Page 46 of Grace's Redemption

“Mase, you don’t have to do this.” She begged.

“Yeah, I do.”

“You love me.”

My heart ceased.

“Shut up Gracie.”

She came up to me, grabbed at my jacket.

“You do. I know you do.” She wrapped her hands around me and kissed my neck. “Please, let’s just go and we’ll start over someplace. You and me. You said yourself, nothing bad could happen at the tree.”

“Yeah well, you know what.” I pushed her away.

She looked into my eyes.

”Things change.”

Bang.

* * *

The sound surprised us both.

Grace’s eyes grew wide.

She looked down and then fell.

It took two steps for me to get to her. I wrapped my arm around her pulled her to me.

I knelt with her in my arms to the ground.

She gripped my shirt. Her nails dug into my stomach.

I laid her on the ground, cradled her head as it hit the dirt.

I took her hand and pressed it against the wound. The blood poured out.

I leaned over her.

“You can’t stay here or he will kill you,” I whispered. “I’m giving you a chance Gracie. The chance I threw away.”

She mumbled something. It knew it had to hurt. The blood gushed out of her faster than I thought, but it wasn’t a fatal shot.

“You wait until you hear nothing but silence and then you walk home, grab your bike and get the fuck out of town. Don’t look back Gracie. There’s nothing here for you anymore.” The words came out strong and commanding, but inside I felt like an asshole, a coward, a failure. “Nod if you understand.”

She looked at me. Disbelief in her eyes. She reluctantly nodded.

“Don’t ever come back.” I said as I turned her head to the side and covered her ear.

I screamed and shot three more times into the ground near her head. I hoped the ground would muffle the sound. Her legs jerked at the first two shots, then she stilled.

Tears ran down my face.

I screamed again as I pushed her away from me and scrambled to get back on my feet. Seeing her bleeding, covered in dirt, confused and scared. I wanted to take it back. Take it all back.

Someday she’d understand, I sent her way because I loved her.