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Chapter Thirty-Two

MERRICK

I watch as Colette is pawed at by this motherfucker. I want to kill him right fucking now, but I don’t. Instead, I wait. Because I’m not a fucking idiot. I’m a hothead, but I’m not a fucking idiot. Ravet didn’t teach me much about life, but what he did educate me on was the ability to sit back and wait because the reward would be worth the pain and suffering.

The politician lifts his hand, cupping Colette’s cheek. He thinks he has a right to her because he paid Ravet some money. He has nothing. As much as I want to lift my gaze and look up to Grayson, who I know is perched on their roof, I don’t.

The last thing I want to do is draw attention to the fact that he is on the roof and ready to shoot—at least, I hope he is prepared to shoot.

The politician wraps his fingers around Colette’s jaw, digging into the flesh of her cheeks. Everything inside of me begs for me to rescue her. Seeing another man touch her, roughly touching her, has my entire body on edge.

Balling my hands into fists at my side, I watch as this motherfucker reaches for Colette’s hair. He pulls it back, causing her neck to arch backward with a snap. Marcello clears his throat, which makes everyone’s gaze flick to him—everyone’s except Colette’s, who is being forced to look at that piece of shit.

“That was not the agreement,” Marcello grinds out.

Ravet chuckles. “I don’t really give a shit what the agreement is. Mine is more important, so that is what we’re doing.”

I want to kill him—right fucking now.

But I don’t.

Instead, I wait.

When the politician forces Colette to her knees, my chest puffs up. I can’t help it. She’s my woman, and just having this man’s hands on her, let alone pushing her to the ground, is enough to send me over the edge.

I try with all that I am to keep my shit under control but completely and utterly fail. The minute that piece of shit unzips his jeans, I am fucking done. Reaching into my pocket, I find my gun, but before I can pull it out, the politician drops to the ground.

Then Ravet cries out next. The driver of the SUV opens the door, but it’s my turn to shoot. I take that fucker out with a bullet to the head. Grayson takes out the next person who tries to exit the SUV. Both the politician and Ravet are squirming on the ground, whimpering like fucking babies.

Walking forward, I reach out for Colette, who has also fallen to the ground. I scoop her up in my arms and carry her as quickly as possible back to the car. She doesn’t say anything to me. She doesn’t even speak when I set her down in the back seat.

Straightening, I take a step backward, tipping my chin slightly as I look down into her eyes. “You’re good?” I ask.

“I’m good,” she exhales.

Without another word, I slam the door closed and take a step backward. I click the key fob again, locking it. I’m not sure what the fuck is going on here, but we’ve already killed two fuckers and injured two more. I’m not taking any more goddamn chances.

Not a single fucking one.

Walking back to the scene, I jerk my chin toward Grayson, who is standing over the politician and Ravet. Both of which are grunting and wriggling around on the ground in pain. Fucking pussies.

“Load them up in the SUV. You can follow me in the car,” Marcello announces.

I almost laugh but decide against it. “I’ll go with you, but first, we need to figure out what to do with those dead bodies over there,” I say, lifting my arm and extending a finger toward the SUV, where two bodies are lying in the gravel.

Grayson snorts. “Those bodies need to be burned.”

I stick my lower lip out, and my head tilts to the side as I survey the area in front of me. Grayson continues speaking. “I’ll handle them and get Colette back to the safe house while you handle this.”

I’m not sure what to say. I want to stay with Colette, but I don’t want her to be around Ravet or that other prick for a second longer. I need to see with my own eyes that this fuck takes his last breath.

“Thanks,” I exhale.

COLETTE

I watch from the back of the car as Merrick walks toward the men who are writhing on the ground in pain. Malcolm and the stranger. Evil monsters, both of them. I don’t care what happens to either of them, and the fact that they’re currently in pain sends a sense of relief through me.

My mind wanders back to just a few moments ago. My heart starts racing as I go over the events again. As I think about what actually happened and what could have happened. That man had me on my knees while Merrick watched.

