levi vibrating with barely contained rage beside me, and Garrett bound at our feet.

"Ungrateful bitch," Garrett spits, straining against the zip ties. "After everything I've done for you—"

"Everything you've done to me," Sunny corrects, her voice ice-cold. "There's a difference."

Garrett's laugh is bitter. "You think this changes anything? You think playing queen bitch with your two guard dogs makes you strong?"

I watch Sunny carefully, ready to intervene if needed. But there's no trace of any of that old fear in her eyes now. Just steady determination.

"You're nothing without me." Garrett's voice turns sickeningly gentle. "I made you what you are. Every scar, every nightmare, every flinch when someone touches you—that's me. My mark. Proof I own you. I will always be a part of you, Princess."

Levi moves forward, fists clenched, but Sunny holds up her hand. "Let him talk. I want to hear what he has to say."

"You can pretend all you want, Princess. Play house with my little brother and his best buddy." Garrett's smile is all teeth. "But we both know the truth."

He leans forward against his restraints. "Every time they touch you, it's me you think about. Every time they try to love you, you remember why you don't deserve it. I broke you, Princess."

"The only thing broken," Sunny says quietly, "is your hold over me."

But Garrett just laughs again, the sound bouncing off concrete walls. "You're lying to yourself. I'm in your blood, Princess. You can't breathe without feeling me. I'll be there every fucking time you close your eyes."

I move closer to Sunny, close enough to feel the slight tremor running through her body. But her voice remains steady as she looks down at him.

"You're wrong," she says, her voice hard.

"Really?" He chuckles as his voice drops low. "Look at yourself, Princess. You're always going to be looking over your shoulder, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. You will always turn the corner and expect me to be there."

The basement feels too small suddenly, the air thick with pain and manipulation. Garrett strains against his bonds again, blood dripping steadily from the knife wound.

"No matter what happens here," he continues, eyes locked on Sunny. "No matter how many years pass or how far you run, it'll never be long enough or far enough. I've ruined you for anyone else."

That's enough. I step forward, grabbing the cloth Ty left behind. "Time to shut up."

Sunny doesn't object this time.

Garrett fights the gag, but between Levi and I, we get it secured tight. His eyes still burn with that obsessive rage as he stares at Sunny, trying to wound her with his gaze since he can't use his words anymore.

I turn to Sunny, ready to guide her upstairs, away from this nightmare. But she stands her ground, studying Garrett with an expression I've never seen before—part pity, part pain, and something else.

"You're wrong," she says softly. "You didn't ruin me. You tried to break me, to own me, to make me nothing but an extension of your sick obsession. But all you did was show me how strong I really am."

I want to end Garrett more than I’ve ever wanted anything.

But this isn't our moment.

Sunny stands in the center of the room, still holding the bloody knife. Her shoulders are straight, chin high. The red emergency lights cast harsh shadows across her face, highlighting the determination in her eyes.

"Angel," I say softly, using the name she chose for herself, not the twisted version Garrett corrupted. "This is your call."

Levi moves closer, his hand gentle as he touches her shoulder. "Whatever you want to do with him, we're here. It’s your choice."

"He's all yours," I add, watching her process our words. "It's your decision."

Garrett thrashes against his restraints, but the zip ties hold firm. Blood continues seeping from the knife wound Sunny inflicted—a beautiful reminder that she's not helpless anymore.

Sunny's eyes meet mine as the knife clatters to the floor, then Levi's. "Show me how."

Levi draws his gun slowly, letting Garrett watch every movement. The air crackles with tension as Levi shows her how to take off the safety and adjust her hands on the grip.

"Like this," he murmurs, placing the weapon in Sunny's hands. She takes a deep breath to steady herself placing her hands exactly like he showed her.

I position myself slightly behind her left shoulder while Levi mirrors me on her right. Close enough she knows we’re here for her, far enough to give her the space she needs to do this.

Sunny steps forward, arms stretched in front of her. She presses the barrel of the gun against the center of Garrett's chest. His eyes go wide—his shell of arrogance finally cracking. Because this isn't the girl he thought he owned. This is a woman who's ready for things to end.

