She started to shake from fear. Devil looked close to the edge as it was.
“I’ve seen what women look like without their faces. Close range bullet taking out their face. You couldn’t have an open casket for people to remember her.”
The tears were falling thick and fast.
“What would you tell your kids, your son? That you killed their mother because you couldn’t help but pull the trigger. Hey, at least the world is gone of one bad guy, but I can tell you, Devil, there are over a thousand more bad guys out there who are willing to take my place. All it takes is one of us to go down for another one to rise. It’s a kind of a sad world we live in.”
“Why did you kill my sister?” Lexie asked, needing to change the subject.
All the talk of bullets entering her head scared her. She had no choice but to focus on something else. Lexie didn’t want to die. She wanted to live.
“Kayla, you know she was living good? She was off the drugs and studying to be a nurse. It was the irony of it all. The bad sister turned good. No, she was just a little test for Everett. I wanted to make sure he was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. Guess what? He passed.”
Gonzalez was a sick man. Nothing he did ever made sense, and the only reason he’d survived this long was because of his ability to be unpredictable. She hated him and didn’t want him to live.
He had to die at the right time, in the right moment. This wasn’t that time or that moment.
“Devil, please?” she asked, begging. She knew all he wanted to do was kill the bastard, but it wouldn’t serve any purpose. Today, the only purpose killing Gonzalez would serve was to kill her.
“I’m not going to kill you. I want you out of my f**king house,” Devil said.
He didn’t look toward her as he spoke.
“Really? You don’t want to take a shot at me. I’m sitting right here. I’m out in the open, and you could kill me now. It would all be over.” Gonzalez opened his jacket to reveal his chest. “You’re not going to do it?”
“No, get the f**k out of my house.”
“Devil, stopped from taking what he wants because of a woman. I’m disappointed. Lexie really is the deciding vote for you? You won’t do anything unless she gives you consent?” Gonzalez looked toward her.
Ronald slammed her forward onto the counter. She turned her head so that she didn’t smash her nose on the granite worktop. The pain was instant.
Closing her eyes, she felt Ronald’s h*ps settle against her ass.
Please, God, no.
“Maybe I just need to change it up a little.”
The barrel of the gun was pressed to the back of her head.
“Leave my f**king wife alone,” Devil said. He sounded lost.
“Fucking, that’s a good word. A strong word,” Gonzalez said.
The dress she was wearing was thrust up to her waist. Lexie couldn’t contain the whimper any longer. She was scared of what was going to happen.
“I said f**king leave her alone.” Devil dropped the gun he was holding.
Opening her eyes, she turned to see that Devil held his hands up, surrendering to whatever Gonzalez wanted.
For several seconds nothing happened. The tension in the room could be cut through with a knife.
“Ronald,” Gonzalez said.
Her dress was placed over her thighs, covering her up.
“Now, I think it’s time for us to leave for now.” Gonzalez stood to his feet, leaning down to pick up Devil’s gun. “I find it fascinating.”
“What do you find fascinating?” Devil asked.
She was pulled up from the counter. A hand wrapped around her neck as she was moved backwards around the counter. Ronald held her tight to him. Devil didn’t hold any weapon, but they were being cautious.
“How amenable you are when it comes to Lexie. I wouldn’t have pegged you for the kind of man to step away from a kill.”
“Let my woman go.”
The hand around her neck tightened.
“Let her go, Ronald,” Gonzalez said.
Lexie was thrust into Devil’s arms as the two men left their house. She wrapped her arms around his neck, never wanting him to let go. Devil buried his head against her neck.
“Thank you,” she said, sobbing against his chest.
“Baby, I promise you that you will always come first.”
“How did you know he was here?” She didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if Devil hadn’t been here. Would Ronald have hurt her? Or would Gonzalez?
“I talked with Tiny. Gonzalez called Butch, and the bastard let him know that we were back in Piston County.”
He kissed her neck, offering her some comfort with the warmth of his arms.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you, too, baby. I promise you that I wasn’t even tempted to risk your life. I couldn’t live without you.”
“Do you think it was a test?” she asked, worried. Did Gonzalez come to test Devil?
“Are you hurt?” He pulled her head back, and she saw he was looking in her eyes and over her body.
“I’m not hurt.”
“He pushed you on top of the counter, hard.”
“Devil, the guy who held me, Ronald, he wasn’t hard. It was a test of some kind. I don’t think he was going to hurt me.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Lex. As far as I’m concerned, Ronald’s a f**king dead man, along with Gonzalez. He touched what was mine.” He cupped her cheek, turning her face this way and that. “No one touches you but me.”
He slammed his lips down on hers, holding her tightly.
After several seconds they were interrupted by his cell phone. Getting to her feet, she gave him privacy and made her way into the kitchen. Simon was standing at the edge of the play area looking toward them.
The moment he saw her, he lifted his arms up. “Cuddle, Mommy.”
Going to him, she pulled him into her arms. Simon surprised her by wrapping his arms around her neck and stroking her hair. “I love you, Mommy.”
“I love you, too, angel.”
“I don’t like that bad man. He was going to hurt you.” Simon always surprised her with his observation. “Daddy wouldn’t let him hurt you.”
She got a kiss on the cheek and he tightened his arms around her. Her body was shaking from what happened.
“I’m okay, honey.” She placed him down on the ground.
“I want to see Tabitha,” he said.
Staring down at him, Lexie smiled. “We’ll see Tabitha soon.” Out of all the children, Tabitha had been the one kid that Simon gravitated toward.