Page 37 of Fatally Yours

The barrel of the gun was aimed directly at Randy’s heart as August stood strong and fearless.

My hands trembled against my chest, unsure how this all would go down.

We were here to kill Randy and Randy only, not whoever was visiting tonight.

Of course, after everything went so smoothly, the universe was going to fuck everything up.

Just like when August died. It was sickeningly ironic.

“If you don’t want me to shoot them, I suggest you comply,” he said. Randy’s hands were held up beside his head—a pose he was surely experienced with holding. His face flashed a slight concern, and I saw the tendons in his jaw clench beneath the scruff dotting his chin.

“Fine,” he snarled.

“Sit down.” August motioned with the gun to the couch, and Randy placed himself on it.

Then he looked at me, and I felt my chest tighten.

“Find something to tie him up with.” I nodded and took a step toward the kitchen before he added, “Don’t go in the foyer.

” Before I made my way to the other room, I eyed Randy.

His face was contorted with a gentle frustration as if he still thought he would get out of this.

If only he knew we had spent the entirety of our afterlife waiting for this moment.

A spark of anger flared in my chest again as I headed into the kitchen, ripping the phone from the cradle and yanking the cord from the wall.

I figured it was better if there was no way to call for help.

The thought of a true criminal. Only, this wasn’t malicious and against an innocent person.

This was revenge—fair and just after the wickedness bestowed upon us.

His reckless disregard for life would cost him his own.

I took the phone cord back to the living room, all while light footsteps wandered around the far room, making me experience the illusion of sweat along my skin.

Still, August stood composed as he took the knife and sliced the cord in half, binding Randy’s limbs while he grumbled curses under his breath.

Every noise from the other end of the house made me think my hair was standing on end.

Once he was finished tying him up, he gave me a look and headed to the front.

Slipping my lip between my teeth, I trailed behind him.

When he walked into the foyer, I peeked around the room.

My nails were practically shattering against the wall as my grasp tightened on it, trying to stop the anxiety filling my stomach.

A thin, red-haired woman no older than us was bending over and placing a pile of bags on the ground.

When her eye caught August, she raised her hands and turned to him.

Her expression was blank, and tears never formed in her eyes despite the muzzle of a gun inches from her face.

She was doing better than I would’ve in such a horrid situation.

The thought made me frown. She must’ve gone through a lot in life to be so stoic.

“I don’t have any money,” she said flatly.

“I’m not interested in money,” August said.

Her eyes widened briefly until they flicked to me and returned to normal.

He jerked his head to the side. “Come join your friend.” Without another word, the woman kept her hands up and followed us back to the living room.

She and Randy shared a puzzled glance, but she mostly kept her eyes on the ground.

August motioned to the couch, and she placed herself beside him without resistance.

“The fuck did you do this time?” she muttered under her breath.

“You don’t want to get involved.”

“God dammit…” Her lips thinned. August’s eyes were steely and determined as he kept the gun aimed at the two. I had a feeling the woman was smarter than trying to escape. The buzz of anxiety was coursing through my veins as I stood beside him, waiting for his next command.

“Expecting anyone else?” he questioned, cocking a brow.

“No,” Randy grumbled. “This is it.” August’s wicked gaze fell on the woman. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but her expression was as if this were nothing more than a typical evening. I was sure being around Randy Clark would do that to you.

“What’s your name?”

“Desi,” she said. Even after witnessing her acquaintance bound and having a gun pointed at her, she was absent of tears.

She wasn’t pleading for her life like Kelsey did.

No, there was an acceptance. I hoped this would be a wake-up call if she made it out of this.

Only if we decided to allow her that freedom.

“How close are you with Mr. Clark here?” he asked.

“I don’t mean anything to him,” she said quickly. Somehow, I had a feeling that was true. He didn’t strike me as the type of person to care about people, especially after what he did to us and so many others.

“Desi…” Randy’s shoulders drooped as he tried to catch her gaze, but she avoided him.

“That’s the truth,” she said. “He pays me. I’m an accessory, an escort. I babysit.” August and I shared a brief, confused look.

Babysit?

It must’ve been some new euphemism that the two of us were unfamiliar with.

Sure, August had his fair share of minor arrests, but he wasn’t even close to being comfortable with the terms and inner workings of the criminal underbelly.

Clearly, Desi thought we were. She probably thought this was revenge for a deal gone wrong, not that Clark was a murdering bastard.

“You must know he’s done some shady shit in his life, don’t you?” August asked. Desi nodded slightly.

“How much do you know?”

“Drugs and prostitutes, mostly.”

“Do you know he killed someone?” For the first time since pointing the gun at her, she showed emotion. Her blank expression slipped into one of horror as she turned to Randy, now avoiding eye contact with him. A bead of sweat broke from her head and rolled down her face, falling onto her lap.

“Is that true?” Her voice was breathy.

“No, darlin’. He’s a lunatic.” Randy’s attempt to assure her was poor at best and pitiful at worst. August’s face darkened with rage.

Without a word, he yanked on the collar of his shirt, exposing the impressions of the tire treads embedded permanently into his undead flesh and the bullet wound that was now just a puckered scar on his shoulder.

“He ran me over with his van,” he snarled. “And I fucking died .” Desi’s face drained of color, making her appear as lifeless as we were. Her knuckles screamed with white as she gripped the hem of her shirt, trying to hide the tremble in her hands.

