Page 172 of Pretty When She Breaks

My father’s lips twitched back in a silent snarl.

“It’s a shame,” I added, a hint of true regret bleeding into my voice. “Imagine if you hadn’t underestimated and dismissed me. If you’d embraced Jewel. We’d have been your biggest assets.”

“Instead, he’s left being a bigoted ass,” Jewel quipped.

A grin tugged at my lips. “Nice one,” I said, looking at him.

My father lunged forward, ever underestimating me. Apparently, he’d decided that I wasn’t going to make good on my threat.

I pulled the trigger, the force of the gunshot reverberating down my arm.

My father’s face twisted in shock for a split second.

Then he slumped forward, folding over himself as he collapsed on the ground. There was rather a lot of blood.

“Ew,” Jewel said, wrinkling his nose as he stepped back from the puddle.

My breathing was coming in harsh pants, and my palms were sweaty as I stepped back. Jewel’s eyes met mine and his face softened.

“Easy, easy there,” he said, taking the gun from my hands and dropping it onto the floor. Then he swept me up in a hug, rubbing my back in a soothing motion.

My heart was beating wildly in my chest as I looked down at what was left of Thaddeus Fairchild. I didn’t linger on the mess that the bullet had made of his head taking in his limp, crumpled form instead.

Just a man, in the end.

An evil man, but one that could be stopped like anyone else.

“Laurel? I’ve got you,” came a deep voice, and then I was being swept up in a cloud of persimmon and lime.

I finally relaxed, letting Finch hold me. I inhaled his scent in deep breaths, my brain starting to turn again. “Sorry,” I said, turning to face Jewel. “If you were planning on saying anything else to him.”

He shrugged. “Eh, not really.” He waved a hand at me. “I’m just a bit jealous, if I’m honest.”

I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed.

“Okay, let’s plant some evidence, and skedaddle,” Jewel announced, taking off his heels and disappearing from sight. When he came back, he was carrying Prince’s limp form.

Finch and Jewel had used the tranquilizers we’d stolen from the pens to take out the bodyguards and Jag quietly. They’d seen me up here, so we had to use a lethal dose for all of them. Dax had been tranqued, and Jewel had dragged him off somewhere to deal with him in private.

Prince had been given an extremely light dose, and he’d be waking up soon. It would look like he’d come back to finish off my father in a rage after losing his pack.

We wouldn’t likely have the police even step foot in here, but the family would have someone look into this. We’d need the evidence in our favour.

“Should we kill him?” I asked, frowning as Finch tossed Prince beside my father. He wiped off my gun and placed it in Prince’s hand. Finch shrugged.

“Leave him like this and he’ll be disgraced, carted off to spend the rest of his sad life in prison. I’d say that’s a good ending.”

I beamed. “It really is. Now, we have a feral alpha to bring home.”

NINETY-SEVEN

LAUREL

Ocean, Kaos, Hugo, Jade, and Casey were waiting for us in Jewel’s basement room when Finch knocked. Everyone looked up. Ocean was curled up on Jewel’s couch, fast asleep. Kaos’s hair was wet, and he was in fresh clothes, though he looked a bit groggy. Unfortunately, we’d had no other option than to have Jade drug him to break his rogue rage, seeing as I was indisposed.

“Well?” Jade demanded, looking at us.

“We’re done,” I said. “Is Jewel back yet?”