Page 57 of Fatally Yours
“Why wouldyouhave a baby?” I said, nudging his leg. He let out another growl as more blood accumulated beneath him.
“Her parents didn’t want her anymore.”
In that instant, I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. Even worse than when August was taken from me, and the night he returned. It wasn’t fair that people who could have children did not want them, and I could not. A baby whom I did not even know meant more to me than whoever created her. It was a cruelty I did not want to face, and I felt my rage stream downmy cheeks.
“You’re not allowed to be around kids,” I said through my sobs, pressing the weapon deeper into his skin until I thought I would push it through his skull.
“So fuckin’ what? Being taken care of, loved,adoredby me is better than being raised by two drug addicts who didn’t bother to name her.” The world was taking the broken remnants of my heart and stomping on them. I would’ve lived and died again and again to have a baby, to name her, to take care of her, to love her.
It was at that moment that I knew that this man had to die. For how he killed August, for the crimes of his past, and for the crimes he was going to commit in the future. He needed to be wiped off this plane of existence and free the world from his inhumanity.
“Shut up, creep! You’re fucking disgusting,” I cried. “I should kill you right now.”
“Yeah, some stupid bitch is going to kill me,” he said. August grabbed the collar of his stained shirt and pulled his face to his, all while the gun was caressing his skull. That was a strangely confident response for someone who had a weapon against his temple, which only made my rage smolder more.
“Don’t you dare fucking talk to my woman like that,” August seethed.
“She doesn’t have the guts!”
“Shut the fuck up!” I roared. Was that what he thought? I would show him. More angry tears spilled down my cheeks as my other hand wrapped around the grip, and I slipped my finger around the trigger. “I’ll kill you!”
“Do it, bitch. I want to see you do it!”
“I will!”
“I’ll do it, baby.” August reached for the gun. Before he could, I ripped it away, pulling it to my chest.
“No!” I said. His brow pinched with a hint of concern, but ultimately, his arms fell to his sides as I returned the weapon to its rightful place—against the skull of Randy Clark. The fiend. The predator. The murderer. With a final, unnecessary but relieving breath, I squeezed the trigger.
The shot exploded through the air, piercing through his porcelain bone and bursting through the other side, embedding in the wall. Another spritz of blood coated my face, but a scream did not emerge from my throat. All I felt was a warm relief.
“Holy shit!” August exclaimed, his hands going to his head in pure shock. “Holy fucking shit, baby.” Randy let out a guttural groan as he slumped forward, his breathing ragged and agonal. My hands loosened around the weapon that I had just used to take a life, and I heard it fall to the ground, the sound burrowing into my ears and rattling my mind. Stumbling back, I felt my knees almost buckle as August reached out to catch me.
“No,” I murmured, attempting to shove him away. Blood may have been thundering in my ears, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. There was only one thing on my mind as I pulled away from him, almost tripping over my trembling legs to run to the room.
The door burst open with my weight as I clawed at the pillows, pulling them away from the carrier. There was nothing but silence as I plucked the sleeping child from the carrier and brought her to my chest. After a moment, August appeared over my shoulder, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him since I was only focused on one thing and one thing only.
XXVIII
“Me and my baby on the edge of the abyss, the world is crumbling, but at least I have her kiss…” Just like every other time before, we were rolling down the dusty highway with the windows down, soaking in the night air. The radio was on but muffled beneath August’s smooth voice and darkly seductive words. There was something romantic behind them, even if sometimes they were masked with sadism. A small, dimpled smile accented his song, and he turned to me, bringing his tune to an end with his hand atop mine.
“How are you doing?” he questioned, brushing his thumb over my knuckles. I continued to stare out the window, taking in the endless horizon, the drone of insects, and the scraping of tires alongthe asphalt.
“I’m fine,” I said. And it was the truth. There was nothing more peaceful than this moment right now. I could die over and over knowing that we had finally achieved this tranquility.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“You need to tell me if you’re not, baby,” he said, giving me a look. I turned to him with a soft smile, knowing my somber stance and hollow stare were doing nothing to comfort him.
“Why would I not be?” I asked. “I have everything I need. You’re back with me, we have a family, and I’m happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” His dimpled grin might have made my heart restart, but I knew that was just a fallacy—something I would have to live with. And I would. I didn’t need life to be happy. I just needed this moment right here, right now. His mismatched eyes caught on the backseat as the tires scraped along the shoulder of the road.
“What are you going to name our baby?” he asked. My expression was tinged with confusion. That was an important event, something he should contribute to. I didn’t want him to think he didn’t have a say.
“She’sourbaby. We should name her together.”
“If it’s something crazy, I’ll ax it,” he said, his gaze going out the windshield again. “But I trust you to pick something good.” Of course, in the past, back when I was alive, I pondered the idea of names for our future children. It was strange how long ago that was, and despite that, some still stuck in my head, even if the possibility was once a pipe dream. Now, it was a beautiful yet unconventional reality.
