Page 88 of Wicked Nasty

He looks at me, hesitating before finally speaking. "Hartley and I had a one-night stand. She became obsessed with me and convinced her father to blackmail me into marrying her. But I wanted Katya. Hartley..." His voice trails off as we hear more crashing coming from another room.

"She had something on me, something bad. She forced me to have a baby and even fired Katya from her job. I've been living a lie for so long... the truth is, I'm not an international businessman. I'm a hired gun."

My heart drops at his confession, but there is no time to process it as Hartley's shrill voice cuts through the chaos in the house. "Where is she?" She steps into view, sneering at us with malice in her eyes. "Oh, got yourself a little backup toy, Theo? How sweet."

He stands up, a gun aimed at her leg. "Get out. The police are on their way."

But Hartley only laughs maniacally in response. "I'm not leaving without my daughter! I know what you did, Theodore!"

She reaches into her purse and pulls out a gun, firing it into the ceiling before aiming it directly at my head. Fear grips me as she speaks with venom in her voice. "You. Tell me where my daughter is. Or are you protecting my grandbaby in her womb?"

With a sneer, I reveal the truth. "Not anymore. We had one."

Hartley's cruel laughter fills the room. "Oops, my mistake. If I had known she was pregnant before I ran her off the road, I would have hit her harder. Maybe then I could have taken away both of your precious loves."

"You...you monster!"

“Give me, Becca!”

A hand reaches out and shoves me aside, causing me to stumble. Becca stands defiantly in front of me, a flash of determination in her eyes.

"I'm right here," she declares, her voice laced with fierce determination.

I scramble to my feet and grab her hand. "Becca! You can't!"

But she shakes her head stubbornly. "No. She wants me, so let's fucking go."

Katya steps up beside us, her presence radiating a dangerous energy. Beside her, Becca's dad sputters in disbelief.

"Both... both of you! Go back!" he stammers, clearly overwhelmed by the situation.

But Hartley just sneers, her features twisted with anger. "Ew. You brought a whore into this home? But then again, I'm not surprised. You've always had a thing for dirty Russians."

Becca shakes her head. “This ends today. I am done with your selfish desires. I am done with a mother who only uses me, who sees me as competition. A mother who has never been a mother at all.”

“Shut your fucking mouth. I birthed you! You are mine!”

Hartley launches up the steps, grabbing Becca by the leg.

I react instinctively, lunging forward to pry Hartley's hands off Becca. But Katya is faster. In a blur of motion, she tackles Hartley, sending them both tumbling down the stairs in a tangle of limbs and shrieks.

"Katya!" Becca's father cries out, his face pale with shock.

The two women grapple on the floor, Hartley's manicured nails raking across Katya's face as she snarls like a feral animal. But Katya is stronger, pinning Hartley down with surprising force.

"You will not touch her again," Katya growls, her accent thickening with rage.

Hartley writhes beneath her, spitting curses. "You can't keep her from me! She's mine! I’ll fucking kill you! If I can’t have Becca, nobody can!"

My stomach churns as I watch the transformation take place in Katya's expression. In an instant, all emotion drains from her face and her eyes bore into Hartley's with a cold, calculated intensity."Da ya tebya uroyu, dermo sobachye, tuck chto mamma rodnaya ne uznayet," she hisses in a venomous tone.

In a swift movement, Hartley reaches for something and a series of loud shots rings out. We all freeze, paralyzed by shock and fear as the police burst into the room. They rush to restrain Katya and Hartley, pulling them apart with force.

I can't believe what is happening as Katya is quickly placed on a stretcher and whisked away by paramedics. Meanwhile, another officer kneels over Hartley's lifeless body and shakes his head. "Female suspect DOA," he declares grimly.

My heart pounds in my chest as the officers make their way up the steps towards Becca, who stands still with shock written all over her face. "Ma'am, why don't you hand us that gun and come with us?" one of them says sternly.

I whip around in disbelief, realizing only now that Becca had been holding a gun this whole time. Did she...? No, it couldn't be...

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