I’m positive that it wouldn’t have gone any further than me on my knees, but just the thought makes my whole body tremble. It’s not the fact that I was on my knees because Merrick was there, and I knew he would protect me at all costs. But I knew what the stranger wanted to do to me, that’s what’s the scariest.

Kicking my shoes off, I bring my knees up to my chest, placing my feet on the cushion of the seat as I wrap my arms around my shins. I stare straight ahead, knowing that I can’t help, but I also wouldn’t want to.

I watch as Marcello, Merrick, and Grayson move around the dark, abandoned area. I suck in a breath when Merrick and Marcello shout at the stranger and Malcolm to stand up and walk to the SUV. They’re both still rolling around on the ground, and I wonder if they’ve ever actually been hurt before.

I’ve seen my father’s men suffer at his hand before. Not often, but I have seen it. And I’ve never seen any of them behave this dramatically. Slowly, they make it to their feet, but they are struggling. I watch as they attempt to walk, but it’s more like a hobble. I almost laugh at the sight of them.

They are complete pieces of shit, assholes who need to be not only taken down but taken out. This is a just dessert that I need to witness. Honestly, I would love to see them both killed. I didn’t realize I would be someone who would ever want to watch someone die, but I want to see them both take their last breaths.

It’s in this moment that I realize I’m much more like my father than I ever imagined. I thought I was nothing like him in any way whatsoever, but I am. I want to watch those men suffer, and I want to see the life drain from their eyes.

Merrick jumps into the front seat of the SUV a few moments later, with Marcello taking the back with the two assholes, and then they’re gone. Lifting my hand to my mouth, I bite on the corner of my thumbnail while sitting in the car and watching as Merrick drives away, leaving me alone with just Grayson.

I sit in the car, waiting for Grayson to come back and take me out of here. But then, after a few moments of sitting in silence, I see what appears to be a bonfire in the distance.

Opening the car door, I throw my legs over the side of the vehicle, place my feet on the gravel, and stand. I straighten, and my nose wrinkles at the scent that wafts toward me. I don’t know what it is, but it is not good at all. In fact, it makes me nauseous instantly.

The closer I move toward the bonfire, the stronger the scent grows, and when I reach Grayson’s side, I can’t help but cough. It’s absolutely foul.

“What on earth?” I ask.

“Burning flesh smells like shit,” he grunts.

My eyes widen at his words. I don’t know why I didn’t realize that that’s what he was burning. But he’s right. It smells absolutely horrible. Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I let out a heavy exhale.

“Saw a lot of shit tonight that you shouldn’t have seen,” he rasps, still not looking at me.

I stare at the embers that float into the air, then go out. It happens over and over, the sight mesmerizing as I just stare into the flames. Inhaling a deep breath, I hold it for a moment before I slowly let it out.

“Story of my life,” I whisper.

I can feel Grayson’s gaze on my profile as he continues speaking. “Pegged you for a girl locked away in a tower, a princess.”

Turning to him, I give him a smile. “I am that, too, but my father has never treated me like someone he actually liked. This whole situation should prove that.”

Grayson grunts before he turns back to face the fire. I hold my breath as I wait for him to speak again, mostly because it smells absolutely horrific. My mind starts to go through the events of tonight, and I can’t help but wonder what is going to happen when Merrick returns.

Now that the threat to me is likely over, is he still going to want to keep me? Just because I’ve fallen madly in love with him doesn’t mean that he has done the same with me. I know he’s attracted to me. He has been since day one, but that doesn’t mean that he wants to stay with me.

“Things are going to be okay, Colette,” Grayson mutters.

I don’t respond to him because there is nothing to say. I’m not sure that everything will be okay when it comes to me. If Merrick doesn’t want me, I have absolutely nothing to fall back on. I’m dependent on him, dependent on him wanting to stay with me and keep me—forever. It’s what I want, too, though. I want to live my life with Merrick. No matter how that looks.