I pull the ring off and throw it at him. “It’s over. We are over.”
Fading moonlight peeks through the window, gray shadows cast across his face and I can’t believe this is the same man I loved so long ago, and now every fiber of my being hates him.
He lights up a cigarette, takes a long inhale, and lets out a cloud of smoke in the air. He drops the unfinished cigarette to the floor and stomps on it.
“If you won’t love me back, then I will make for damn sure you can’t love him.”
Todd grips my chin, pulling me up from the floor, then his body pins me against the wall. He rips my dress as he pulls it down, maliciously glares at my chest, and licks his lips.
Todd pulls out a gun tucked at his waist. The cold barrel of the pistol presses on the side of my face as his hand tightly grips my hair.
He slams my head against the wall. The ringing in my ear is deafening and I lose focus for a few seconds.
“Remember this, baby? You like it rough,” he sneers into my ear as he’s unbuckling his belt while the gun stabs into my neck. “You think Brody will want you once I’m through with you?”
“Go to hell, Todd!” I shriek, hoping someone can hear me.
“Go ahead and scream, baby. There’s no one for miles. You’re all mine. Then when I’m done with you, I will bury your body so your precious Brody can’t find you.”
He fiddles with the button of his jeans and zipper.
This is my chance.
I am not his victim.
I need to fight.
With the last bit of strength I have left, my fists go flying. I hit his nose as blood splatters on my clothes and his. I’m granted some space between us as my knee rises between his legs and connects with his dick.
“You fucking bitch!” he screams, hunching over and grabbing his crotch.
I’m off the wall in a flash and all I can think about is getting out of this house. I run a few steps, my bare feet pound on the cold surface.
“Come back here! I’m going to put a bullet in your fucking face.” His body crashes against me and we land on the wooden floor.
I scramble across the floor. Just when I think I am out of his reach, he grabs my ankle and yanks me back. With my free foot, I kick him in the head, giving me only a second to reach the door. But I don’t even cross the threshold and he’s on top of me once again and a sting radiates across my face when his palm connects.
I’m not taking his shit anymore as rage and courage engulf me as I hit him back. I am determined to live through this. Prayers run through my mind asking God to give me the strength I need to survive this.
“Get off me!” I scream, “Get off me!” I grit my teeth, fist my hands using every ounce of strength as I push him away. The weight of his body is crippling as I struggle to scramble from under him.
Somehow, I grab the gun he’s holding. I’m up on my feet only a moment before he lunges for me.
I hear the crack of the gun as it fires.
There’s blood everywhere, all at once.
My body recoils from another bang.
Todd’s body pulls me to the ground, the wind is knocked out of me, and my head slams against the floor. I feel numb and I have no more fight in me. My eyes are growing heavy as I see the dawn peeking through the window and all I can think about is capturing the sunrise with Brody as everything fades to black.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Brody
“I need you to focus, Reinhardt.” Jackson’s voice is intent and direct. “As much as I know you want to kill Meyers, your only mission is to get to Delilah. Dylan and I will assist Detective Solis and his men.”
I nod and hate that I can’t do both, save Delilah and kill Meyers myself.
Trees bristle above us as we survey the lay of the land. It’s eerily quiet and I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. The SUV in the driveway confirms we’re at the right location.
The rundown cabin is a piece of shit tucked in the hills of Big Bear Mountain, a couple of miles from the main road, and about two hours east of Los Angeles.
Listening to Jackson outline the plan to rescue Delilah is killing me. And I pray that is exactly what we will do, a rescue instead of a recovery. I’m trained for this kind of thing, but it’s different if the target I need to save is the one I love.
“Detective Solis and his officers have already taken position on the left side,” Jackson says. “Don’t go rogue, Brody. Rules of engagement . . . Fire only when fired upon.”
“Fuck,” I snap. “Are you serious? He’s got Delilah. You need to empty your mag in that motherfucker’s body.”
“I want him dead too.” Dylan speaks up, his jaw ticks as he levels his stare at me. “The objective is to protect and save my sister from that fucktard. If he has a gun, he’ll shoot her before he shoots us.”
“If we kill him, he gets the easy way out,” Jackson says. “Meyers will go to prison for a very long time. Let the inmates have their way with him.”
Anger consumes me, adrenaline courses through my veins, and all I see is red. My feet and trigger finger are ready to go and get this shit over with.
Jackson speaks into the mic letting Detective Solis know we are in position at the front entrance. Just as the detective gives the go ahead to breach, we hear a scream from inside and rush forward, barreling through the door.
Gunshots ring out. My heart freezes as my feet keep moving on their mission to find her. All I can do is pray that Delilah is alive as we travel in formation down the hall, checking each room.
“Clear . . . clear . . . clear,” is heard from law enforcement, Jackson, and Dylan.
When I finally reach the last room, the scene brings me to my knees, and the floor drops out from beneath me.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Delilah
My head is foggy, my eyes are heavy, and I can’t seem to open them up just yet as a hum echoes in my ear. I relish in the familiar melody and yet, I can’t place it because of the low, gruff whistle.
It brings me back to my childhood. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.
The whistling melody repeats. I slowly open my eyes to a brightly lit room.
The sun peers through the slats of the vertical blinds and my smile grows seeing Drake flipping through a magazine, with a toothpick in his mouth. I have always wondered how he does it. I tried whistling with a toothpick in my mouth once and failed miserably. I ended up spitting the saliva covered toothpick onto the floor.
As if he can sense my gaze, he closes the magazine and places it on the bed tray at the foot of the hospital bed before he leans into me.
“Hey, Lulu,” he whispers. The warmth of Drake’s kiss on my forehead brings a tear to my eyes and rolls down my cheeks. “I’m going to get the nurse and let her know you’re awake.”
“No,” I croak out as quickly as I can with my dry throat.
“Brody’s outside. Do you want me to get him?”
“Not yet.” I try reaching for him, but the IV needle and tube restrain me from moving. “Please. Stay.”