Should I be horrified by what I’ve done?
Maybe.
But as I wait for panic to crash down, it doesn’t. Instead, there’s peace. A low, thrumming calm in my ears.
I sink down beside him, letting my heart settle, feeling the breeze kiss my skin.
God, it felt good.
I bet he regrets coming for me now.
Whether I got lucky or not, I did it.
First name on my list—handled.
Solo.
I glance at his body—dead weight now, and heavier than anything I’ve ever tried to move. There’s no way I’m dragging him back to the house. I think I remember the path, but this exact spot? No promises.
I stand, legs trembling beneath me, and circle the corpse. His limbs are massive and dense. I try to drag one, and it’s like trying to haul concrete.
Too damn heavy.
But I’ll figure something out.
I lower my weapon for now—knowing I’ll need to come back to clean the scene. Maybe that’s Cam’s domain. He always was a master of tidying up my ugly messes.
I wonder what he’ll think.
Will he be proud?
He said I wasn’t ready—that I couldn’t defend myself.
Well, he can stuff that opinion somewhere dark. Because now I’ve proven it. And when we go after the rest?
He takes me with him. No excuses.
57
Nell
No one can accuse me of not giving it my all.
I’ve been dragging this monster for what feels like a lifetime—each sluggish step carving new bruises into my palms and burning through whatever strength I have left. If murdering him wasn’t a full-body workout, this sure as hell is.
The gurgling stopped ages ago.
Now he’s just dead weight—limbs slack, face buried against the moss and underbrush. The moon, high and bold above the trees, throws slanted silver light over everything. It illuminates the trail I’ve made, but even in its glow I can’t tell if his chest is rising.
I pray it’s not.
And if his pain before death wasn’t excruciating, then the world’s done me dirty.
God knows how many girls he’s dragged into the dark like this. The thought stirs something animalistic inside me—anger laced with sorrow and a thirst for justice too long denied. I didthis for them. For Lea. For Darcy—because I know somewhere, somehow, they both crossed paths with men just like this.
I’ll hunt them all if I have to.
Torch them down to ash and bone. Call it vengeance or call it service—it’s more than just surviving now. It’s cleansing.