“See this?” He pointed to the bullet hole. “He shot me.” August released his shirt and returned to pointing the gun at the duo, making Desi jump.

“This fucker took me away from everyone I loved,” he said.

“He made my friends suffer, my fiancée suffer. For no fucking reason other than a disregard for human life.” His jaw was pressed together, accentuating his anger.

We waited our entire lives for this moment, and now it was happening.

Revenge, a dish best served cold. I knew he was fired up, and I feared he could disregard his previous words and kill Desi, too.

The feeling settled in my stomach and I wove my hands together, hoping not to worry myself into the grave.

He can handle this.

He’s not a monster .

Just vengeful.

“But none of that matters now,” he said.

“I’m back, and you have a critical choice to make, Desi.

” She nodded quickly. Only then did I notice tears resting in the corners of her eyes.

It would be a cruel irony if we were to snuff her life out, too.

That would make us no better than Randy Clark.

“You can die with him, or you can keep your fucking mouth shut. Live your life like this never happened. I don’t like the idea of killing people who don’t deserve it, but I can learn to exist with it if you fuck up. ”

“I can keep quiet.” She didn’t even hesitate. August’s mismatched leer flicked to me for a moment, and I felt the false breath I was holding the entire time release. Then he turned back to her.

“Can you?” he questioned. She nodded. “Give me your ID.” Desi fumbled around in her pocket as her trembling hands made it hard to function. I hoped August wouldn’t run out of patience and do something rash.

His eyes were burning into her as she slipped her hand into her jeans and pulled out a bundle of bills. Wrapped in the middle was her ID, and she handed it to August while a few dollars fell to the ground. Still bent on survival and cooperation, she refused to pick them up.

He slipped the card into his pocket, seemingly satisfied with her cooperation. Relief crawled through my body as I assumed we would let her go and get down to business. Then, hopefully, the rest of the night would go smoothly and we could get this over with and move on.

My hopes were raised and dashed as August took a step forward.

My brow furrowed as I felt my throat tighten, sucking the words I wanted to speak out of existence.

Was he lying about letting her go? Things only got worse when he forced the weapon into her quivering grasp.

Suddenly, I could talk again, only because I was so dumbfounded.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I cried. His gaze refused to meet mine, only solidifying that he knew he would make me panic.

“Shoot him, Desi. Right in the leg, so he can’t run away,” he said coldly. My eyes widened. We made a mistake before when freeing Kelsey. This was how he would get her to keep quiet by implicating her in the crime, knowing her location, and making her participate .

“I-I can’t shoot someone—”

“You’re not going to kill him, but if you’re so desperate, maybe you can join him,” he snarled, raising his hand and using his powers to wrench the gun from her delicate hands.

The weapon clattered to the ground as August raised another hand, closing it into a fist. Desi’s hands went to her throat as her lips parted in a desperate attempt to take in air, choked by his power.

“No…” she croaked.

“Fucking stop!” Randy spoke through gritted teeth, but August ignored him.

He was too focused and hellbent on inflicting his rage upon this innocent woman.

I thought I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I stepped forward, not wanting to witness the slaughter.

We were not like that. This was revenge, not a massacre.

I grabbed him by the arm, trying to get him to stop this madness.

This wasn’t us. This wasn’t him. Not even in death was this him.

“August, stop it!” I cried. His sinister gaze burned into me as he pushed my hands away from him, and I stumbled back. I couldn’t stop myself from shaking as I watched her twitch on the couch, sucking in air that would never enter her lungs and give her the gift of life.

“Tell Desi to listen, baby.” Although his phrase was accented with an affectionate nickname, his voice was laced with rage, squeezing through his pressed-together teeth.

“Okay, okay,” I said. Finally, he lowered his hand, and I let out a sigh of relief. Desi coughed and sputtered, letting out small sobs as she sucked in precious oxygen. Not wanting to allow him to think we were defying him, I snatched the gun from the ground and placed myself beside her.

It was strange to have such a powerful weapon in my hands.

I recalled being taught how to shoot a gun by my dad, but I never felt comfortable with it.

Having a weapon in my hands felt like I was holding something slimy and disgusting, like a mass of spiders or toxic waste.

It was unnatural and unsuited for someone like me.

“You need to shoot him,” I said quietly, placing it in her grasp and praying that she would just listen and get this over with.

She regained her composure and took it in her trembling hands with a gulp.

“He took everything from me,” I added, hoping to make it easier for her.

It wasn’t like she was killing him, but I understood her reservations. “He hurts kids, too.”

“Oh Christ, don’t tell me that,” she said, her concerned eyes connecting with mine as she got to her feet and aimed the gun at him. Her hands shook as she took in a breath, trying to steady her aim.

“Desi…” Randy spoke in an almost scolding tone.

I wondered if he ever thought he would end up in this situation or if he thought he would be unstoppable for the rest of his life, living out his days guilt-free.

The thought made my blood boil, and my anxiety slip away.

August smiled and strolled up to her, touching her shoulder.

He leaned in, putting his lips beside her ear in a way that almost made me jealous.

“Shoot him, now. ” He grabbed her and helped her grip the gun, and her eyes pinched shut, forcing a tear down her pallid cheek. August pushed her arms down, aiming at his leg. I thought my heart was thundering as I watched her finger slip to the trigger.

Everything was in slow motion as I saw her squeeze it, and a shot ripped through the air, making my ears ring. A shrill cry echoed through the home, but much to my shock, it wasn’t from Randy.