The room is silent except for Garrett's muffled breathing. Sunny's hands remain steady, aimed with precision as seconds stretch into minutes. I watch her face as she weighs out the moment.

So many years of terror. So many years of looking over her shoulder. So many years of nightmares and living behind carefully constructed walls. All of it has led to this.

"I love you," I say quietly, finally. I mean it more than I've ever meant anything. "I'm here for you. No matter what."

"No matter what." Levi echoes.

Sunny's finger rests against the trigger as she stares into Garrett's eyes. No trembling. No fear. The girl who once cowered from his voice now holds his life in hands that have finally stopped shaking.

She leans forward until her hair brushes his shoulder, gun pressed hard into his chest. Her whisper cuts through the silence.

" I'm not going to give you this. You don't get to take up any more space in my head.

You don't get any more of my fucking pieces.

" Her voice strengthens. "You're the monster. Not me."

She steps back, the movement fluid and controlled. She transfers the gun back smoothly into Levi's waiting hand.

When she turns to me, her eyes hold none of the darkness I feared this moment would bring for her. She rises up on her tiptoes, pressing a gentle kiss to my cheek. The gesture is out of place, but perfect.

Ty's oversized jacket swallows her small frame as she pulls it tighter around herself.

"End this," she says, voice steady and clear. "Both of you. Together.”

She gestures towards a room sitting just off the kitchen. Through the doorway, the red emergency light illuminates a cold metal table in the center of the room. It’s surrounded by racks of gleaming, polished stainless steel tools.

She shivers before she speaks again.

“Take as long as you need and do whatever it is you need to do to find peace. But it ends here." Her eyes meet mine, and then move to Levi's, carrying the full weight of her next words. "I don't want any of this—any part of him—to leave here with us."

Garrett thrashes against his restraints, muffled sounds of rage leaking past the gag. But his power is gone. The basement that was meant to be Sunny's prison will become his grave, and there's a simple, beautiful poetry I can appreciate in that.

I watch my sweet girl climb the basement stairs, shoulders straight and head high even through the pain written on her face. She doesn't look back. She doesn't need to. She knows we'll do what needs to be done.

Once she disappears through the door and I confirm through the comm that she's safe with Wolf and the medical team, I have one more order to give before we start.

"Wolf, send one medic down here. Need this asshole patched up before we get started." I keep my voice low, clinical. "Can't have him bleeding out, can we?"

The response crackles back immediately. "Copy that. Two minutes."

I turn toward Levi, whose hand tightens on the gun before he slides it back in its holster. We wait in comfortable silence, watching Garrett's face drain of color as he realizes the gravity of what he just heard.

The medic arrives quickly. He's efficient, professional, and works fast to stop the bleeding and suture the wound.

"That should hold, Shouldn't have to worry about any more bleeding," the medic reports, packing up supplies. He pauses and adds, "From his arm anyway."

"Perfect." I nod toward the stairs. "The rest of the team can leave when ready. You stay back with a full kit. Wait upstairs until we need you again."

Once those words are out of my mouth, I see the real terror finally settle into Garrett's eyes.

Because now he understands how fully we intend to make him pay. And that it's going to take a while to make sure we don't miss anything.

And while Sunny may have chosen to keep her humanity intact, Levi and I made no such decision. We've been waiting too long for this.

I step forward, cracking my knuckles as I study the man who dared to hurt what's mine. What's ours .

All the nightmares. All the tears and carefully reconstructed trust. All the pain of watching her fight her way back to herself. Every single one of those things is going to cost him. Dearly.

Levi and I pull Garrett to his feet. His pleas becoming desperate under the gag as we start dragging him towards the kitchen and the open door.

“You know, brother , when you showed Jade this room, you told her that in time Sunny would learn to love it.” Levi’s voice is cold and emotionless as the words leave his mouth.

“Z? How long do you think it would take to teach someone something like that?”

It’s not until we reach the threshold of the door that his survival instincts kick in. Garrett thrashes against us wildly, his pleas becoming muffled screams of escalating horror.

I grab a fistful of hair and crank his head back. I stare down into his wild, terrified eyes.

"I don’t know, Levi," I say quietly, as all pretense of civilization begins to crack and fall away. "But, we’re all about to find out. Aren’t we?"